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was different? What even was that?’ And it’s like, well, the biggest thing is that people are connecting to the lyrics, to the songs. It’s amazing when I show up to a show and 20 people are showing me tattoos of different lyrics they have on their body… I think the connection to my music is more than just, you know, some producers come and go, like clothing styles come and go, ‘oh that sounds hot right now, this sounds hot right now’, ‘I love this electro fidget,’ or whatever micro genre they’re into. I’ve never been about that. I’ve always had my sound, but more importantly I’ve always felt like it was about the lyrics, the melody, the song. What’s the message, what are you saying here? You can choose to produce a song many different ways. I mean, I’ve had a great career as a remixer, there’s different ways you can produce a remix and make a track sound but, again, what’s the message, what are you trying to say? And really, that’s one of the things I was trying to point out with the ‘Fire & Ice’ album. Here’s 10 songs, you can listen to them in this chill, down-tempo, relaxed mode or they can be club tunes. But the point was, they’re good songs and I think they stand up both ways. Here’s two different ways of listening to the same song.”


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EDM Festival Circuit As much as an artist puts everything into the music they make, so should that be true about the newfound popularity of EDM on the tour circuit. The transition of electronic music from nightclubs and into larger venues has opened up an opportunity for access by a larger audience, while at the same time offering the artist the opportunity to curate the experience that meshes best with the music from start to finish.


“I was so excited to go out on the ‘Freaks of Nature’ tour, to really do my own thing… because when I go into a venue or a club that already has all this pre-determined stuff, I can only control the sound, the songs I’m playing. The big difference with this tour was that I needed to control more elements — I want the lighting to look like this. I want the art on the screens behind me to look like this, to move and change and go along with the story that I’m going to tell through my lyrics and through my songs. That’s why I was so determined to do this huge 40-plus date tour around North America, I just knew that was the right route for me.”


The EDM-based tour/festival circuit growth is a route that is becoming increasingly popular


with corporate promoters, and bazillionaire investors as well. With an influx of money into art and music, the historic question of maintaining integrity will usually make its way to the forefront of the discussion. Kaskade’s tour was not immune to this, and as a prominent face in the EDM community as well as a veteran, the responsibility of being one of the first to work out the kinks during a transition into stadium life can land you under a spotlight perhaps brighter than anticipated. “As far as the responsibility part goes, I mean, for me, I’m just trying to do what’s right for myself and hopefully that will work out. I’m just being very careful with the venues I choose and the people I’m choosing to work with and making sure that these larger companies that are investing and getting involved with EDM understand what the scene is about. Some of the venues I’ve played at, it’s tough, like maybe this wasn’t the right venue for this music, so I’m learning a lot out on the road. I think this is a transition period for EDM to go from nightclubs to theatres and stadiums. You know, I’m doing the best I can,” he claims.


This year alone has logged major deals in the US electronic music world, like the acquisition of


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