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 scholar of Icon Collective in Southern California seem 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 undertaking in 2012, he’s hit each marker of progress 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 while 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 probably the most iconic venues in Los Angeles, The Discussion board. When that provide got here by way of, what was going by way of your head, particularly trying again at the place you’ve come from?
You mentioned it finest. It’s probably the most iconic venues in Los Angeles and probably the most 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 after I did the Palladium. And so, clearly, with COVID our plans that we had at the moment obtained pushed again, so it’s been 5 years because the final LA present, , LA being form of sentimental for me. It’s necessary 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, finest 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, all the time for me. So once we had been form of determining the place we wished to play, what our goal was, and what our purpose was for the present, The Discussion board all the time caught out to me as a result of, , I’ve been to different exhibits on the Discussion board. Non-dance music exhibits particularly. And I keep in mind the final rock present I noticed there. It was Convey 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, , rising up, listening to all sorts of completely different rock, metallic, pop punk, various, form of hardcore stuff, submit hardcore, and in addition coming from a sports activities background, by way of hockey, that sort of sports activities/enviornment model venue, these sorts of venues basically, I all the time form of gravitate in the direction of as a result of it’s illustration of my life with sports activities and my life with music now, since they usually home these sorts of occasions. So, the power in these sorts of arenas, particularly The Discussion board, like after I noticed that present, I form of knew proper then and there that was like– I keep in mind, I used to be with my supervisor at that present. I used to be like, “Dude, we are going to play this venue in the future. We have to play right here,” like there’s one thing about this place that simply units it aside from every other venue that I’ve been to in LA for music at the moment. And so when that provide got here in, it was form of surreal as a result of I knew it was doable to do The Discussion board. I simply didn’t know when, and I simply didn’t understand how it could come about. And so when that possibility grew to become accessible, 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, when it comes to making it excellent for everyone by the point Could rolls round.
So that you’re now the third EDM artist prior 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 prior to now 5 years had been Armin van Buuren and The Chainsmokers. What do you assume is going on that artists, significantly, it appears, bass artists, are actually enjoying 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 just a little little bit of each. I feel sure acts such as you talked about not less than 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 actually takes satisfaction 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 exterior of the everyday membership and even regular venue. It’s only a greater stage, and it’s a special sort 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 massive scale exhibits. The exhibits that they placed on there, whether or not they’re digital particular music, or with myself who does a mixture of rock and digital that’ll deliver, like with out gifting away an excessive amount of of who we’ve and what we’re doing, like we’re bringing a complete stay expertise exterior of simply DJing to this present and to the tour that I simply introduced even exterior of LA for my set. That form of resembles what I did in 2019 with Unleashed however on a bigger scale in a special format, and in addition, , there’s going to be assist bands and completely different stay parts to the present that form of deliver it full circle, make it really feel not much less like a rave, nevertheless it brings the the storytelling and the backstory of the place I come from musically, what I take pleasure in exterior of dance music to the desk.
I feel they see this as alternative for artists to take greater dangers. And take a look at various things out that aren’t simply the conventional, commonplace, massive LA present. So I feel The Discussion board provides us a platform to take greater 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 , “We solely do bands, we do stay music,” they’re now form of shifting and diverting in the direction of additionally having extra digital music in there. So it’s form of simply coming with the occasions. Similar to every other 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 commonplace at this level. So I feel you’re beginning to see that bleed over into the arduous ticket touring side of issues with artists, , 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 see acts play at SoFi Stadium or Allegiant in Vegas like with Illenium. If there’s a narrative to be instructed, 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 just a little bit, however I’ll simply maintain it shifting. Beforehand, you talked about the RL Grime present on the Discussion board, and I keep in mind seeing you there the evening earlier than Escape. And I form of talked about to you want, “Oh, you’ve obtained a giant announcement at Escape, huh?” I clearly had no thought it was going to be in regards to the Discussion board on the time. I don’t know should you keep in mind this.
Yeah we had been on the bar speaking about it.
Had been you making an attempt to, like, conceal 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 beneath 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 smooth announce the present to everybody in LA that was at my Escape set. So I simply wished like that to be like, exterior of the promoters that booked the present and my managers, I wished even like mates and people who I communicate with within the trade to be utterly stunned and in addition blown up, like, let that be an enormous second, so I used to be making an attempt actually arduous to simply maintain it beneath wraps till that second occurred at Escape. You realize what I imply? However I used to be positively 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 could be executed in that venue.
We had been additionally speaking about your Unleashed tour. I used to be trying up earlier than this, , for the to 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 greater than earlier than. So, I imply, such as you’ve come out of the pandemic, , 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 greater stage?
Yeah, that was form of a bummer again then. I keep in mind asserting the Unleashed tour that we had been purported to do. We introduced at the start 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 obtained executed doing the Unleashed, massive one-off solely exhibits in San Francisco and Chicago and New York, Houston, the place we had been testing the thought as a result of we had been enjoying Coachella in 2019. So we wished to deliver a stay side to Coachella, and that’s what sort of sparked the thought of Unleashed to start with, with a few of the exhibits. So, we introduced that massive tour. We had been so excited coming off Coachella and people exhibits after which the pandemic occurs. And, , 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 arduous 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 possibility to, deliver again Unleashed and do Unleashed XL as a result of greater, higher manufacturing and form of a special story. I’m identical to tremendous, tremendous lucky and grateful for it. As a result of that unique tour thought was such an necessary piece to my storytelling and I didn’t know if I used to be ever going to inform it. And now I get to deliver it again to life in a special, progressive manner for 2023. It’s like full circle, and it comes with lots of different progress, private progress, inventive progress, progress in my relationships and 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 progress 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 deliver it throughout the US and Canada after which finish it off in LA on the Discussion board.
The lineup for the tour simply obtained introduced as nicely. It’s actually superb to see who’s gonna be supporting and enjoying with you on this run. The Discussion board assist remains to be TBA. However , you already form of touched on this, with lots 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 perhaps, 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 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 greater than a standard present. Clearly, venues like The Discussion board are enormous, proper? So we wish 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 greater exhibits like we’re bringing a stay side to them. So like we’ve bands, and bands as in plural, on these exhibits, So, I don’t wish to give away an excessive amount of of like, who and what, just like the specifics as a result of we’ve obtained a while till then, however like I’ll say there’s going to be an enormous stay side to that present particularly that can separate it from something that I’ve executed in LA and in addition something that I’ve executed prior to now thus far with every other 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 can be pleasantly stunned and excited for what we’ve deliberate.