Kaskade, Dance Floor Maestro

(Published June 20, PDI-Super)

By Oliver M. Pulumbarit

Electronic artist Kaskade was in Manila again for a series of shows last week, his third time in the country.

“I love the Philippines,” enthused the 38-year-old dance artist-producer. “I think my music works really well in this country. You guys have a passion for songs, for songwriting and singing, which in dance music is becoming a rare thing. It’s more rhythm-driven. But my music is more melodic and lyrical so I think it’s a good fit for the Filipino people.”

Kaskade is Ryan Raddon, who grew up in Northbrook, Illinois. He began using the stage name in 2001. He is currently touring the globe and performing in packed venues, constantly grateful for being exposed to all types of cultures.

“It’s amazing. It blows me away. I mean, here I am, sitting in the Philippines. Next month I’m gonna be touring Europe for four weeks. I will probably play somewhere between 25 and 30 different countries this year. I’ll play around 120 shows. Dance music, electronic music, is extremely universal. People like to dance.”

Describe how your music has evolved.

I think it’s always lyric-driven music, but the production style is always evolving. My first album “It’s You, It’s Me” came out in 2002. It was very much like chill, ambient, with some deep house stuff. I still make a lot of those, but I definitely had more big room songs cross over into the club world.

How do you choose singers, and have you recorded your voice for your music?

I’ve tried to sing myself but I never released anything with me singing on it! I write music and then I just have a session singer come in and just sing. I find one that will match. I have an idea of what I want it to sound like. I write the lyrics, come up with the melody, and then have somebody sing it.

What’s easiest to write about?

I write about night life and night life culture, and about falling in and out of love. With electronic music, it can be pretty abstract, which is cool. It’s definitely something I really appreciate.

After finishing a song, when is it ready for recording?

Oh, it’s never perfect. I just get out what’s in my head and that’s good enough for me. I make stuff for myself. I’m a pretty selfish artist.

Describe the process of choosing songs for remixing.

I have to like the original song. If I don’t like it, I won’t remix it. Stylistically, I have to feel like it will fit and re-translate into the club track. And I have to have enough time to do it, which is a huge thing. I’m on the road so much, sometimes great opportunities come along that I have to pass on because I don’t have the time.

Which are your favorites?

Recently, I remixed Plumb’s “In My Arms,” which is on my latest mix CD The Grand. I really like the way it turned out. It came together super-quick, too. I heard the song, and had an idea. And it worked really well! David Morales, the song “Here I Am,” the final product I was really happy with. Dude, I can talk about remixes forever! Seal’s “Amazing”… Britney Spears’ “Break the Ice,” I love playing that one.

Which dance artists are you listening to?

Eric Prydz, I’m a huge fan of his music. David Guetta’s new track is awesome! I love Justice, MSTRKRFT… there’s a lot of guys doing cool stuff right now. Everybody has their own little niche. They’re making music that’s contemporary, but it also plays in a night club.

How do you select songs for sets?

It’s a tough thing to make the selection. I don’t wanna play too much of my music; it seems over-indulgent. But I wanna play enough ‘cause people came to hear my tracks. It switches every night. That’s the great thing about a live show. It’s so fluid.

Describe the global dance scene.

It’s massive. It’s crazy. It’s healthy. We don’t really have a lot of radio play all over the world; it’s mainly internet-driven. It’s still difficult to find the artists ‘cause they’re independently marketed. There aren’t huge budgets; it’s not Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake, where they have millions of dollars to advertise and tell the general public. It’s still a niche thing. The thing that’s so surprising is the people really want it. There are huge arena shows that I played all over the world. There’s a huge demand for this music, but the big soft drink companies haven’t figured out how to market this stuff, so the major labels aren’t involved yet.

What’s the most important thing about creating dance music?

Just be true to yourself. I always tell new guys coming up to me: “Create your own sound. Don’t copy. Come up with your own thing, your own niche, and master that.” When I started doing music, everyone was doing this one sound. I was inspired by that but I did my own thing.