Kaskade

Ultra Records

2007.08.23 ::: Words by Andre w Reid

Bring the Night is the latest mix album by house DJ/producer Kaskade. Released on Ultra Records August 21, Bring the Night is crafted to give unwavering house heads what they want most in a mix album: it delivers on the party front and drops the big room jams. And true to Kaskade style—and what differentiates this artist from others in dance music—Bring the Night also manages to serve up those trademark melodies and sensual vocals.

But more than anything, this is 115 minutes of feel good body rock. “With my artist albums, I’m conveying emotion, I’m constructing beats and writing songs that represent me as an artist and a person, so it doesn’t necessarily come out as ‘dance heavy,’” says Kaskade. “But a mix CD is about walking the line, and fitting my style in with the DJ side of things. Yeah, I want to keep it musical and fresh, but Bring the Night is intentionally produced very rhythmic and…well, banging. This is a head bobbing mix, something to pop in your car and thump.”

And with 15 hard-hitting tracks, including dance chart topping Kaskade remixes of Nelly Furtado’s “All Good Things (Come To An End)” and Floetry’s “SupaStar,” Bring the Night achieves just that—it’s a non-stop, seamless stream of orchestrated beats and flavor, all with a nod to the night life.

Other tracks include the Kaskade original “Sorry,” remixed here by Dirty South, which has become the track for DJs like Pete Tong and Deep Dish to work into their sets. There’s also Armand Van Helden’s “NYC Beat,” a catchy pop-house track that pays homage to the urban hipster. The collective vision of Bring the Night isn’t a journey nor does it wax philosophical; rather, it marks a timestamp on the party scene and everything current and fresh in house music today. “For me, this mix is about what’s happening right now in the club. This is what kind of set I’ve put together,” says Kaskade.

Bring the Night is Kaskade’s first mix album with Ultra Records and follows his widely acclaimed artist album, Love Mysterious. With four albums, 14 singles, 30-plus remixes and Bring the Night as his fourth mix album, Kaskade has become a veritable foundation within house music, though his rise to top-tier status in the dance music scene is not without significance. As Tricia Romano of the Village Voice observed, "In dance music no one ever seems to graduate or ever get promoted, which means that the ability for new DJs and producers to break in the upper ranks is incredibly hard. Kaskade is one of the few who've pushed past the Sasha’s and the Derrick’s to get on the A-list." This is so clearly the case that when URB Magazine featured Kaskade on their cover alongside Kanye West's A-Trak and NYC's Tommie Sunshine as the three the most influential DJs in North America today, they explained that "Kaskade is a special breed of house star, one who has increased in popularity over the past few years in an industry where most of the major players have at least a decade (often two) of stardom behind them."

The broad appeal that Kaskade has been able to tap into has not gone unnoticed by the music industry. The accolades and recognition are numerous and include a nomination for "The Borders Award for Best New Artist" in 2004 to being voted number 20 in the "2004 America's Favorite DJ Poll" conducted by BPM magazine. The San Francisco based magazine SOMA summarizes it well: "Kaskade has taken over the scene as one of the West Coast's most sought after DJs."

All this appreciation is not to say that he takes his profession too seriously. "I'm just a guy who loves to make music, and I'm having a really, really good time doing so. I'm not it in for the ‘scene.' I don't wear shiny sequin shirts and I don't usually hang out in clubs unless I'm going for a specific reason." With his relaxed West Coast demeanor (it's not uncommon for him to show up to a club in flip flops), and his affable personality, Kaskade is an anomaly to the stereotypes often associated with the DJ persona. Individuality is apparent in Kaskade's personality, and so is the music he produces. Bring the Night hits this standard on the mark and reinforces Kaskade's stronghold in dance music.

Nocturnal: What made you decide to pursue DJing and producing electronic music?
Kaskade: Growing up in Chicago warped my mind.

Nocturnal: Where did the name Kaskade come from?
Kaskade: Cube life escapism... I thought of the name while on my lunch break at one of my 9 to 5’s.

Nocturnal: You have one of the globe's most discernable styles. How do you vision your dance floor and sound? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Kaskade: Grand, organic, hooked filled grooves.

Nocturnal: Your latest mix CD for Ultra, "Bring the Night" is due out soon, what should we expect from it?
Kaskade: It is me mixing records that I love and want to share. A typical weekend vibe if you were to come to one of my shows.

Nocturnal: You grew up in Chicago and transplanted to San Francisco. How has this almost natural movement shaped your appreciation and affection with house music? Did growing up in the birthplace of house have a profound influence on your aspiritions as a DJ and producer?
Kaskade: Yes, Chicago had a huge affect on me musically. I really think I create, in part, to try and re-capture some of my childhood.

Nocturnal: What's your current studio set-up? Are you strictly software, or does hardware still play a role in your productions?
Kaskade: Hardware plays less and less of a role as time goes by. The main part of my rig right now is the Pro Tools HD3 Accel system.

Nocturnal: Any valuable tips in setting out to produce music you could pass on to someone starting out?
Kaskade: Get to it!! There are so many tools out there for the beginner... there are no excuses anymore.

Nocturnal: In your opinion what other producers out there are really pushing boundaries or making a big impact on our scene?
Kaskade: Stuart Price (aka Jacques lu Cont).

Nocturnal: As the digital revolution continues to grow, how do you see it impacting our industry going forward? Are you a friend or foe of downloading music?
Kaskade: I miss the days of kicking it at the record store talking smack about music with other music lovers and dj’s. But downloading is cool because it gets it to the people. I just wish people would stop stealing.

Nocturnal: You've been touring extensively over the past year. Any crazy tales from your current our past road trips you'd care to share?
Kaskade: It’s all a fog of airports, strobe lights and egg McMuffins.

Nocturnal: Lastly here are some quick shots:
Nocturnal: CD, Vinyl, or MP3?
Kaskade: Vinyl/CD.
Nocturnal: What's more likely... vinyl making a comeback or a non-trance DJ being rated #1 in the DJ Mag poll?
Kaskade: Vinyl coming back.
Nocturnal: Favourite travel destination for vacation?
Kaskade: San Francisco.
Nocturnal: Favourite travel destination for performing?
Kaskade: Tokyo.
Nocturnal: Favourite venue in the world?
Kaskade: Smart Bar, Chicago.
Nocturnal: Most indispensable item you travel with?
Kaskade: Laptop.
Nocturnal: Most indispensable piece of studio kit?
Kaskade: My mouse.
Nocturnal: If you weren't a DJ, you'd be...
Kaskade: bagging groceries.

::: Related Links

::: www.kaskademusic.com

::: www.myspace.com/kaskademusic

::: www.ultrarecords.com