Kaskade Dishes on EDC Orlando 2023 & His New Christmas Album

It's time to escape with Kaskade!

The superstar music producer and DJ is bringing his signature style and electric beats back to EDC Orlando.

Joining a lineup including The Chainsmokers, Gryffin, Armin van Buuren, Loud Luxury, Anabel Englund, and many more, Kaskade is ready for ravers to come together and enjoy EDM in its best form.

Ahead of his opening set under the electric sky, Kaskade caught up with PRIDE to chat about his new music, special holiday performance, and epic residency at Resorts World Las Vegas.

Congratulations on joining the epic lineup for EDC Orlando! You're no stranger to headlining EDC in the past, so how excited are you to perform this year?

I have had such a great history with EDC in all its various locations. Even when I reach the benchmark of playing 200 of these things (anyone have that count??) they will continue to surprise me at how they’ve moved the bar even higher than the year before. So, with that mindset always in place – I’m very much looking forward to it and making sure I match them step for step at elevating the experience I bring.

Fans are so excited to see you perform under the electric sky. What should fans expect at your set?

They should expect nothing and be open to magic. I’ve found the more you expect an artist to play a certain song or create a certain mood, it’s asking for trouble. Trust me! I’ll do the heavy lifting around creating something you’ll tell your friends about and if it’s not what you expect, I take that as a compliment. We all want to be surprised.

You've released some amazing new music this year. Will you be infusing your latest work into your set?

That’s an understatement. I’m on a musical frenzy right now. REDUX 006 just came out and now my Christmas Volume 2 Album is being released in the next week. I don’t know if Orlando in November is exactly the right venue for the holiday jams but you can be sure I’ll sneak some REDUX in. I like to sneak attack it on the unsuspecting.

We're so excited for your new Christmas album! How would you describe the record?

This album was such a treat to make. I love the collaborations with different vocalists and live instrumentation that goes into a Christmas album. I love the buried and the rediscovered memories of a certain classic guitar lick that takes me to Christmas morning. The album is something you can put on and listen to with your family, walking down the street or on a crowded metro. It’s here to make you feel warm.

What was the inspiration behind wanting to do a Christmas album?

My whole life I’ve been a huge fan of the feeling of the Christmas season. Every smell, every cold touch, every early night next to the fire, meals with family and friends. I love that people check in with each other more, we get more interactive. I realize it’s a stressful time for many and my wish is that this music can provide a sound bed for those who struggle in the season to find some peace.

You'll also be ringing in the holidays with a special Christmas show in LA with a live band and live vocalists. How excited are you to do something like that?

I’m beyond excited. At this point in my career it’s fun to take on challenges that have the unknown built into them. I have never created an ensemble like this to perform with. It’s a steep learning curve but I’m confident what we will deliver will be well worth talking about.

I'm a Vegas local, so I've seen you perform at Ayu Dayclub at Resorts World and it was one of the best sets I've ever seen. How much fun are you having while performing in Vegas?

Las Vegas is like its own planet. The Resorts World team has made me feel so at home within their venue, whether it's at Ayu or Zouk or any of their restaurants. I love the whole team there and the people they attract to their spot are absolute beasts in the very best way.

For people who haven't seen one of your Vegas sets, how would you say they stand out from your other shows?

Las Vegas sets are different than a festival or a Kaskade headlining show in that I understand a large part of the crowd might not be well versed in my catalogue. So I try to mix up the feeling of the night, not take them by the hand on my twisty Kaskade mashup road. It’s probably generally more accessible to the general public. But once I get their attention, I love to throw in a few challenging moments to see if they’ll stick around. 99% usually do, and scream for more. That’s fun.

Last fun question for you... I'll be in Vegas for New Year's Eve, so should I bring a couple friends to see you at Zouk Nightclub?

If you don’t, I will absolutely take it personally.

To learn more about EDC Orlando, check out the website here.