Kastra

Kastra, aka Ray Decker, has been making music for years, first starting on SoundCloud with his eclectic variety of bootlegs and mashups. Down the line, he has been supported by everyone from Martin Garrix and David Guetta, to Tiesto and Knife Party. As he makes his debut on Ultra Music with ‘Fool For You’, DMCWORLD decided it was time to get the lowdown on the producer who is on everyone’s lips right now…

Can you tell us a bit about your new single ‘Fool For You’ on Ultra Music? 

Fool For You is the beginning of a new chapter in my career. Its me trying to push myself to write and produce better songs. Its a bit slower than my previous music and incorporates some synthwave elements, a style of music that has really been inspiring me recently.

Buy link: https://www.beatport.com/release/baby-dont-stop-ep/3300177

Was ‘Fool For You’ written and produced during the pandemic? If so how did you collaborate with the restrictions involved? 

It was! I believe the vocal was written a few years ago but it was sent to me early last year. I started work with a new management company and they sent me a bunch of toplines. This was one of the ones that really stuck out to me. I was writing a lot during the pandemic because there really was nothing else to do. The technology of today allows artists to collaborate without ever physically getting in the studio together. Where free to work whenever and wherever we want!

Kastra - Fool For You (Lyric Video) [Ultra Music]

How do you feel COVID has impacted your work? Were there any positives to being inside and not touring? 

The songs I made during the pandemic were much different as they were a reflection of my reality at that point. I wasn’t going out to clubs so I wasn’t really making “club music”. The feelings of loneliness that I felt during the pandemic are really reflected in the songs that I wrote. However, I do think it pushed me as an artist to a point I would have never gotten to otherwise. I found a style that I think I have been searching for.

Was there a moment over the past decade where you felt you could say you ‘made it’? You’ve received support from the biggest names in Electronic Music, so it’s safe to say your music has been played on some sizable stages. 

Theres definitely been some amazing moments along the way. Each little win that you celebrate is what helps you keep going. A couple of moments that come to mind was Avicii opening one of his radio shows with a remix I had done early in my career. He was the first major artist to support one of my tracks and I was a huge fan of his. Another was getting a song on Ministry of Sound’s Clubbers Guide which was something I grew up listening too. Meeting some of my idols like Tiesto and having them support my music over the years. Getting my first top10 Billboard record. I wouldn’t say there was one specific moment when I felt like I had made it but a bunch of small ones that added up to me making it here.

How do you feel about the current streaming era in music? You emerged when Bootlegs and Mashups were widely available on SoundCloud, however, things have obviously changed. Do you ever feel that the DIY nature of Electronic Music and early SoundCloud culture has been killed off by large-scale playlists and Spotify? 

In some ways yes. I continue to make edits and mashups because thats a very big part of my DJ sets and it makes me stay sharp on the current music. But a few years back it was a bit different. I think artists were able to break through on Soundcloud a lot easier back then. If your music was that good it would rise to the top and people would notice regardless of what style it was. Now it kind of feels like you’re always battling the algorithm. Certain styles lend them self better to streaming and playlisting and those styles are the ones that perform best. So I think artists are compromising what they want to make with what they think the algorithms will favor.

How do you see touring changing moving forward? Do you think COVID’s impact will change the way that artists tour? 

I think it has definitely changed things and opened up some portals like Twitch for virtual performances. However, I know that the one thing people are really missing after a year of the pandemic is connecting with each other again. So I think as soon as it is safe to reopen people will be really excited at the idea if returning to live concerts. The virtual stuff is cool but nothing can be a substitution for the live concert experience. However I do think the virtual stuff will continue to grow and evolve so I dont think thats going to go away just cause venues are opening back up.

Will you be releasing additional music this year? If so when can we expect new tunes? 

Absolutely! I wrote so much music during the pandemic and well be rolling it out all of this year. “Fool For You” was just the first of many new records I am excited to show the world!