Your EDM Interviews Candyland

Not too long ago, I had the privilege to sit down with break-out artists Candyland before their show at Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, CO.  These young artists have had quite a career, with massive releases on the likes of Spinnin’ Records and had a lot to tell about how the rise to prominence has been going for them.

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Ethan: Well first of all, thanks for sitting down with us, we’re really big fans at Your EDM, we really enjoyed promoting the Bring the Rain EP.

Candyland: Well thank you.

Ethan: Of course, you guys nailed it. How was working with Spinnin’ Records?

Candyland: It was weird, we always really wanted to work with them but we didn’t know how to contact them. So they ended up just hitting us up after the Rattle remix contest, which was through Hysteria, one of their sublabels and they asked us to start producing more.

Ethan: So you guys haven’t been producing for too long, right?

Candyland: 2011-12ish.

Ethan: That’s a pretty quick rise. How’s the shift been from DJing and producing for yourselves to being one of the scenes current rising artists?

Candyland: Well, when we started Djing it was in this little party town called Isla Vista, near Santa Barbara, and you couldn’t really play, unless you were the “popular people”. It was all politics and stuff, kinda how it is now you know, you need to know someone.

Ethan: I know how that goes.

Candyland: So, we never really got to play and we were like this is stupid, let’s start producing. Then the first song we did got signed by Lazy Rich, so don’t really know what it’s like to make music and to have it not get signed.

Ethan: That’s a pretty good problem to have.

Candyland: I guess haha, ya.

Ethan: Going back to the Rattle remix contest. What was that like, winning something so big, so quickly?

Candyland: I don’t know! It was weird, it was our first remix contest. It was a cool song, that’s just what it came down to, it was a cool song. It worked out.

Ethan: Well, then you followed it up, you’re the first artist every to win two Beatport remix contest’s in a row with Make It Bun Dem…

Candyland: Ya! We honestly didn’t think we were gonna win. We went on tour right after we made it, and we didn’t play it one time. And then some random person texted me and was like, “Congratulations on the win” and I was like… what are you talking about? And then I looked at it, and we were in a parking lot and I just screamed at the top of my lungs, and I was running around. We were with Them Lost Boys, and I kinda hugged them and through them around, and some construction workers thought I was like, dying or something haha.

Ethan: That’s awesome, so then what’s the next big release that you’re looking forward to?

Candyland: Well, the Skrillex one obviously and then we did a remix for KillParis, that’s coming out on OWSLA as well, I’m gonna play that tonight. Then there’s this song with Paulina, it’s sooo good (to manager) I don’t know, you’ve heard it.

Manager: It’s so good, it’s my favorite.

Candyland: It’s different from the other Dubstep we usually do which is kinda like, in your face and growly and whatever, but this one is kinda Rusko-y, wobbly and chill. It’s cool.

Ethan: You don’t produce the, typical, mainstream Dubstep or, rather any genre you produce – I would say – isn’t the typical style.

Candyland: Haha, well that’s good, lots of people would say otherwise.

Ethan: I have an entirely different opinion haha but what are your influences? Because I think you and I know that you bring a different sound.

Candyland: Well, I didn’t think about it much until I was hanging out with Run DMT and he was saying stuff about like, how you can you can tell the difference between producers who grew up listening to EDM, like, only EDM. Then there are people like Ethan (of Candyland) and I who listen to like Michael Jackson and The Beatles and all these other artists. We don’t listen to just EDM, I can’t listen to just EDM, I’d lose my damn mind, I can’t do it and Ethan’s the same way. So I think its just the fact that we are inspired by a lot other artists and that helps us.

Ethan: So, what about your record label, Sweet Shop? How’s that going?

Candyland: It’s been pretty awesome, it started it as a blog – I don’t know why, I just wanted to make a blog – but then we decided to turn it into a label. We worked with Lazy Rich, he’s a good friend of mine and he runs Label Engine which pretty much lets you start a label, run it really easily and we thought if it’s this easy, like, we’ll just do it. So we hit up a bunch of our friends to make music for us, and they hit up a bunch of their friends, and they’re all just great up and coming producers and that’s what we’re trying to do with our label is find people who are not necessarily huge but are making music that is just is good.

Ethan: What are your favorite artists on your label that you’re looking forward to releasing right now?

Candyland: We actually manage Jay Cosmic, who’s been working with us and he’s fantastic, this Trap artist, “Chooky”, he’s really good, um, Distantt, we just released with him, Mavrikk, just released with him, ya, we got a lot of really good stuff going on.

Ethan: Awesome, well so far, what’s been your favorite place to play over the past couple years while you’ve been touring?

Candyland: I don’t know man, there’s been so many cool places!

Ethan: There’s gotta be that one standout performance though?

Candyland: Well, Chico was cool because that was our first encore, so that was pretty crazy. Santa Barbara was cool, that was our hometown, we sold that out, that was pretty crazy, I dunno there’s been a lot of them, honestly a lot of it’s kind of a blur.

Ethan: It’s been a whirlwind I’m sure.

Candyland: Ya, there’s a lot more shows I’m looking forward to now.

Ethan: What’s the next big one you’re looking forward to?

Candyland: I am not allowed to say haha, but it’s gonna be cool. I’m super excited.

Ethan: Have you guys been working on a new EP? Album?

Candyland: We have a lot of remixes coming, and then some new “OG remixes”… I dunno I think Trap’s not very…

Ethan: Interesting?

Candyland: There’s some people who do it right, I like Trap that is melodic, and… surprising. Like when Flosstradamus came out with Original Don it started off as some crazy Hardstyle sounding beat and did this Hip Hop thing, and that’s when everyone was like, “Ohhh my god!” and I feel like trap has kinda lost that. Everyone knows what everyone’s expecting.

Ethan: Well I don’t want to keep you, I know you’ve gotta get set up and ready for the show. That was great, thank you for talking with us, we appreciate it!

Candyland: Of course!

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I can’t thank Candyland enough for sitting down to talk with us.  I can’t wait to hear more from them, and we will be sure to keep you posted with their next stellar release atYour EDM.

-ethan

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Find Candyland on Beatport.

Find Sweetshop on SoundCloud.