Kayzo is no stranger to trying new things. He prides himself on creating music that really strays away from mainstream dance music. His music often mimics a hardstyle sound, even though he openly declares that’s not really his vibe.
I like hardstyle but I consider myself pretty far from it. I’m pretty far from anything tbh
— kayzo (@KayzoMusic) January 14, 2017
And with dance music always striving for new worlds to conquer, Kayzo, along with other producers such as Sullivan King, SLANDER, & Snails have pushed to bridge the gap between rock and electronic music.
Following his official remix for the legendary band Papa Roach, and last month’s release of “FAKE FAKE FAKE,” featuring emerging Italian emo punk rock band XO Sad, KAYZO is back with an even crazier rock collaboration with Underoath.
And while it seems like an unlikely combination, it actually makes perfect sense when you hear KAYZO talk about its origins.
“Because of my work with Papa Roach, I had some connections to other bands, and I had this awesome wishlist of groups I wanted to work with. Underoath was near the top and it was super exciting when they got back to us.”
“Wasted Space” is just the start of KAYZO continuing his drive to push the boundaries and genres of music that inspire him. As dance music continues to find new avenues to showcase artists’ production skills, artists like KAYZO will continue to find new inspirations in rock music.
“I grew up on this music, so I resonate with it. I wanted to find a way to tap into my roots and what inspired me; try something different. The whole goal is to try to push the boundaries for future artists after me. I think it’s an injustice as an artist to keep doing the same thing over and over again.”
“Wasted Space” is a head-on collision of sounds from different sides of the musical world; one that KAYZO calls “true experimentation in its rawest form.”
You can listen to the epic hard-hitting collab below, and dive into the rest of our exclusive interview with KAYZO live from the 2018 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.
River Beats: First off, welcome back to New Orleans! and welcome To Voodoo. Are you excited to play this year’s festival?
Kayzo: “Man, it’s one of my favorite cities in the world. It’s been over a year since I’ve been back – and I’ve actually never played Voodoo – so this is a first for me. Oysters are everything, I love them.”
That is so funny. are you going to be able to get any while here?
“Of course I did. Couldn’t pass up on that opportunity. I got here Wednesday for an extended stay; it’s been refreshing.”
Ok, let’s dive a little more into this Underoath collab. How did you manage to pull that after their long time off?
“Well, it was definitely a special one for me. For me to get them after such a long hiatus is amazing. It’s funny, I was in New Orleans this year for some time off, just because I love being here, and that’s when I got the stems for the project. So it’s come full circle: I’m here playing Voodoo and “Wasted Space” is set to release in a few days. I got a bunch of new music with other bands coming out, so I’m excited to continue to push this.”
Wow, can you name any of these bands? we would love to hear about these releases!
“Yeah totally, I have a single coming out with a band called Our Last Night at the end of the year. They are super dope. They do a lot of cool covers of dance music tracks.”
we can’t wait to hear it! last question, and it’s of course Halloween related, Who is your all-time favorite villain?!
“Michael F Myers, he is the undefeated champ.”
I’m more of a Jason guy myself, but Myers is a close second. Thanks for being here with us KAYZO, and if you’re reading this, go listen to “Wasted Space” with Underoath!
“Yes, thank you! And go do it, you will love it!”