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spectrum of fans waits at the side gate of Miami’s Bayfront Amphitheater, some in the box office line for will call tickets, others inching their way to the front to enter this sold-out stop on Kaskade’s ‘Freaks of Nature’ Tour. Looking slightly suspect, a group
of nine teenagers fully decked out in ‘Freaks of Nature’ attire closely gather around the corner of the entrance gate, out of view to box office workers, security and ushers. Occasionally, one peeks around the corner to apparently check the status of the crowd, then returns back to the group, still huddled in a circle that would be the envy of any professional football offense. A plot is definitely astir…
After about 20 minutes, the numbers start to dwindle a bit and the gate entrance is left relatively sparse. With the conviction of olympic hurdlers in the race of their lives, this group of young fans bolt from their stakeout positions at full speed towards the gate. Working in their favor, there are no turnstiles to contend with so they are able to dash straight through the ticket takers, losing no speed and probably running for the next five minutes straight until safety and entrance are ensured.
The remainder of the group have to jump over the side gates, which they do flawlessly — save one. The last of them is grabbed solidly by the arm of one of the ushers, and for a few long seconds, his future looks grim (this is punishable by law, just reminding!), until he breaks free and books it outta here after his crew. The event staff make a few comments to each other, look around for a bit while regaining their footing, then have no choice but to crack a bit of a smile. Smiles turn into chuckles. The oldest one of the staff, probably in his mid sixties or so and looking pretty rock ‘n’ roll with his long gray ponytail and solid belt buckle and boot combo, turns to his colleague and says in a distinct Floridian twang, “That was pretty impressive! I couldn’t have made it over that gate even if there was a pot a’ money waitin’ for me on the other side! These kids… so, you ever hearda this band?” When Kaskade began his journey as a DJ, crowds
trying to bust through gates to experience a show on a 40-plus city headline tour was probably nowhere on his radar screen. If they did exist, it was probably in one of those animated dream bubbles floating somewhere above some clouds. Today, the excitement that surrounds him and his music is not only reserved for fans, but shared by other players in the genre and across the music industry as a whole, with some calling EDM “the new rock ‘n’ roll” or “the voice of a generation”. With a genre that was bred in the underground, there may be a slight hesitation to have that etched in stone just yet.
“Well, it definitely looks like it is,” Kaskade says in response to these claims. “I think it’s a little too early to tell, but it’s kinda like all indications are that that’s what’s happening. I mean, it’s a massive movement and I think it’s been a long time coming. It’s matured in the underground. I think this is kind of the moment, but we’ll see. Time is going to tell. Who knows if this is
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going to pop up and fizzle out or if it’s going to have some staying power. I think in the ‘90s when there was that moment when Moby was coming up and Chemical Brothers, we were like, ‘wow, this is going to happen’, but I always felt and told everybody that I didn’t think we were quite ready. There weren’t enough great artists in the genre, there just weren’t. There were a handful of guys doing some interesting things, absolutely, but now there are just so many really talented musicians and producers that are making really interesting music. This is where all the progression is happening in the electronic music underground and we’ll see how people accept that.”
A talented musician in his own right, Kaskade (aka Ryan Raddon) is at the top of his game and the game, a successful producer/songwriter whose last album ‘Fire & Ice’ debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Dance charts and No.17 on Billboard’s Top 200, turning lots of heads outside the genre. When conversing with the man behind the music, you get a sense of where the art comes from and why it has the distinct vibe it does. There is a chill confidence about him, not overly boastful or ego-driven, an easy-going skate/surf/ musician vibe that really puts you in his corner, which you could liken to the notion that we all want the good guy to win in the end. This organic kindness and truth translates to Kaskade’s music, which has an infectious outward affect that uplifts through its distinct formula, combining beautiful melodies, captivating lyrics, and refined musical arrangements. And don’t forget sick beats and dope basslines. His style sets him apart from the rest and has created that much sought-after ‘cross-genre effect’.
He attributes the success of the tour to his distinct style as well. “It’s interesting, because people just only recently started taking note of this. They come to my show and they’re like, ‘Wow, that Kaskade show was so amazing! What
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