Kayzo talks about his Unleashed XL tour and what it means to headline The Discussion board in Los Angeles [Interview]
Kayzo’s humble beginnings as a pupil of Icon Collective in Southern California appear to be a lifetime in the past, now that he’s simply introduced his Unleashed XL tour for 2023, ending with a headlining efficiency on the iconic Discussion board in Los Angeles. Since he began the venture in 2012, he’s hit each marker of development and has steadily grown as an artist and particular person, resulting in this really monumental event.
The Unleashed XL tour is on sale now. We caught up with Kayzo over the cellphone this week to speak about his largest headline present to-date, reigniting the Unleashed tour after COVID, and what it took make this all occur.
So I’ve recognized you for I take into consideration seven years now, since that first interview within the pizza store in North Hollywood.
Oh, my God, dude. Yeah, that’s such a throwback. I forgot all about that setting till now.
I used to be at your first Doghouse takeover at Avalon in 2016. I feel I used to be at your first EDC too once you went again to again with Protohype and Lookas in 2015.
Oh, yeah, the bassPOD, we opened it up at doorways.
Now you’re headlining one of the iconic venues in Los Angeles, The Discussion board. When that supply got here by means of, what was going by means of your head, particularly wanting again at the place you’ve come from?
You mentioned it greatest. It’s one of the iconic venues in Los Angeles and one of the iconic historic venues round simply judging by its historical past. It’s been 5 years, occurring six subsequent yr, from my final headline play in LA which was on the Palladium.
Was it actually that lengthy?
Yeah, dude, isn’t that loopy? Yeah, it was like 2017 once I did the Palladium. And so, clearly, with COVID our plans that we had at the moment bought pushed again, so it’s been 5 years because the final LA present, you realize, LA being form of sentimental for me. It’s essential to me as a result of it’s the place every part began musically for me again in 2012 so ensuring that we placed on the largest, greatest Kayzo present that we will presumably do in Los Angeles is form of like prime precedence, proper? It’s form of like, you set the tone with it. It’s like a mile marker and form of efficiency in Los Angeles, at all times for me. So after we have been form of determining the place we needed to play, what our goal was, and what our objective was for the present, The Discussion board at all times caught out to me as a result of, you realize, I’ve been to different exhibits on the Discussion board. Non-dance music exhibits particularly. And I bear in mind the final rock present I noticed there. It was Carry Me The Horizon in 2019, and I noticed Fever 333, and I forgot who performed within the center. But it surely was the primary metallic and rock present that I noticed at The Discussion board. And there’s simply an power in there that was –
That present was with Thrice. [laughs]
Yeah. Okay. It was with Thrice. Yeah, present was unbelievable. And, for me, it’s simply, you realize, rising up, listening to you realize all forms of completely different rock, metallic, pop punk, different, form of hardcore stuff, submit hardcore, and in addition coming from a sports activities background, by means of hockey, that kind of sports activities/area fashion venue, these forms of venues on the whole, I at all times form of gravitate in direction of as a result of it’s illustration of my life with sports activities and my life with music now, since they sometimes home these forms of occasions. So, the power in these forms of arenas, particularly The Discussion board, like once I noticed that present, I form of knew proper then and there that was like– I bear in mind, I used to be with my supervisor at that present. I used to be like, “Dude, we’ll play this venue at some point. We have to play right here,” like there’s one thing about this place that simply units it other than another venue that I’ve been to in LA for music at the moment. And so when that supply got here in, it was form of surreal as a result of I knew it was attainable to do The Discussion board. I simply didn’t know when, and I simply didn’t know the way it will come about. And so when that choice turned out there, it was tremendous full circle for me. I began to recollect all of the exhibits I’ve been to there and simply having that dialog with my supervisor like, “We’re going to do a present there.”
I’m so excited for the present and it’s been one thing that we’ve been engaged on for months, and we’re nonetheless engaged on, by way of making it good for everyone by the point Could rolls round.
So that you’re now the third EDM artist up to now yr to announce or play on the Discussion board. You realize, Subtronics and RL Grime. And also you talked about that you simply haven’t seen any EDM acts there. The one ones I’ve seen up to now 5 years have been Armin van Buuren and The Chainsmokers. What do you assume is occurring that artists, significantly, it appears, bass artists, at the moment are taking part in The Discussion board? Are they opening as much as it or is bass attending to that crossover space the place The Discussion board is now like, “Yeah, we will do that.”
Proper. It’s query, I feel a bit little bit of each. I feel sure acts such as you talked about at the very least within the final couple of months, and I used to be on the RL Grime present too, which was nice, actually, actually dope present. It’s a venue the place an artist that basically takes delight within the imaginative and prescient and the storytelling behind the model and the showmanship of the present, it’s place to point out off that story outdoors of the standard membership and even regular venue. It’s only a larger stage, and it’s a distinct kind of viewing expertise than different venues that you would be able to go see. So I feel The Discussion board, clearly they’re coming round to see extra dance music in there. Dance music is at place for these like giant scale exhibits. The exhibits that they placed on there, whether or not they’re digital particular music, or with myself who does a mix of rock and digital that’ll carry, like with out giving freely an excessive amount of of who we’ve got and what we’re doing, like we’re bringing a complete reside expertise outdoors of simply DJing to this present and to the tour that I simply introduced even outdoors of LA for my set. That form of resembles what I did in 2019 with Unleashed however on a bigger scale in a distinct format, and in addition, you realize, there’s going to be assist bands and completely different reside parts to the present that form of carry it full circle, make it really feel not much less like a rave, but it surely brings the the storytelling and the backstory of the place I come from musically, what I take pleasure in outdoors of dance music to the desk.
I feel they see this as alternative for artists to take larger dangers. And take a look at various things out that aren’t simply the conventional, normal, massive LA present. So I feel The Discussion board provides us a platform to take larger dangers. And I feel they’re enthusiastic about showcasing that with the newer technology and the newer kinds of music like digital music and never simply being so band-centric and you realize, “We solely do bands, we do reside music,” they’re now form of shifting and diverting in direction of additionally having extra digital music in there. So it’s form of simply coming with the occasions. Similar to another main metropolis venue, pageant. We’ve been seeing it for the final 10+ years, the illustration of dance music artists or phases at main crossover festivals are just about normal at this level. So I feel you’re beginning to see that bleed over into the exhausting ticket touring side of issues with artists, you realize, digital music doesn’t have to simply essentially be in a membership or a venue that homes simply digital music. Now you possibly can take it to The Discussion board or, you realize, you see acts play at SoFi Stadium or Allegiant in Vegas like with Illenium. If there’s a narrative to be informed, and there’s an viewers for it, I feel these venues are far more welcoming to it now.
Completely yeah. You type of already touched on my subsequent two questions a bit bit, however I’ll simply preserve it transferring. Beforehand, you talked about the RL Grime present on the Discussion board, and I bear in mind seeing you there the evening earlier than Escape. And I form of talked about to you want, “Oh, you’ve bought an enormous announcement at Escape, huh?” I clearly had no concept it was going to be concerning the Discussion board on the time. I don’t know in the event you bear in mind this.
Yeah we have been on the bar speaking about it.
Have been you making an attempt to, like, disguise a smirk the entire time, such as you knew?
Yeah. I imply, it was simply form of like I used to be making an attempt to maintain it underneath wraps simply solely as a result of like, not that I used to be afraid of anybody saying something. I simply was excited; we had already filmed this actually, actually, actually cool promo video that I premiered at Escape to comfortable announce the present to everybody in LA that was at my Escape set. So I simply needed like that to be like, outdoors of the promoters that booked the present and my managers, I needed even like pals and those that I keep up a correspondence with within the business to be fully stunned and in addition blown up, like, let that be an enormous second, so I used to be making an attempt actually exhausting to simply preserve it underneath wraps till that second occurred at Escape. You realize what I imply? However I used to be undoubtedly excited to be there for that present and form of simply get perception of like, what’s to come back and what the capabilities are from a manufacturing and showmanship standpoint at a venue like that, and it was actually, actually thrilling to see what might be carried out in that venue.
We have been additionally speaking about your Unleashed tour. I used to be wanting up earlier than this, you realize, for the on your final album, you introduced that tour. I feel it was like January or February, 2020. And that was like simply a few months earlier than the pandemic, and now you’re doing the Unleashed XL, even larger than earlier than. So, I imply, such as you’ve come out of the pandemic, you realize, completely leveled up. How does it really feel to, for lack of a greater phrase, overcome that adversity and are available out the opposite facet on a a lot larger stage?
Yeah, that was form of a bummer again then. I bear in mind asserting the Unleashed tour that we have been presupposed to do. We introduced initially of 2020 after which, like, actually, like two months later, like a month after asserting or no matter it was, needed to pull all of it down. I simply had such massive aspirations for that tour as a result of I had simply bought carried out doing the Unleashed, massive one-off solely exhibits in San Francisco and Chicago and New York, Houston, the place we have been testing the thought as a result of we have been taking part in Coachella in 2019. So we needed to carry a reside side to Coachella, and that’s what sort of sparked the thought of Unleashed to start with, with among the exhibits. So, we introduced that massive tour. We have been so excited coming off Coachella and people exhibits after which the pandemic occurs. And, you realize, I by no means knew if I used to be going to get one other alternative to do the Unleashed present or one thing prefer it. You realize what I imply? Didn’t know what got here out was what was going to come back out the opposite facet throughout the entire expertise with COVID.
After which popping out of it after which getting the alternatives to proceed to grind and work exhausting on my craft, and proceed to push this sound and this narrative that I’m doing with my music with rock and digital, getting the prospect to, carry again Unleashed and do Unleashed XL as a result of you realize larger, higher manufacturing and form of a distinct story. I’m identical to tremendous, tremendous lucky and grateful for it. As a result of that authentic tour concept was such an essential piece to my storytelling and I didn’t know if I used to be ever going to inform it. And now I get to carry it again to life in a distinct, revolutionary approach for 2023. It’s like full circle, and it comes with a number of different development, private development, inventive development, development in my relationships and you realize my girlfriend, household, and every part from the pandemic. I want I’d have been in a position to do the tour again then. However I’m nearly happier that I’ve been in a position to form of undergo much more private and inventive development and I feel I’ve been in a position to form of put myself in a a lot better and completely different headspace that I feel will solely profit the tour and the present and all my followers that come to those exhibits. I’m excited that we lastly get to inform it and we get to carry it throughout the US and Canada after which finish it off in LA on the Discussion board.
The lineup for the tour simply bought introduced as nicely. It’s actually superb to see who’s gonna be supporting and taking part in with you on this run. The Discussion board assist continues to be TBA. However you realize, you already form of touched on this, with a number of your LA exhibits we will anticipate one thing actually particular. I do know you possibly can’t actually get into too many specifics, however is there something you possibly can possibly, like, tease?
For positive. We’ve got one date nonetheless to announce within the tour that’s like form of spray painted out proper now, after which we’ve got these TBA helps, not as a result of we don’t know what we’re doing, however as a result of we’re form of identical to ready to announce these at a later date, as a result of, yeah, they’re they’re going to be larger than a traditional present. Clearly, venues like The Discussion board are big, proper? So we need to actually come out the gate swinging and convey one thing particular. And likewise like I alluded to earlier, exhibits just like the Discussion board and a few of these larger exhibits like we’re bringing a reside side to them. So like we’ve got bands, and bands as in plural, on these exhibits, So, I don’t need to give away an excessive amount of of like, who and what, just like the specifics as a result of we’ve bought a while till then, however like I’ll say there’s going to be an enormous reside side to that present particularly that may separate it from something that I’ve carried out in LA and in addition something that I’ve carried out up to now thus far with another Unleashed present. Keep tuned for that one. It’s going to have some issues that individuals have been asking for out of doors of the band. I get hit up on social media on a regular basis, and a few of these requests are lastly going to come back to fruition on the Discussion board so I feel individuals shall be pleasantly stunned and excited for what we’ve got deliberate.