Australian producer Cassian an admirable character who spends more time in the studio and on the court than he does popping bottles and posting lame ass videos on his socials.

Part of his musical charm is an ability to craft brilliant originals and remixes (including one for Alex Metric on OWSLA) that channel house influences from past and present, creating hybrid groovers that’ll perk the interest of veterans and newbies alike.

Before his set at Chinese Laundry this Saturday supporting Zombie Nation we thought we’d dive below the locks and pick his brain on hot topics including his perfect drums, LA and how it compares to Sydney, bush doofs and a possible solution to all these pesky lockout laws… oh yeah and his first job – ha!

SR: The king of drums! What’s your secret or at least some tips for people to get ’em as crisp as you?

 

C: I could actually go on for days about producing and mixing drums but I’ll try to keep it brief. Being critical at every step and properly using your ears & eyes (with visual analyzers) is really what it’s all about. Also keep it simple but know when to pull out the tricks and get complex. As a side note I’m going to put out a free drum sample pack soon so if people want my drums they can have them!

SR: You were recently in LA living the fast/high life, how does it compare to back home in Australia?

 

C: LA is great! Whenever I’m touring the states I spend all my down time there. This last trip was pretty chilled tour wise so I had time to do some studio work in LA with Miami Horror and a little with Bag Raiders. I think it’s pretty similar to Sydney in a lot of ways, mainly because half of my DJ friends from Sydney have moved over there haha.

SR: Warehouse parties seem to have found a surge in popularity, whys this?

 

C: Things move in cycles so they were always bound to make a resurgence but obviously the lockouts have amplified the appeal of an all-night DIY party

SR: Similarly bush doofs, ever been? Thoughts on them?

 

C: Have never been to a bush doof but “bush doof” is a great phrase and is in my high rotation in my vocab. The vibe is strong!

SR: Recently the government has introduced lockout laws to limit times to enter clubs and enjoy a drink. What affect has this has on the nightlife?

 

C: It’s changing the way the nights run in the areas where the lockouts are imposed and creating a surge in punters in the areas not affected. I’ve played a few shows since the lockouts came in and the venues were still busy it just seemed to run its course a little earlier than usual and there was definitely a different vibe once it got past 1.30am

SR: What would have been your solutions to fix the ‘problems’?

 

C: The problems run deep in Australian culture. All the lockouts have achieved so far is to move the crowds to Newtown and illegal raves. Treating people like children and imposing lockouts/alcohol restrictions only further encourages the childish immature behaviour they aimed to curb in the first place. People need to learn to handle themselves & their emotions when they drink & party. Hmm not sure if I have a solution but certainly better transport out of the city would help. I grew up on the north shore and when I first started going out it was near impossible to get back there, especially on a student budget. Also more police who police with a better attitude. Huge packs of police is nothing but intimidating but smaller groups dressed in a less intimidating way who are there as much to help people as they are to “enforce” the law would help a lot.

SR: What was your first job? What’s been the journey since then?

 

C: I had a paper run when I was about 11, hustling since a young age! I mostly taught guitar lessons through high school but had a brief stint at Pizza Hut when I was 15/16 where I learnt to fully slice a pizza in 1.2 seconds. I was always in bands and started making/performing music professionally 7 years ago when I was 19. I love it, can’t see myself doing anything else however if anyone wants to pay me to play basketball / drive Porsches part time.. HIT ME UP

Again, catch him this Saturday when he plays before Zombie Nation or grab a hold of his latest EP ‘Find Out / Could I Do’ while hanging out for that Alex Metric remix and free drum pack!