We handed the keys to San Diego based DJ's & producers, Chase & Kyle, known as Kashed to unlock life as a duo, San Diego living and how they got into the music space.
What inspired you to enter the music space?
Kyle: I have always had a love for music and wanted to be more involved in it, but as just a listener I never really knew exactly in what way. I played guitar as a kid, I produced a little bit in high school but mainly just making beats and some really bad tropical house remixes.
In college I got a lot more into producing music, I ended up switching my minor to audio production then started DJing as well. From there my interest in DJing and production just naturally grew, and the idea of really pursuing both started to seem like something that made more and more sense.
Chase: Throughout my childhood, sports consumed my life. It wasn't until I was in high school when I really got into music. In 2015, I started listening to artists like Martin Garrix, Odesza, and Kygo, and immediately fell in love. In the summer of 2016, I decided I wanted to take my love for the music further. I bought a Pioneer DDJ-SB2 and started mixing for hours a day in my room. Once I got to college, I started taking it more seriously and thought of it as a potential career path.
How did you guys meet and decide to pursue DJing and producing as a duo?
We met early on in College at the University of Oregon and we figured out music was a common interest. Chase was DJing parties at the time and I was strictly producing. We had always spoken about meeting up to produce/DJ together but it didn’t happen until the last year and a half of college.
Initially we just started producing and DJing together for fun and teaching each other about the other side of things, since Chase knew more about DJing and I knew more about production. I think we ended up just talking about the fact that we were both planning to pursue music after school and thought why not do it together.
How did you decide on the name Kashed?
Honestly we kind of forgot exactly where the name came from. As far as we can remember it was a phrase that was said occasionally when someone had drank to the point of their night being over.
We're pretty sure we were producing one day and wanted to release a song on SoundCloud and didn’t have a name so we tossed around ideas until that one landed. We thought it was a good inside joke and to be honest just thought the letters looked cool together so we stuck with it.
What brought you to San Diego?
We were deciding between LA and San Diego when got offered to play a show at Revel Revel in downtown San Diego. We had such a good time playing that show and the crowd was so energetic that we decided on San Diego. That show at Revel Revel was kind of our deciding factor.
Talk us through what it’s like being a DJ duo? Any challenges or strengths?
We both enjoy being in a duo. It can get pretty tough at times to stay optimistic and motivated as an aspiring DJ/producer so having someone else to share in the journey and ups and downs with is definitely a good thing. It also helps us hold each other accountable and we can bounce ideas off of each other, whether that’s about the creative side of things or the business side of things.
With so many newly opened venues and recently started events, the San Diego dance scene is growing rapidly. What are your observations/thoughts on the scene and community here?
Even in the short time we have been in San Diego we have watched the scene grow so much. I think San Diego is quickly becoming sort of this hub for house music. With so many new and great venues opening up it's just putting San Diego on the map even more.
We’ve also met a ton of talented and great people in the dance music scene here. Everyone is super supportive and seems to genuinely want to help each other out which can be sometimes rare in the entertainment industry. I think this definitely contributes to the great local dance music scene.
What's been your favorite venue to play in San Diego?
Nova has to be one of our favorite venues we’ve played. We got the opportunity to open for Joyryde as direct support there and the atmosphere, stage production and the crowd was great and made for a really fun set.
When you're going out dancing in San Diego on a night off from producing/ DJing, where will we find you?
You will probably find us somewhere in Gaslamp! We’re frequently at Bloom and Nova, usually supporting other DJ’s we know in the local scene or just seeing an artist we like.
Who are your 'ones to watch' from the San Diego scene?
Hard to pick since there's so many talented DJ's and producers here but our boys Coleman, Bolo have been crushing it lately. Our friends over at Psychosis events have also been putting on some great shows locally.
What are your future plans as Kashed?
Right now we are just focused on continuing to play shows both in and outside of San Diego. We actually have one of our first out of state shows coming up in November that we are really excited for.
Beyond that, finishing and releasing music is a huge focus right now. We don’t currently have anything official out but we have lots of music saved up that we’re very excited to get out there soon!
In what ways can the San Diego dance community support you or collaborate with you?
We are pretty active on instagram so that's the best way to keep up to support us, keep up to date with our music/shows or just to connect and say what's up!
Lastly, what’s a track you want to share?
Closure - Ranger Trucco. This ones been on repeat for us since it dropped. Rangers songs are always in our sets but we're especially liking the groovy drums and the vocals on this one.
You can keep up with Kashed:
on Instagram,
and on SoundCloud.
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