Interview with Kazell, a Los Angeles DJ transplant

Interview with Kazell, a Los Angeles DJ transplant

13 September, 2008 | 9.03AM

• Written by: Industry Boy
• Filed under: Music News: kazell

British producer and DJ Kazell has lived in Los Angeles for eight years, and as part of his autopsy of L.A.’s exciting electronic music scene Industry Boy interviewed Kazell.

Here’s their conversation in full.

What’s so exciting about Los Angeles’ club scene right now?

Things in L.A. have really picked up a lot. There’s now a lot more support going for homegrown nights.

The scene here used to be a lot more commercial, but now it’s much better.

Techno has been taking over in L.A. for years, and the Droog guys are doing a great job pushing the new Berlin-style of techno and they have a really big grass roots following.

The Droid crew too have also been doing proper original-style techno parties in warehouses for a long time.

You can hear how they have helped to influence the sound of this city – techno has infected the culture.

The more glitchy techno sound has infected the culture here, having passed over from the underground. The techno purists probably wouldn’t consider it’s techno but you can hear its influence everywhere now in this city.

Raves are really big here aren’t they?

Yeah they are. There are lots of kids here who want to go out, but are too young to get into clubs so they all go to raves.

There’s definitely a trickle down effect, and those kids who go to raves, end up in the clubs, and then hopefully they’ll get more into the music.

What is it about L.A. that made you want to move here eight years ago?

Well there’s always been that L.A. mystique. When I was still in the UK back then, I used to follow the scene out on the West Coast and it just seemed like there was this fresh music scene there.

It was a big tie between San Fran and L.A. for me, but I had more contacts here so I ended up going for L.A..

I was really into the West Coast sound at the time too.

When you say ‘mystique’ what do you mean?

Well, you know, the glamour of Hollywood and Los Angeles. I grew up in England watching all the American TV programs and a big part of me has always wanted to move here in the first place. It’s got that make believe influence.

Is that glamour true? Does it exist?

For me work wise, there’s so many great films being made here, it’s quite a cutting-edge place and pretty much most of the people here are here to work and to find new opportunities so there’s a lot of cooperation and working together in L.A..

I like all that side of it. People from the east coast always think people from L.A. are plastic but that’s pretty much bollocks. People are people, no matter what city you’re in.

Is there still that sense of opportunity here in L.A.? Do people still come here to try and ‘make it big’?

Yeah definitely. Probably thousands of people more here every year just for that.

The great thing about L.A. is, one meeting can change your whole life.

There’s so many people moving here for opportunities and you can build a huge contact network here quickly.

The opportunities here are rife and a lot of people move here for that.

Have you had any chance meetings here that have changed your life?

When I first moved here I met a guy who was a multi millionaire.

He took a liking to me and he was doing all this research with sound, this thing called ‘vibra sound’ technology and within one meeting I was like his right hand man, and we were working on all these projects together.

That’s what I mean when I say anything can happen here.

Do you play a lot in L.A.?

Once or twice a month.

What’s your favourite club

Vanguard or Avalon. I’m resident at Avalon, and it’s got a lot of history.

Vanguard has got an amazing outdoor patio. There’s also some cool clubs on west side of the city.

What are you doing at the moment?

Music supervision for a film called ‘Rolling’, which is a film about ecstasy.

We started it about five years ago, but there was some legal issues and distribution problems at the time.

Now we’ve finally got distribution so I’ve been contacting all the producers I know just putting the opportunity out there to get their music on the film.

I’ve just done a huge remix for John Digweed’s Bedrock too.

It’s a bit of a different sound to what I normally do, a lot more techno. It’s a remix of Shmuel Flash ‘Chilling Moments’.

I’ve just done a new single for Boz Boz too, John Graham’s label.

And I’m working with an L.A. band called Rushmore, and we’re doing a sort of Ian Brown, Gorillaz type sound.

I’ve also just been to Vietnam doing a Miss Universe party there, and I met all the Miss Universe candidates which was a treat.

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