On May 19, we announced that Cazzette would no longer tour as a duo, making official my decision to become Cazzette’s ‘stay at home producer’ and leave the touring to Alex. We timed this with the announcement of our new single “Blue Sky” alongside Laleh, which we teased in a mix featuring some brand new tracks. We did this not to mislead our fans, but to showcase the life ahead for Cazzette. While some had already noticed my absence from the road recently, I did not want speculation to be that Cazzette was ready to call it a day. If anything, it feels like 2016 is our year of rejuvenation.
From day one, Cazzette was about creative liberation. It felt like a lot of other acts were taking the rule books of specific genres too seriously, making certain parts of dance music feel predictable and generic. Our manager, Ash, always inspired us to try new things and push through the noise. On paper, fusing big room, house and trap didn’t work, but the fusion became our calling card to a global career. 240m streams later, two Billboard Dance Chart #1s, a few laps around the globe and some truly amazing memories later, we find ourselves where we are today — a point at which I have to admit that touring is just not an aspect of this world that I enjoy.
There’s been no shortage of high-profile media attention surrounding the touring life of DJs and dance music producers — a lot of it negative. There is a lot of fun to be had on the road, and between Alex, myself and our team, I have made many amazing memories. This isn’t about one artist bitching about having to tour — an artist should feel grateful and blessed for the opportunity to travel the world and make money from playing shows. But when the setup stops working for you and begins to affect your creativity, something has to change.
No matter how many records you sell or arenas you fill, an artist’s prerogative should always be to maintain creative focus. This is a balance that is always at odds with the reality. For the most part, an artist’s biggest source of income tends to come from touring. Some artists have managed to excel under these circumstances and maintain a healthy output of music, but for me the agenda just didn’t work.
As an act, we were becoming more and more adept at working vocal singles, taking on studio sessions with artists from far outside of the electronic dance arena and honing a sound and identity we could call our own. From Miami onwards, attempting to keep ideas and inspiration alive between tour dates—in order to give them justice once back in the studio—just wasn’t working. To say there were sleepless nights surrounding this period in my life would be an understatement. In this business, when one cog in the wheel starts to lag, you can feel it in every other member. Before long, it was clear to me that there needed to be a change in dynamic to keep one of the most amazing aspects of my life enjoyable.
It’s easy to let the idea of change spook you, but for me, it was something necessary to keep things alive. I took myself off the road because it’s what I needed to do to remain creative. As a duo, we were blessed to be in a position to make that decision and secure a future for Cazzette without compromising our partnership. It’s not something I would ever seek sympathy or condolences for, as I am now more positive than ever as to the decision we mutually made and the road ahead for Cazzette.
I was proud of my friend, Avicii ,when he announced his decision to take himself off the road because the decision was one that resonated with me. A lot of us went into this world to make music. Touring was a logical and necessary way of projecting this music to a wider audience, but it was never something I aspired to. Cazzette will continue to reach our global fan base courtesy of Alex, whose support and understanding in this situation I will always be grateful for.
I want the takeaway from friends and fans to be a simple one: It is ok to admit that the DJ life doesn’t work for you. Some people were put on this earth to be creative and work their magic outside of the spotlight. Others were put here to be the face of something and propel that music on a global scale. Cazzette remains a collaborative project, even more so now that Alex can bounce ideas from the road to me in a proper studio environment. Every cultural circle needs its face, but sometimes there is pride to be found in making your mark behind the scenes.
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