CoolJunkie Interviews Kaskade

April 6, 2009 11:44 AM
by Marcos Colón

Around the nation, electronic dance music is slowly spreading like wildfire. We're starting to get little pockets in America that are beginning to be influenced by the overwhelming talent coming out of the music scene. But both the East Coast and the West Coast are influenced in different ways. Major dance markets like New York, Miami and Detroit have their ears paying close attention to Europe, while the West Coast seems to give a little more attention to the home grown talent. We're glad we weren't the only ones thinking like this, as recently we've caught up with one of America's leading DJ/Producers, Kaskade. Known for supplying the dance floor with infectious vocal house tracks that people can connect to, Kaskade is a fan of any and all electronic dance music, he just happens to understand how production styles go in and out, so there's no use on getting stuck on one specific genre.

CoolJunkie recently caught up with Kaskade, just before Winter Music Conference, to talk about his new mix CD, electronic dance music in America, and attempting to define what 'soulful' is.

CoolJunkie: How have things been for you lately?

Kaskade: It's been crazy. From one year to the next it has been active. The beginning of this year has been a little bit of insanity, so I can't complain.

CJ: You're about to release a new mix on the first day of Winter Music Conference. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Kaskade: Mix CDs are cool because unlike artist albums you don't have to strain yourself and be like, "What's the appropriate lyric for this spot." It's a lot of fun and it's a good release. It's like, "Ok, what are 20 or 30 of my favorite tracks at the moment." Mix them up, make something cool and we'll see what happens.

CJ: You're known for your soulful sound. Do you think that today it's difficult to get everyone's attention with that sound?

Kaskade: No, because I think that there's still people out there that want to connect to something more than just noise. Production styles go in and out in the world of independent music, and even more so in the world of independent electronic music. But I think that if you're writing lyrics and genuinely reaching out to people, that's a timeless thing. For me, I can't possibly imagine being more busy than I am now. It's definitely connecting on some level.

CJ: A lot of people throw the term 'soulful' around a lot. What is your definition of soulful?

Kaskade: It's funny because I think that word gets overly abused. What does that mean? I don't know. Does it mean that I'm being honest and putting myself out there? I don't know. It's a tough question that I've actually thought about a lot. I think in my case it's exactly that. I'm opening up to people and writing lyrics that mean something to me. I'm not writing things that are profound and are gonna save the world or anything. At the end of the day it's just disco and I'm having a good time. But I do think that people connect with the honesty.

CJ: I know that you came to SET recently and also played a pool party recently here. How's Miami treated you so far compared to other cities?

Kaskade: Miami's been on the uptake so far, which is cool. (laughs) The entire West Coast seems like it's been there since day one, but New York and Miami, I think you guys got your ears in Europe so much that it takes a little while for you to recognize some of the home grown talent. Now that things kind of have caught on, like you mentioned SET which was brilliant, but beyond that I've had some great experiences during Winter Music Conference that have just been life altering. I've always wondered if it was the conference thing or if it was Miami, but I think that it was a mix of both.

CJ: Staying on the same subject. How would you compare WMC Miami to non-WMC Miami?

Kaskade: Well WMC Miami is crazy because you have so many different flavors. People from everywhere, so it kinda meshes the style a bit more. I feel that guys from the West coast can go there and everyone from San Francisco show up and play their party. The regular Miami is cool because Miami's this crazy hodgepodge anyway, and I feel that they embrace the party. Whatever dude, any city on the beach I'm down with! (laughs)

CJ: I see electronic dance music is spreading across the U.S. and into the most unlikely of areas. What city would you say gets it the most and why?

Kaskade: There's a hand full of cities that really just, for whatever reason, connect with underground electronic music. I think on the top of that list it has to be Sydney. These people just understand it on a really deep and profound level. Not only that, but there's clusters of these people like these everywhere, including Miami. And usually you have enough of these people to fill up a club, or two or five. But when you go to Sydney, Tokyo's another one by the way, you can fill in hundreds of clubs. It's crazy!

CJ: I read that you're currently working on some remix work for some pop songs, correct?

Kaskade: Yea, the remix work just continually keeps coming in. Just today Jive hit me up for one of their new artists. I've only listened to the song a couple of times, so I can't even recall her name yet. I've been honored to remix Britney Spears' last three singles. I've also done Justin Timberlake, The Pussycat Dolls, it's just been really fun to tackle that stuff. I wish we had vocalists like these in the underground, because when we do they get stolen and repackaged. I love working with people who can really sing and belt it out there. That's what a remix is. Bringing the song into my world and making it fit.

CJ: Are there any pop songs out there that you've heard and said, "Damn I wish I could get my hands on that."

Kaskade: That Killers song!

CJ: Human?

Kaskade: Yes! I was bummed that I didn't get asked to remix that. And I've got a buddy who's friends with Brandon Flowers, so I called him up and was like, "Dude, what's up?"(laughs) Brandon Flowers is an amazing song writer, so that's the one I wish I could have.

CJ: Now when you talk about vocals it seems like a lot of times producers seem to shy away from them. How important is the role of vocals, but at the same time, how can that be abused?

Kaskade: First and foremost, vocals are what people connect to. When it's just a track, it's a track, and that's cool. I have ten thousands of records with no vocals, I love them just as much as I love a vocal track. But that stuff is just flavor of the week, what you're feeling right now. A year ago, the minimal stuff, I just couldn't get enough of it. Now it's more of a techier minimal sound, and that's cool because those styles always change. But when you write a song and you record a vocal and it works, when you write a melody and it sticks, that's saying something. I really enjoy doing that. And as far as how it can be abused? There are some people out there that just shouldn't be singing. It can very easily be abused. I mean, how many crappy dance tracks can you listen to that are terrible? Anyone can get into a studio and be like, "Put your hands in the air." It's like, "Dude, we did that already like 20 years ago." (laughs)

CJ: What do you have lined up for the remainder of the year?

Kaskade: Well this album is dropping, The Grand, and I'm doing a pretty massive tour behind that. Something like three months and sixty dates. Then i'll probably be doing Asia, Europe and South America in the summer before I head back here in the fall. There's nothing like the fall time when people are back in school and ready to go at it again.

Click here to hear more from Kaskade.