Electronic music superstar John Summit explains why he stans Lady Gaga, puts us onto Chicago food, and flexes his movie buff muscles on a new episode of Rolling Stone Recommends.
00:00One of our editors, Leah, we were in Chicago and she was like, I'm at Alice Beef when they play it.
00:03Wait, they were playing my music at Alice Beef?
00:05No way! That's legendary! Wow, that was my go-to.
00:08That was my drunk food spot. So now that they play my music, that's pretty full circle.
00:12Hey, I'm John Summitt and these are my recommendations.
00:15I've been on a big 60s music kick. I've been listening to a lot of Beach Boys, to be honest, especially since Brian Wilson passed away and he was such an amazing songwriter.
00:33The first time I got put onto the Beach Boys, honestly, just through Reddit, the Let's Talk Music subreddit is great and where you can get very nerdy with everything.
00:41And I didn't realize how incredible of a songwriter Brian Wilson was until I fully dove into it.
00:45Pet Sounds is one of the greatest albums of all time, so that. And then, yeah, Wouldn't It Be Nice is a great anthem.
00:54I was the biggest Radiohead fan in high school, especially, and just listened on repeat.
00:58The first vinyl I ever bought was OK Computer.
01:01And then Kid A is just so excellent, too, because it's very electronic-inspired.
01:04And they kind of brought electronic music a little bit to the mainstream, in a sense, with that.
01:08Tell me a bit about the new single.
01:10So that one's really cool. I worked with Inez again, who I worked on with Light Years.
01:13I find her voice so interesting and the characteristics of her voice kind of reminds me of Bjork a little bit and just so unique.
01:20I wanted something that could work at main stages and bring a lot of energy without being, like, dubstep or something.
01:26We went the electro route, which I think is really fun. It feels like a very punk rock bass line.
01:30I cried for you, cried at my works. You like when it hurts. You like when it hurts.
01:37The fans are kind of split on it because, you know, the fans say they miss the old Summit and they want kind of the tech house stuff.
01:42But I think it's fun to get more creative and innovative with it.
01:45It's the first track I ever wrote in a major key, so it's kind of the poppiest song I've ever done as well,
01:50which was a little bit of a challenge, as I've always told myself I would never do that.
01:54I love taking on new challenges.
01:56I feel like last summer, especially, like, pop music crushed and it was very inspiring because it was very forward-thinking.
02:02It wasn't formulaic. It wasn't generic.
02:05I started to hate pop music in, like, the 2010s because everything sounded the same and it sounded like it was all wrote by the same person.
02:10But now I think artists are especially getting creative, especially the way the album roll out and everything, too.
02:16Charlie, Billy, they actually crushed at Chaparron because she's a Midwest girl.
02:20The art she creates is incredible, how they just approach, I mean, artwork, music, videos, creative direction outside of just the music and create a whole world out of it.
02:28I think that's where a lot of electronic music artists lack is creating a whole world.
02:33I thought that was all pretty inspiring and I'm like, okay, maybe I can write a couple pop tunes.
02:36And I still haven't seen Lady Gaga on tour yet, so this is very annoying for me.
02:40I saw the whole Coachella performance, though.
02:42She's been the top of the game for years and years and years.
02:44It's so incredible, live.
02:46You talk about creating a world around it, like, her set design for her show is insane.
02:50Giant Jurassic Star and there's people inside it and then there's, like, multiple different sets.
02:53It's like watching a whole movie.
02:55And then she sang fully live, of course, too, which is crazy.
02:58I already compared her to, like, LeBron.
03:00Yeah, a thousand percent because, you know, she's been the top of the game and the longevity is so wild.
03:05And she's even been, like, an A-list actor doing all these huge movies, like A Star Is Born, which is one of my favorite movies as well.
03:10To be able to cross all types of forms of media and still be the top of everything is insane to me.
03:15And I'm also just trying to find new music from artists all the time, especially owning the record label, experts only.
03:19We get sent so many new records every single day.
03:21It's always trying to find something new.
03:22I'm listening for artists that are trying something new and innovative, bringing their own passion and inspiration to house music.
03:29Because I feel like everyone just tries to copy the trends and copy what's cool.
03:33Whereas, you know, being, like, an industry leader, you've got to be a trendsetter, not a trend follower.
03:38And it doesn't have to be perfect.
03:39Most young artists, I feel like, aren't very, you know, professional, might not be mixed and mastered right.
03:45That's the stuff that's easy to fix and easy to change.
03:50Club etiquette in 2025, I always see people complain about people pushing, shoving.
03:55But there is, of course, like, the overuse of phones that people talk about.
03:59I mean, when I go to a concert and one of my favorite acts plays their big song, I'll get, like, a 15-second video of it, share it with friends.
04:05And it's just a way of human connection at the end of the day.
04:08But now, if people are just on 24-7, it is kind of annoying.
04:12It's tough for people to let loose because everyone knows they're being recorded at all times.
04:16The people in the DJ booth with me are, like, they feel like they're acting because they see all the cameras.
04:21Where my job, I'm trying to get everyone to let loose a little bit.
04:24I just posted the Burning Man set I did.
04:26There's, like, no cameras and stuff at all at Burning Man.
04:28But because we were live streaming, of course, there's the camera crew out there.
04:31And you can tell that people are a little timid the first 10 minutes.
04:33But by the end, I think all walls are broken down.
04:36Are there any non-negotiables for the people that are in the booth?
04:39Looking just negative energy and just, like, being all pouty.
04:43And because then I'll just be like, all right, get out of here.
04:46That's also my job as an entertainer, though, is to get the best out of everyone.
04:49Sometimes I'll look at someone on the dance floor who's not having a good time.
04:52And I'm like, that is my goal for the night, to get this person dancing.
04:55And once they crack a smile and start moving, I'm like, yes.
04:57So, like, that Burning Man set, if you see it, it's like the crowd was pretty minimal at the beginning.
05:02And I'm a little skeptical because I'm not one to normally play that kind of sound.
05:06It's more of a chiller, kind of more psychedelic sound than I normally play.
05:10I was able to win him over.
05:12And then that was such a fulfilling set.
05:17Versus when I get on the decks and, like, everyone already kind of knows and loves my music.
05:21I do love it.
05:22But that's like a walk in the park for me.
05:23There's been a lot of online discourse about guys being on couches.
05:27I think that's fucking stupid.
05:29Guys can be on couches, tables, having a good time.
05:31I'm like, what are you talking about?
05:33I played this one set at, like, 2 p.m. on a Sunday in Australia, in Melbourne.
05:37The place is called Revolver.
05:38It's like a legendary after hours club.
05:40And it was a bunch of guys and girls on the table, like, swinging towels, going nuts.
05:44It would be weird if it was only girls.
05:45A good party has a good ratio, right?
05:47If you've never been to Chicago, I'm going to start broad here.
05:57You should definitely get some deep dish pizza.
05:59You should definitely get an Italian beef.
06:00This is very controversial, what the favorite deep dish is.
06:03So I could go for a deep cut here.
06:05But the go-to you can't go wrong with is Illuminati's.
06:08And then for Italian beef, I'd go to Portillo's.
06:10I did a pop-up set there last year.
06:12And that was, like, one of the most memorable things I've ever done.
06:17That was the restaurant I'd go to every single week with my parents.
06:23And so it was kind of full circle to be able to throw a party in there.
06:25One of our editors, Leah, we were in Chicago.
06:27And she was like, I'm at Alice V when they played.
06:29Wait, they were playing my music at Alice V?
06:31No way!
06:32That's legendary.
06:33Wow, that was my go-to.
06:34That was my junk food spot.
06:35So now that they play my music, that's pretty full circle.
06:41I just rewatched The Departed.
06:42That's an all-time classic.
06:43I love that.
06:44You got something you want to ask me?
06:48I love anything, like, mob-related.
06:51Big Christopher Nolan fan.
06:52I'm looking forward to The Odyssey.
06:53My favorite by him is The Prestige.
06:56Obviously, he loves Scorsese.
06:57Goodfellas is one of my all-time faves.
06:58That's it.
07:02I just rewatched Their Will Be Blood.
07:04I saw that when I was younger in high school.
07:06I don't think I fully processed it and fully appreciated Daniel Day-Lewis.
07:11And now rewatching it, I'm like, holy shit, this guy's the goat.
07:14I drink your milkshake.
07:18So that's how I kind of clock out, though.
07:20Mentally dissect movies and get out of my music brain for a night.
07:23And then I love going on Reddit and discussing the movies with everyone.
07:26It's not a John Simon account.
07:27I have a burner Reddit account.
07:29I'm user3257.
07:30I read that you aren't a big superhero movie person.
07:34I just thought the marvelization of cinema, I didn't like it.
07:38I didn't really follow it too much.
07:39Everything just became so big budget.
07:41And then it kind of was the death of medium budget movies,
07:44especially comedies and everything like that.
07:46It was just very green screen heavy.
07:48And I wasn't a huge fan.
07:49So to see that kind of go out of style, I'm a little bit happy.
07:52I would love to be in a movie, maybe like a cameo or something.
07:55I don't think I'm the best actor.
07:56I'd love to help with a movie score, though,
07:59because Hans Zimmer is my goat as well.
08:01If I could be involved in that process or any creative process behind the camera.
08:05Incredibly ambitious would be doing something Christopher Nolan related.
08:07But something that's just big and epic,
08:09because I love making like big cinematic scores.
08:11Something like that with heavy bass hits.
08:13Because of course the Hans Zimmer,
08:15when you're thinking of like the Inception soundtrack or something,
08:17it's very kind of in-your-face heavy cinematic,
08:20which I think is really dope.
08:24Then the Batman during the Iceberg Lounge scene,
08:26they had like a Patrick Topping record,
08:28which I thought was cool because I was like,
08:29this is actually the music we list.
08:31And then that was filmed at Printworks in London.
08:33Normally they're like, yo, let's go clubbing.
08:38And then it's like the cheesiest cornball music
08:41that no one actually listens to at clubs.
08:43I'm very opinionated on club scenes and movies.
08:45I just saw Inora, which like, obviously that's like a strip club,
08:48not like dance club or whatever.
08:50But that was a very realistic depiction of what it actually is like in a strip club.
08:53And it's like dark, grungy versus like,
08:55it's always when they go to nightclubs,
08:56it's always too bright and everything.
08:58Running is not inherently that fun.
09:03I just did six miles.
09:06When you run with other people, it actually is so much fun.
09:08And you can like explore the city and kind of just get outside the house,
09:11put some order in my life as well too,
09:13having something to do every single morning.
09:15The endurance has been helping a lot,
09:17because I do pretty much 15 to 20,000 steps every single set I do.
09:20I'm getting an older age.
09:22I feel like it's starting to hit me a little bit during these sets.
09:25But now that I have this increased cardio, I feel like a new man.
09:27Absolutely beautiful day in London.
09:29The weather, very nostalgic.
09:32Reminds me of when I used to run cross country.
09:35When I'm at the gym or running or such,
09:39I think that's when house music is best.
09:41I feel like because house music is from 120 to 130 BPM,
09:44and that's kind of where my heart rate is at.
09:45So I feel like when running, that's perfect.
09:47When I get very intense with the lifting,
09:49that's when I go into drum and bass,
09:51which is why I've been kind of diving into the drum and bass world a little bit,
09:53because I think it's pretty intense.
09:55There's a reason why those sets are only an hour long though,
09:57because I feel like it takes so much energy out of you.
09:59And then when I'm really chilling,
10:00probably like more deep house and kind of slower stuff.
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