Why You Should Probably Be at Kastle’s Set from Beginning to End

Photograph courtesy of THESUPERMANIAK

Trump Towers Toronto is the kind of an extravagant place with a revolving door attendant, who actually spins the door for you. It is also where I met up with LA producer, Kastle. We had a quick chat before his set at Tattoo where he shared the decks with Toronto based producers Birthday Boy and Sol X, making for an unforgettable night of some of the best beats I've experienced to date.

His set was extremely on point with everything I wanted to hear, playing some of my favourite tracks recognizable on Majestic Casual; dropping trap, R&B, and house beats.

After a quick phone call from reception up to "Mister Richards" to confirm my arrival, I was escorted into an elevator and all the way to his room. Barrett opened his door and welcomed me, whereupon we both agreed on the fact that this hotel was indeed, fancy as fuck.

Some light jazz played on the room stereo in the background, and before we sat down on the plush comforter, Barrett took a moment to figure out how to turn it off noting, "you would think I'd be able to figure out how to work a music box." Thankfully, he did.

THUMP: Two days ago would be the one-year anniversary of your self-titled debut album. How did you like the process of recording a full record?
Kastle: I was living in San Francisco at the time, in a little tiny bedroom, but it was a lot of fun doing that album.

Writing an album is more fulfilling than releasing singles because it allows me to be more diverse and dynamic and to create a full story. Not that this one necessarily has a story, but there's definitely a cohesive nature to it that I wanted to get across. There is a lot of symbolism in it, whether people have picked it out or not. It was just fun to dig a little deeper.

What inspired you to do a full album? More so, what was the inspiration behind it?
It was definitely more of an artist bucket list item to do an album. I mean I've been writing music for so long, since I was thirteen years old. I've done demos back in the day, but to do a first album felt like a defining moment, and now I'm working on a second one right now.

Who were some of your musical influences as a teenager?
I was greatly influenced by Aphex Twin and Moby. Those are two artists that I listened to in the early '90s.

Do you think any of that sound echoed into what you produce today?
Not really, but it's more their nature of just doing what they do. Even being themselves, they are their own unique artist and that's what's most inspiring. Sounds that don't sound like what I produce is what mostly inspires me. I'm inspired by books, movies, and art—not necessarily things that are similar to me.

You run your own label, Symbols Recordings. Do you spend more time making music for the Kastle project or doing label work? Or do they just mesh together?
It's a hard balance. The label is definitely very demanding of my time, but at the same time the label has become an extension of me as well, so it's all become part of the bigger picture. I'm definitely trying to focus on the album right now so the releases have slowed down a little bit.

What are some challenges of touring and also running a label?
Getting back into the groove. Right now I've been gone for the last month or two pretty much every weekend. I will go out Friday and Saturday, I'll take an early flight home on Sunday so I get home at least midday and then I have some time to relax. When I wake up Monday morning, I check my emails, do the label work, then try to get some writing done. By the time I get into the groove, I'm leaving again. The constant leaving, constant coming back, the doing laundry—it's a crazy routine. It's wild. The thing that I struggle with most is getting back into the groove. But I guess my groove is to have no groove. [Laughs]

So you're playing in Toronto tonight, Montreal tomorrow.
Yeah, it's been a really long time since I've played either.

Do you have a preference between the two?
I don't like any city better [laughs]! I think Toronto might be a bit wilder, or louder. It's been a long time though since I've been to Montreal, so I'm not sure if I'm a good judge. But I will say that I like Montreal poutine better. Although, I wouldn't mind going to Smoke's tonight. Is that still a good spot to go?

Yes it definitely is! So Kastle is not your first 'DJ Persona'. You were B. Rich for a while, and you're still a bit today. Do you think you're going to stick with Kastle, or do you have any other projects under a different moniker in mind for the future?
I started the Kastle project because it was very personal. And I think because of that I feel more true to myself, that's why I think it will be long lasting. I think I've set it up so it could evolve and change over the years with the same name. I can't say for sure, but I think it'll be around for a while. I do have ideas for other side projects that will be a little more abstract and weird, but yeah, Kastle will be around for a long time.

For electronic music festivals, what do you aim to do with your set to differentiate it from the rest of the acts?
I don't try, but I am different than everyone else. If I'm playing a festival, I still just do what I do. I'm not going to show up and just play festival bangers just because I'm playing at a festival. But I definitely have certain songs that are for me, in my vibe, different. I may consider them festival bangers, but for most people they're probably not. But it's something you have to experience. For all my sets I hope that people are there from the very beginning because sometimes it doesn't make sense if you come in half way through. Especially for a festival set, it's a part of a bigger picture.

That's definitely important. Everyone refers to electronic music as a journey; it's a story that takes you somewhere.
Yeah, that's how I grew up. Listening to, well, using the term IDM from the '90s, before EDM there was IDM. Intelligent Dance Music. That stuff was really about going on a journey, like Warped Records, anything on Warped Records. They put out stuff like Aphex Twin and Square Pusher.

Do you prefer the big festival atmosphere or something more intimate like tonight at Tattoo?
I love dark, dark clubs. Dark and intimate clubs.

Christine wishes she could make beats like Kastle. Instead she makes tweets.