30. Kaskade

Kaskade

For America, this is a very exciting time,” says Kaskade, aka San Francisco-born Ryan Raddon - croaky-voiced after a late-night gig - on the explosion of house music in his native country...

Style: Big room melodic house music

Best known for: Writing songs that people can't forget

Tune of 2011: Alex Kenji, Starkillers & Nadia Ali 'Pressure (Alesso Remix)

Breakthrough DJ/Producer of 2011: Skrillex

What's the future of DJing? It's going to get more computer-driven and go towards the laptop

Favourite app? Rekordbox, because it makes my life easy and keeps all my music organised. When I was burning CDs I was losing my mind.

Discovery of the year? Julien Jabre 'Swimming Places', that tune never gets old and now that I carry a lot more music on an SD card, I have a classic folder and have been playing that a lot.

Rediscovery of the year? See above

Awkward Moment? Oh man, I had one last night. I was hanging out with Jane's Addiction and The Killers and the guy before me played 'I Remember', one of my biggest tunes, five minutes before I went on.

Style or substance? Substance because it's all about the music. Style, who really cares?

Pet Hate? DJs playing my tunes before I go on and stealing my thunder!

For America, this is a very exciting time,” says Kaskade, aka San Francisco-born Ryan Raddon - croaky-voiced after a late-night gig - on the explosion of house music in his native country. “It's always been an underground thing but now it's hitting the mass population it's wild to see, especially for guys who've been around for a while like me. We never thought it would happen!”
Having been on a twenty-city US tour with the likes of Steve Aoki, Nero, Skrillex and Avicii, it's something he's seen first-hand, including headlining a sold-out gig at the 25,000-capacity Shoreline Amphitheatre in his home town. “That was a moment for me,” he says.
Throw in an Essential Mix, Pete Tong support for his huge singles including 'Eyes' (which Pete recently opened his show with), and an incredible seventh artist album 'Fire & Ice', out around the time you read this, presenting a selection of tracks in dance and ambient versions, and you have Kaskade doing more than his fair share towards the dance revolution.