Higher, the new two-track release from Pablo Bozzi and vocalist Alison as Lexi L’Acqua, lands with surprising clarity. Out on Second Sight, it draws from nineties house warmth and early two-thousands dance energy while keeping its focus tight. With only two tracks, the project sets the tone for Bozzi’s current direction and marks the beginning of a phase he has been hinting at in recent sets and productions.
In conversation, that direction takes shape through instinct rather than planning. “It did not feel like a rupture, more like following a natural flow,” Pablo notes as he recalls how Higher and Real Life emerged alongside changes in his sets. Alison’s voice holds both tracks together, moving between uplift and introspection with a precision that hints at where he is heading next. 
Higher marks the beginning of something new for you. It’s only two tracks, but it already feels like a shift in energy. When did you realise this wasn’t just another studio experiment but a moment that was opening a new chapter?
I think I realised it when my sets started shifting before my studio work did. Little by little, I was having more fun playing with tension and energy with different forms of house music, especially progressive house from the late 90s and early 2000s. That’s really where the change began. My sound has always been hybrid anyway. Even when I was more into Italo Body Music, it was already infused with some touch of trance, so there was always this blend happening. Hybridisation has always been a part of the way I approach music. And when you look at the history of club music, it’s constant evolution, constant mutation. So, for me, this shift didn’t feel like a rupture, more like following a natural flow. At some point, I found myself drawn toward something warmer and more progressive, but not in a nostalgic way, just a vibe that made sense with the direction my sets were taking.
When I made the EP, that transition became very clear. The tracks opened a different space, still energetic, but with a kind of openness between euphoria and introspection. It wasn’t planned as a “new chapter”; it just unfolded naturally.
You’ve said this project is special because it blends everything you love, from 90s house to 00s dance euphoria. Beyond the references, what state of mind were you in when these tracks first started taking shape?
Actually, the seed was planted two years ago in Sri Lanka. Alison and I were there together with some friends, and I was constantly playing tracks from that late-90s and early-2000s era around the pool where we were hanging a lot. At some point, we just looked at each other and thought we should make some tracks in this vibe together. Her voice fits that aesthetic so naturally that it almost felt obvious. For this project, she created an alter ego, Lexi, something a bit separate from her other work as Zanias or with Linea Aspera. We’ve been friends for many years, so collaborating in this way felt really natural. There’s a kind of trust you can’t fake.
There’s a warmth and brightness in Higher that almost feels like a scene. Did you have a visual world attached to it while building the track? The piano line is such a defining moment. Did it appear early on, or was it one of those elements that suddenly made the entire track snap into focus?
When I started working on Higher, the very first thing I laid down was that piano line. As soon as I had that melodic core, the bassline, the drums and the uplifting progression started to fall into place around it. It wasn't something I added later; it was the element that locked in the overall feeling and structure of the track. For me, the piano is a way to bring energy and euphoria at the same time. On these tracks, it became the thing that snapped everything into focus and gave the whole piece its emotional core.
Your catalogue shows different phases of your sound. Looking back at your earlier projects on Spotify, is there a release or era you now see as the quiet bridge that led you toward this “new Pablo”?
Looking back, I don't really see this as a radical shift towards a “new Pablo”, because I feel my sound has always had these uplifting and light touches. It’s more of a natural progression of my influences and my creative process. If I had to pinpoint a moment where I leaned more clearly into this energy, I'd say it was the single Danger Zone in 2023. That was the first time I embraced new basslines, stabs, and those dance-leaning vocals. That track started to consolidate the sound I was truly excited by and was the starting point for this aesthetic, followed by the Fantasy EP and the single Neon Dreams.
However, it's important to mention that tracks like Higher EP were made a year and a half, maybe two years ago. In my sets and current productions today, I'm already much more focused on some '90s and early-2000s club-orientated sound.
Real Life opens a completely different door: introspective, warmer, more inward-looking. What did writing that track allow you to express that Higher couldn’t?
Real Life definitely allowed me to express something more intimate and inward-looking than Higher. Higher is about movement, elevation, that uplifting, extroverted energy in the club, with your hands in the air. With Real Life, I wanted to open a warmer, more introspective space. I had this Balearic nostalgia in mind, like an Ibiza sunset, or that moment after the party when the sun is rising, and you’re looking out, feeling contemplative.
You’ve said this EP is also about fun, about bringing something more uplifting and light to your audience. Was that something you were missing in your own work, or something you felt your crowd needed?
Honestly, I don't feel like I was missing something or that it was something my crowd desperately needed. We are all human beings; we evolve and move forward, and it’s the same for my creative process. I don't see this as a radical change; it’s simply my inspirations and creativity evolving naturally. The idea behind this EP was almost like imagining my own version of a pop/dance track that could play on the radio but infused with that playful, carefree spirit of 90s and 2000s music. It was a space to play and explore something lighter and more fun. So it’s less about filling a gap and more about allowing myself that space to enjoy the process and bring a different kind of energy.
Second Sight launching with Higher feels intentional. What did you want this EP to communicate about the philosophy or direction of the label?
It's more of a relaunch. The label first began in February 2023 with a vinyl various-artists compilation called Unknown Prospect, followed by a few other releases. The goal is to start releasing music more regularly and establish a fresher base aligned with the direction we want to take. The EP introduces the label’s spirit: openness, evolution and a space to experiment. Second Sight is primarily a platform for club music, blending house, progressive house and trance, and early-2000s tribal sounds, but we also want to navigate around trip-hop and downtempo.
We’ve worked on the new visual identity with a Brazilian graphic design studio called Monga, aiming for a layout that feels like a stamp on a vinyl sleeve. Each release will keep the same overall structure, while only the colours and backgrounds change, with a consistent signature with a 90s and 2000s touch. The EP itself sets the tone, but it won’t define the label forever. For example, the upcoming remixes of the EP by Clint and Aldonna are entirely aligned with the current club aesthetic that I love, and all four tracks will be released on vinyl.
Your relationship with EGONLAB has given you the chance to explore a different world where music meets fashion, image and performance. How has collaborating with them influenced the way you think about sound, aesthetics or even identity?
I met Kevin and Florentin from EGONLAB in late 2020 through a common friend to discuss releasing music with their upcoming collection; we had an immediate friendship. They then asked me to take the musical artistic direction for the brand, and I've been working since then on every new collection. Working with them has opened a completely different space for me, one where I can explore aesthetics I love but don’t usually approach in my club productions. By composing music for their runway shows, they give me the freedom to respond to images, colours, and movement rather than the dynamics of the dancefloor.
It's an exercise I really enjoy, because it activates another part of my imagination. We discuss the collection’s ambience, and I try to adapt their vision sonically while infusing my style. I start thinking in terms of atmosphere, narrative and texture instead of just impact or energy. That collaboration has also led to other unique projects with EGONLAB, such as creating the soundtrack for an immersive installation with Devialet at Le Palais de Tokyo or producing the score for online spaces and showrooms with Microverse LVMH for Galeries Lafayette x EGONLAB.
Another key collaboration pushed this evolution further: the dance short film COR by Mes Lesnes, a fractured tribe tearing across Spanish badlands in search of radical freedom. All of this has definitely influenced the way I think about sound, aesthetics and even identity by nourishing my musical language.
Collaboration has been a constant in your journey, but this project feels deeply personal. What do you look for in someone before bringing them into your creative universe?
Even though I love collaborating, I only bring someone in when there’s a natural connection. I look for people who understand the emotion I’m trying to express and who share the same instinctive approach. It’s less about technical skill and more about feeling aligned. With Alison, it was obvious—her voice matched the universe of the EP immediately.
My previous release, Angel Eyes, was also a collaborative EP with my close friend Mac Declos. I have a few other exciting collaborative projects coming out in 2026…
And now that this new chapter has started, what energy are you carrying with you into the year ahead, both for yourself and for Second Sight?
For 2026, I want to release a lot more music. I already have several EPs and remixes lined up on Second Sight and other labels, and I feel a strong desire to keep experimenting, both in my own productions and through the artists we’ll support on the label.