Kaskade Answers Questions on His Reddit AMA

Like many artists and celebrities, Kaskade has performed a Reddit AMA. If you don’t know what this is, it is where fans who are also Redditors have a chance to ask questions and hope their celebrity answer. Questions are all over the spectrum from crazy and weird, to personal, to industry related. Today, I am going to share the questions that were asked and the responses by Kaskade! Check them out below and the whole thread is here.

Edit: I am thoroughly impressed that Kaskade answered questions for 2 hours!

• What’s your favorite song and why is it I Remember? – CockTipAmputee
  • I forgot – OfficialKaskade
• Any plans for some more work with Joel Zimmerman? – 87stangmeister
  • I work with Joel Zimmerman every day, oddly enough that’s the name of my agent
    • I hope he doesn’t answer all questions like this – YasielPuigz
      • I mean… I love Joel. We are boys. We respect each other a lot. I am sure there will be a day where we make music together again. Is that better?
• What are your thoughts on the whole “future house/deep house” movement going on right now? – Cmarr
  • it’s cool. electronic music continues to change and flourish, it doesn’t matter what you call it.
• Hey Kaskade first I want to say thank you very much for all the amazing music you have given me the pleasure of listening to. You are by far my favorite producer.
  I live in Salt Lake City and I have worked in the local EDM scene for many years now. I have always heard that you were a huge part of the old school scene here back in the day. Being part owners of Mechanized and helping with parties. Thank you for helping making the Utah scene what it is today. My question is what was it like for you growing up in a strict LDS family background and eventually making a life in EDM where a lot of it isn’t supported? – plurhalloween
  • My friends and family always supported me. Honestly I am here today because so many people around me helped out and gave me the room to do what I need to do to make it happen. 
• Would you consider playing a redux set for Coachella? – disguiseyourself
  • Not on the big stage but maybe I post up in the parking lot and work it out.
• Hey Ryan…This is Scott, your old friend and intern at OM. Just wanna say congrats on all your success. also…when is the last time you got a sandwich from Ted’s in SF? WORD – onword47
  • what’s up Scott, ahh man I miss Ted’s. Best beef sandwich
• Hello Ryan,
  First of all, I was there for your NYE set in Denver, CO. One of the best sets I’ve seen in a long time! My whole group had a blast at Decadence.
  My question for you is, how much of your set is influenced by the ‘feel’ of the crowd? Do you just usually go through your set list and maybe make small alterations, or do you sometimes take complete control of it and play whatever you feel is right at the time?
  Also, please have your agent book you to be at Euphoria Music Festival in April!
  Much love. – Blasphemy4kidz
  • I carry and SD card on it with about 2000 songs so I can go wherever I would like to go. But for BIG shows like that one in Denver I have the first few tracks sorted out in my mind. I will pull form a playlist that has about 30 tracks in it that I think will work that night and just go with it.
• You’ve said Atmosphere was one of the first times you’ve had the opportunity to do your own vocals. Do you see yourself singing any more tracks in the future? Also Los Angeles at the Shrine in 2013 was one of my all time favorite shows. Absolutely amazing! – Shrewsbury245
  • thanks – that Shrine show and the entire Atmosphere Tour was a big one for me. Yes I plan on singing more, why not. it seemed to work out ok the 1st time might as well do it some more.
• If you could be a part of a duo (similar to Jack U or Batman & Robin), who would your partner be? – jerkchickenswag
  • Not sure – I am really open to this stuff. But it should be noted that one of the reasons I got into electronic music cause I could do it myself. Not much of a “band” guy. The bass guitarist is always a little princess and makes life difficult.
• Hey Kaskade :> 1. What do you think about the future of EDM? 2. What do you think about Porter Robinsons “Worlds” 3. What album do wait the most this year? 4. Is there any producer/singer you want to make song with? Sorry for my english.. – madkind
  • The Future of EDM…. hmmmmm. I think we will stop calling it EDM and it will continue to grow. Grow so much that we will not recognize it when it has fully matured. Not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing – guess it depends where you are standing. As for Porter – he is a great producer that is pushing some boundaries that has a great sense of melody. I am excited to see what he does down the line.
• Hey Ryan! Thank you for doing this AMA. Long time fan here, I have a couple questions for you!1. My all time favorite album of yours is Strobelite Seduction. Can you tell me what your inspiration was for this album? (Preferably 4AM (With Adam K & Soha), I’ll Never Dream, and Your love is black)

  2. What is your point of view on where electronic music is heading? I feel like deep/prog house and trance is definitely making a huge come back, but taking a unique direction.

  3. I remember when your single “Atmosphere” came out, you said it was your daughters favorite track of yours! What is currently her favorite track that you produced or are currently playing?

  4. What is currently YOUR favorite track at the moment? :p

  5. Where is your absolutely all time favorite venue/location to play at?

  6. Ever think about making some trance/house tracks? 😉 – armanitran

  • I wrote this album around the time my dad died. I was thinking a lot about that and I am sure some of it translated to the mood of the record. That album also came at a time when there was fresh interest in the music I was making. Sometimes the 1st thing you hear will always be remembered as the best thing. Especially when it is new.
• Hey Kaskade!
  If you could work with any electronic music producer from the past or present right now who would it be and why? – DesTResslol
  • Trentemøller, because he’s the best
• What is your honest opinion on Drum and Bass? Has it inspired you at all? Or are you not fond of it? – Mersoosa
  • The 1st record I put out myself in 1997 was a drum and bass record. Yeah… so I like it. I recently did a D & B remix for Katy Perry. That was more about keeping the song at the original tempo than doing some D & B but still it was fun. Go check it out.
• Anything special planned for Coachella this year ?!! – ballzy626
  • YES!
• Hey Kaskade, what songs would you recommend to someone like myself who knows nothing about your work? – telekinetic_turtle
  • Go check out my last album Atmosphere. Or just check out my YouTube.com/kaskade I have most of my material up there.
• Hi Kaskade! I know you have been a producer for a very long time across many different genres and styles. I was wondering how you decide which direction to go on in a project. Is it all random? Peer pressure from the scene? Or just whatever you’re feeling at the time. – Poerflip23
  • Typically the song dictates the direction it should go. And by “the song” I am referring to the lyrics and the melody. And possibly the performance of the singer can help steer it in a direction. I have a zone that I feel comfortable in and wherever my head is at that day can play into it too. But really it comes down to the song.
• Do you write all the lyrics for songs where you are using a vocalist, like the Fire and Ice album for example? Keep up the great work. – TheDoughman
  • I am VERY involved in the song writing on my albums. Typically I write or co – write a song then go and find someone to sing it. This is why my albums sound so different from what is out there in the EDM world. Albums are my stories and each song represents a chapter. But I have worked with some brilliant song writers over the years. Skylar Grey for example, she wrote the lyrics for Room For Happiness after we hung out in the studio and talked about a possible collab.
• For aspiring producers: how long was the period when you just made absolute crap? – naarwhal
  • really it was like 3 or 4 years before I got a handle on how to make things sound the way I wanted them to
• Hey Ryan! Been a huge fan since I first discovered you in middle school with In The Moment and loving your work as soon as Steppin’ Out started playing. Thank you for allowing me to survive middle school with your work.
  My question for you is what should I name my new kitten? I had picked out a name for the one I was already adopting, yet somehow was talked into getting another and I’m stumped. HELP!
  Thanks for doing this AMA as well 🙂 – prentas
  • Kaskitten
• Kaskade. How fluent are you in Japanese? – Ohitsmatt
  • I’m rusty but I can still speak it
• Do you have any plans to tour the UK? – Josh938
  • Yes
• What is your favourite cereal?
  And more importantly, if you had to point at only one thing for the rest of your life what would it be? – CXDFlames
  • hardest question on here yet, Fruity Pebbles
• How does signing with WB affect the goals you had when creating your own label, Arkade? – ewwcolton
  • I made Arkade to bring attention to young/new talent. To help give artists that I love an outlet to put music out. The deal that I made with Warner does not affect how I will go about running Arkade. If anything it gives my label more impact.
• Your favorite cereal or an el farolito burrito? – teekypatty
  • are you trying to kill me with this question?? smoke is coming out of my ears, there is no right answer
• Why do you wear flip flops when performing or perform barefoot? Is it a comfort thing? I just always see pictures of you in flip flops or standing on/next to the decks barefoot at the end of a performance. – handonbroward
  • I started doing this for longer sets years ago… like why should I wear shoes when I am just standing up here bouncing around. It’s not like I am walking through a forest or something. So I started to pack sandals in my gig bag to my shows and took my shoes off and replaced them with sandals while performing. Then clubs saw this and started to put down carpet for me when I played… even better. Nothing better than doing what you love and having nothing on your feet. Freedom.
• Hey Kaskade, when are you coming back to LA for a show? Big fan of yours. Keep up the great work! 🙂 – Tackey
  • Soon!
• Hey Uncle K,
  I feel like your music is timeless because simultaneously with the beautiful melodies and sounds you create, your lyrics carry forward into many interpretations (and inspiration) throughout one’s life. I’ve always been curious about the music you listen to and I’ve found that your Spotify playlist has given me some transparency on that. With that said, it’s amazing that you add to it weekly! Would you ever gather some fans to talk about said music? Discuss faves of your past and present, maybe sit down, share stories? You’re good at that, your music tells a story through its lyrics, but I want to know more! Whether it’s a blog post or a live video chat, you connect with people through your storytelling. I think you should do it more often. Can you? Will you? Please? This is what keeps you genuine to me, I want more people to know this about you! You’re the real deal. – geraldinemae
  • 1st off thank you very much – your support means a lot to me. The fact that you are there and listening me inspires to do more. To make more. To write more music.
    As for getting together and talking music. And how all this works. Sure. Anything is possible. I will think about it but I am not sure how to do something like this. I do like to tell stories and there is nothing better than doing it in person.
• What is your opinion of Diplo? I remember once in an interview, he said he loves artists like you, that have a very distinctive style. – ghostCatalyst
  • Diplo is the man. I have a lot of respect for this guy for what he has been able to achieve and how he has been able to bring his sound to so many people. Pretty incredible. Not only that, he is cool and makes cool music. I think we respect each other so much because we were both here in this country slugging it out every week until people starting paying attention.
• Any plans to collaborate with O.T. Genasis? – d4n0wnz
  • Yes. Tack is done – tentative name is “I love the froyo”
• Just want to say “Summer Nights” at EDC LV 2014 was one of my favorite memories. You sir know how to hit the soul. – peter62689
  • Thank you
• I don’t have a question. Just wanted to say something something champs changed my life. Thank you for that. – iFlowwy
  • Thank you
• Do you plan on having a show in Miami again any time soon? – jossiell_g
  • Yes. Miami’s always a good time
• Hi Kaskade! No question, just wanted to let you know that your music has helped me through so much emotional healing in the past several years. Thank you for creating the soundtrack of some of my best memories. – LOOK_itsa_THIS
  • Thanks for your support
• Probably won’t get answered, but why did you make the turn from Deeper stuff, to progressive, to what you are making now? I was/am a huge fan of yours but I do have to say, ever since the mashup-thing started I was a little turned off by you just putting lyrics over new stuff so it was relevant. I just want to know, why do you do this? I ask because you have such a huge catalog of your own music but you don’t choose to play it. – RWeav2
  • Typically the song is considered to be the lyrics + melody. so when I do these mash ups so much of the song stays in tact. The production elements or the music bed has changed but the message and melody ARE there. To play songs that I wrote/produced 10 or 15 years ago to me sound stale. So I started mashing things up – taking something that I wrote and make it new again. Same thing as a remix but a quick easy way to get it done. this way my sets remained fun and unpredictable but at the core ME. But I understand that not everyone feels this way. Some people really cling to a certain production style or a specific sound that goes along with that sound. This is why i started redux…. but even then i mash stuff up. sorry. but the idea there was to be able to play sets with older music in it and not have to apologize. You have to remember that electronic music moves super fast – once you like something then it’s gone. I love this part of the scene let’s not take that away. That make any sense?
• If you weren’t an amazing record producer/DJ, what other occupation can you see yourself doing? – tfunkyy
  • I’d probably be bagging groceries
• Do you ever play “Everytime we Touch” for those of us who can’t read and mix you up with Cascada? – OysterCookie
  • Who is Cascada?
• Hey, Whats up man? – Tyrulz
  • Not much…U?
• What are your thoughts on the EDM/electronic music scene in America and Europe?
  Do you think music genres will start to localize into regions/countries (which is currently in my opinion already has with America obsessed with maximalist genres like trap, big/mainroom house, electro, future bass/house, and main room “deep” house. UK localizing with house, tech house, DnB and the rest of Europe with hardstyle, deep house, dutch house, french house, trance, psychedelic house, techno, etc)
  What is your thoughts on the future of electronic music and the longetivity of it?
  What “underground” or older genres do you see making a comeback? – Gr8WallofChinatown
  • Dear Gr8WallofChinatown
    I have bene touring the World for years. Many years. It has always been this way. Different cities gravitate towards different sounds for whatever reasons. In fact I think since people are more connected now that there is less local flavor happening. Once beatport came on line it became obvious what songs were popping off around the world. Before you really had to go to a club in the THAT market to know what was happening in that city. I think we are on the down side of everyone wanting to sound the same and different stuff is coming to the surface. So hopefully cities will go back to having their distinct styles and sounds.
• I think my most favorite experience was when you played at Pacha and went on and on and on for about 6-7 hours of straight Redux after your Atmosphere performance. You then went straight into some of your bigger hits and man, was that a treat.
  I was definitely spoiled that night, so when I saw you at decadence for NYE, the last song you played was such a sudden build up I thought for sure you were going to do something special and go deep into the night.
  Keep on killing it. – theMJof91
  • Ah man I would love to keep going at many of my shows. It is such a buzz kill when the cops show up or the venue notifies me that the show HAS TO END. Sometimes at the club shows they can fudge the closing time a little bit and that usually leads to something pretty memorable.
• Ryan,
  I’m really interested in your new label ARKADE. Can you give us some insight into why you wanted to start your own label?
  Can you tell us anything about future releases? Anyone we should keep our eye on?
  Thanks for stopping by! – empw
  • I started a label cause I am in a position to help people out. I love music and I like to help people get GOOD music out there.
    The next Late Night Alumni album will be coming out this spring – I worked on it and it is something pretty amazing (sorry I am biased). I am very excited that it will be the 1st long player on the label.
• Is it possible to trade a Justin Bieber twitter follow for your follow? Yes Justin Bieber follows me on Twitter – Artvro
  • What’s in it for me?
• How much (if at all) do you find crowds vary from country to country? Do you have any specific country you like playing in the most? – internet_observer
  • California 🙂
• What kind of burrito do you get at El Farolito – shuffle_erryday
  • I go back and forth between the Carne Asada and Veggie. Just depends what mood I a in. And now I want both – thanks for that.
• Do you have any plans to come to Europe ? – Mighty_Bacon
  • Yes working it out the dates
• Hello Ryan, I’m glad to see you doing this AMA! A lot of interesting stuff has been happening in the industry and I was wondering if I could get an experienced opinion from such a influential individual such as yourself. Last year Steve Angello had quite a bit of difficulties trying to release his “Wild Youth” album. Eventually Angello decided to outright buy out his contract with Columbia Records and instead decided to release his album on his personal label “SIZE” thus giving him the creative freedom he desired. If I recall correctly, you yourself said on twitter you had difficulties with ULTRA trying to release “Atmosphere” as well. This got me thinking about a couple of things and I would like your opinions on the matter.
  1.) Do you see some major labels behavior hazardous to the quality and integrity to electronic music? Also just how much does a major artist actually depend on a label?
  2.) Do you think through social media and developing a strong dedicated fan base, artists such as your self can provide a viable alternative to the traditional models set up by the major labels.
  3.) How do you view Deadmau5’s “live.deadmau5.com” subscription model and have you personally considered any unique alternative ways of fans being able to support you directly?
  Anyways thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for being the highlight of my 2014 year. Seriously that spontaneous Redux set on the Art Cart at EDCLV was the reason why I take pride in being a dedicated fan of yours. I hope the future with Warner Brothers is a good one and I hope to be apart of it!!!
  -Llove Logan – Afroki
  • Yeah the major labels jumping into the EDM is really scary. I think a lot of what we are hearing right now is EDM manufactured in the lab. Electronic music was always so whimsical and free and some of that is getting lost with the machine trying to make a hit.
    But I really think that Warner understand my goals and has promised to not interfere with my creative process – so far so good. they really believe in what I am doing. And I have to say that I think the time is right for people to hear and understand what is beneath eh surface or the pop edm – it’s me.
    The subscription model works for someone like Joel or anyone who is established. But for people just starting out it is almost impossible. For years i am sure the only one who would have subscribed to hear my music would have been my mom.
• I love you Kaskade – onethirtytwo
  • I love you too
• Hey Kaskade. Big fan. What are a few, or at least one, of your go-to synth recipes when producing? – cvad7
  • The biggest one is sampling. Learn how to sample and make something your own. This is the backbone of this music and probably always will be. AS for synths I am really digging serum. it sounds new – which it is and the GUI is great. I have been using it a lot lately.
• Holy crap you’re actually doing an AMA
  I saw you at solaris and you were beautiful and I may or may not have shed a tear for the fact that I finally saw kaskade live, it was amazing.
  My question to you is if you could work with one artist you’ve never worked with before, who would it be? – OCEANOLEME
  • I have hit Sade up a few times – her line was busy.
• Do you have any plans to come to Europe ? – Mighty_Bacon
  • I will be there a few times this summer so come on out and hear it LIVE.
• Hey Kaskade! I just wanted to express my gratitude for your work as a producer, performer, and songwriter. The first time I saw you was at Marquee back in 2011 and the experience ABSOLUTELY BLEW MY MIND. The next time I saw you was at EDC Vegas 2012, and again, it was an epic performance. Before the Marquee show I didn’t know anything about house music — the only reason I was there that night was because of the group I was with. Flash forward to now, I’ve amassed a serious collection of house music and I’ve delved into producing and all things pro-audio. I’ll never forget the amazing energy I felt at your shows — it was seriously life changing. You’re an amazing artist, a positive role model in EDM land, and you KEEP THINGS REAL. I wish you nothing but the best and great cereal. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
  p.s. congrats with your most recent endeavors — Your arkade label, the deal with wb and the EBC summer gig! I remember when you released atmosphere without a label… I couldn’t believe it. I loved that entire album (take your mind off, missing you, and the airport tracks are my favs). – ISEEFARTS
  • Thanks for your support!
• Hey Ryan,
  I just want to thank you for the amazing show you put on in San Diego 2 years ago for your Redux tour! Four epic hours of awesome vibes! – Gelu6713
  • Thank you!
• Hello Ryan can I say that your set at Red Rocks a few years back was one of the best night of my entire life. Is there a chance you will come back and do a set at Red Rocks? – tkduhhh
  • Thank you! I’d love to come back some time

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