Kayzo: Unleashed XL, Welcome Records, and Breaking the Rules on the On Locations Sessions at Decadence 12/30/22

Kayzo: Unleashed XL, Welcome Records, and Breaking the Rules

In this high-energy On Location edition of The DJ Sessions – Virtual Sessions, host Darran Bruce catches up with Los Angeles-based DJ and producer Kayzo at Decadence Festival in Phoenix to reflect on his career, creative philosophy, and biggest tour announcement to date. Fresh off his set, Kayzo describes how two weeks in the studio reinvigorated his energy and inspired him to test out new tracks for fans in Arizona.

Looking ahead, Kayzo details his upcoming Unleashed XL Tour, his largest North American bus tour yet, which will culminate in a career-defining show at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum. Building on the foundation of his 2019 Unleashed album and Coachella performance, this new tour fuses rock and electronic music with live drummers, guitarists, and massive stage production.

The conversation highlights Kayzo’s journey from hockey player to producer, his decision to prioritize making music over simply DJing, and the founding of Welcome Records. He explains how the label began as a home for his own releases but grew into a diverse platform supporting artists across multiple genres, offering a space for music that might not fit elsewhere.

Kayzo also shares personal touches, from bringing his English bulldog Beef into the studio for therapy and balance, to his love for fitness and creating merch as an artistic outlet. With advice to “break the rules – there are no rules,” Kayzo emphasizes that authenticity and variety are key to longevity. This episode captures an artist who thrives on pushing boundaries while lifting others in the process.

Show Notes – 

Host: Darran Bruce
Guest: Kayzo
Location: VIP Platinum Tent – Decadence Festival, Phoenix AZ

Overview:
Darran Bruce sits down with Kayzo to discuss his upcoming Unleashed XL tour, Welcome Records, his creative journey, and advice for new producers breaking into the scene.

Topics Covered:

• Fresh energy from two weeks in the studio before Decadence
• Announcing the Unleashed XL North America bus tour and Kia Forum finale
• Evolution of the Unleashed concept from 2019 to 2023 with live band elements
• Seattle stop at WAMU Theater as his biggest show in the city
• Journey from hockey to music production and prioritizing making music over DJing
• Founding Welcome Records to release diverse music and support other artists
• Philosophy on A&R: giving artists detailed feedback and multiple opportunities
• Views on other artist-run labels like Cyclops, Gud Vibrations, and Monstercat
• Studio companion: his English bulldog Beef as a daily source of balance
• Fitness routine and athletic training with his girlfriend for wellness
• Advice to producers: “break the rules – there are no rules”
• Merch and tour posters as another outlet for creativity
• Closing reflections on 2023, new releases, and staying true to artistry

Call to Action:
Follow Kayzo on Instagram @kayzomusic and visit kayzomusic.com for tour dates and updates.
Discover more exclusive interviews and live sessions at thedjsessions.com

[Darran]
Welcome back to another episode of the DJ sessions presents the on location sessions where we feature the best DJs, producers and industry professionals from around the world. I’m your host Aaron. And right now we’re still at decadence in the VIP platinum tent for new year’s eve weekend.

And I have none other than Kayzo here with me on the couch and Stevie and Kayzo how’s it going? Good man. How are you?

Thanks for having me. Absolutely. How was your set tonight?

[Kayzo]
Man, it was, it was so much fun. I had like a two week break, uh, before the show tonight. So I was in the studio over the last two weeks making a bunch of new stuff and, uh, I got all my energy back and I was so stoked to play tonight.

So, uh, yeah, energy was off the walls. So, uh, Arizona is always fun. It’s always a good time.

[Darran]
Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of touring, getting out there, you have something big planned for 2023. Let our DJ sessions audience know about that.

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kayzo]
So I announced, um, probably my biggest bus tour to date, uh, for 2023 it’s called Kayzo’s Unleashed XL. And, uh, I don’t know off top how many dates it is, but we’re going all over North America, US Canada and ending in LA for like my biggest show I’ve ever done at the Kia Forum. So, uh, yeah, it’s going to be a huge, huge production.

We’re bringing in, uh, long story short, it’s a combination of rock and electronics. So I’m bringing drummers, guitar players, um, and a huge stage production. So it’s going to be the best of both worlds on this tour.

And I’m so excited to kick it off here soon.

[Darran]
Is that something you, have you experimented and done something like that in the past? Or is this a first time live music? Yeah.

[Kayzo]
So like we, um, we, uh, we, we, we, we, we, we started kind of marinating on the idea in like 2019 we did. Um, my second album was titled Unleashed. And so we, we love the name and we wanted to, my music is very rock and electronic focused and, um, people now know that.

So the goal was to bring a visual live aesthetic to that kind of understanding. And so in 2019 we kind of tested it out in a few major markets and did big one off shows for it. And then we also did it at Coachella in 2019, where that was awesome.

Um, and it was so much fun. It was at a really great perception. So we had a tour in 2020 plan called Unleashed and COVID obviously canceled it.

And so, uh, we wanted to reignite the idea and bring it back. And, um, the XL is cause it’s bigger venues, it’s bigger production. There’s more live elements to it.

And, um, we finally get to put it on. I’m really excited. Yeah.

[Darran]
And you know, um, like the word on the street is when you come to Seattle, everyone freaks out. We’re based out in Seattle. You have a really good shows in Seattle.

But next thing you come through, I’d love to check.

[Kayzo]
Second to last day. We’re at the WAMU theater.

[Darran]
Absolutely.

[Kayzo]
It’ll be my biggest show in Seattle.

[Darran]
I’ve ever done. I live a few blocks away from there. Yeah.

Come on down.

[Kayzo]
Let’s definitely do it.

[Darran]
And so, um, you’re also a producer and you have your record label, welcome records. Yeah. Um, was that something you got into?

Were you DJing first and then started producing or did you start producing first then got into music?

[Kayzo]
Yeah. So like long story short, I kind of, um, I grew up with a sports background. Um, I played hockey my whole life, um, from like three years old until like 19.

So, um, when I got into music, my, my, my, my main focus was producing. I didn’t really like, obviously like, I would love to have like, do what I’m doing now. But at that point in time, like my goal was not to just DJ.

Like I didn’t get into music, just DJ. Like I loved, I love that, but I love producing. I love making music.

I love, I love that aspect of this. And so, um, I, I started producing and, um, I wanted to, um, be booked because of my music. So, um, I didn’t really focus on DJing until I started making music.

So that’s kind of how we went about it. And yeah.

[Darran]
And was it starting your own label? Was that something that you just said right gate day one, I want my own label or were you producing a releasing and then said, Hey, it’s better for me to do everything in-house or control the reins.

[Kayzo]
Yeah. For me, like I, I make so many different styles of dance, like base, I guess, base centered music. And now with it being super heavily focused on like rock and electronic within those sub genres of dance and rock.

Um, when I first started out, I, there was a lot of dream labels that I wanted to be on that. I, some of them I was very fortunate to be on. Um, but when I got old, like kind of started to get a little bit progressed to the ranks and it was like, Oh, not only does my music not really maybe fit always on one label.

Um, it may not fit on some labels at all. And so I kind of, my idea was initially was to create welcome, uh, to welcome all genres of music. Uh, but for myself at first, like have a place I could just release self-release, but then, um, I started having other producers reach out and want to release on a label, which was a surprise to me at first.

And I was like, okay, like, I’d love to like, you know, have your music because I love all styles of dance music. So let’s have everything on the label. And then, you know, that kind of grew into being like a, a full funded, like, you know, like an indie record label where I’m releasing people’s singles, EPS albums.

And it’s, it’s, it’s awesome. I it’s, it’s one of my favorite things to do outside of my own, my own music is cause I get to help fulfill other artists kind of dreams and their visions. And, um, sometimes their music they say feels outcast.

And like they don’t, they don’t fit on a label. So it’s, it’s kind of looking at a mirror at myself and like, um, being like, yeah, like we’re on the same page and I want you to have a house where you feel comfortable where you can lease it, release anything. And you’re not told no because that says genre is not popular or that’s not what we do.

Like we’re a home for everybody.

[Darran]
You know, I was going to ask this next question. I love it when guests come on the show and they pretty much answer the question. But I was going to say, what’s the most important thing that record labels should do for their artists and our labels as a whole out there doing that?

It sounds like you have your vision and how you want to control that. But what about other labels?

[Kayzo]
Well, I think what’s really cool now is like specifically, specifically in dance music, we’re seeing a lot of other artists run labels pop up like Subtronics has CypClop records. Uh, I know slander has got good vibrations. Obviously there’s other, some other bigger, uh, bigger kind of indie dance labels like, uh, Disciple and whatnot.

A monster cat is a huge one. Um, and I think, I think most are, are, are open to different styles of dance music. Um, I think for me, the one thing that I remember growing up in, like when I was releasing other people’s labels, like, um, there was sometimes not like a much of a work, work with the artists.

Like, okay. Like the A&R process sometimes is so like, yes or no. Um, and for me, like when I A&R people’s music, I don’t like to just blanket a like yes or no.

It sometimes like, I like to like, if there’s things I like in the music, like I like to get with the artists and like give real in-depth feedback. Cause like there’s like, just like my music, when I’m making music, like the first rendition of a song is maybe not there, but like the more you work on it, the more you massage it, the more you give it love. And the more you spend on it, like it can end up being an incredible song.

And so I, I try to give that, that type of, uh, feedback and to the artists that release on welcome, because I know like, if it’s not there, it can be there. And I don’t want to just throw something away, uh, without knowing its full potential. So I think like, and I’m sure other labels are doing it and I don’t want to speak, like speak without knowing.

But I think like for myself, like what I like to do is like really give artists not just like a one and done like, Oh no, next. Like, I like to like really give them a chance to like work on that music and give us multiple opportunities to listen to A&R it.

[Darran]
Absolutely. And when you’re in the studio producing your own tracks, are pets allowed in the studio? Yeah.

[Kayzo]
Tell us about it. Yeah. I got, um, me and my girlfriend, we have a house and, um, I just got finished building a studio, which I’m really stoked on.

And, um, I have an English bulldog named beef and he’s a big studio dog, like a big studio dog. Like he is. Uh, what’s so funny now is cause my studio is not in the house.

Um, every morning now he runs to the front door all excited and he runs out to, for me to go unlock the studio for him so he can run in the studio. I got toys, bones, everything in there for him. And he just loves, loves laying in the studio, chewing on a bone, hanging out with me all day.

And it’s, it’s honestly one of the coolest, most like therapeutic things to have your animal in there with you because days can be long. You can pull your hair out, your eyes are strained, but every once in a while your dog comes up to you to play and you’re like, Oh, that’s awesome. And he takes me away from it for a minute where I can take a break.

He’s, it’s so cool having an animal because they force you to take breaks. You got to take him out to go pee, walk them, feed them, whatever, play with them. And so I get to finally take those needed breaks from cause sometimes before I had a dog, I would force myself to work through those, um, strenuous times.

And sometimes that’s great. You break through the wall, but sometimes you’re like, you need to take a step back and go do something else. Go take a walk.

Absolutely.

[Darran]
Having an animal forced me to do that. So it’s again, one of those times where you’re almost answering my next question, he’s almost like, I know what you’re asking. You don’t see any of these beforehand, but producing music is, it spends all, you spent a lot of time behind the computer sitting down, you know, countless hours behind the computer sitting down.

What do you do in your free time to stay fit? Yeah.

[Kayzo]
So me and my girlfriend go to a trainer like a couple of times a week, uh, which is really great. Um, like I said, I grew up playing hockey my whole life and so I’m big on like straightening conditioning and like working out in a athletic way more than just like going to the gym, lifting weights. So like, that’s, that’s a huge part of like what I like to do.

And, um, it’s really cool that me and my girlfriend can do that together now, which is awesome. But other than that, um, obviously having animals is a full time thing and like they keep us active, which is awesome. So yeah, there’s multiple ways.

And I try to like, you know, find time to go do athletic things outside of, um, just working out and just, staying up, you know, on fun things. So yeah, it’s, it’s an ever flowing kind of change in a routine right now.

[Darran]
Is there something you’d like to say to new and upcoming producers to watch out for when it comes to making their career successful? What would that one piece of advice be, man?

[Kayzo]
It’s actually like so cliche, but I’ll say this because it was so, it was said to me, I remember when I was first starting out in 2012, I just moved to LA. I was living in a one bedroom apartment with three other dudes. I was living in the living room on the floor and I had to go to a guitar center to get a MIDI keyboard off a sunset.

And, um, I go into guitar center with my two other roommates and we walk in there and we see Steve Angelo in there, which was wild at that time. Swedish house mafia still obviously massive. But at that time was like, you know, a lot of their like Greyhound and all that stuff was coming out.

I was like, Oh my God. So we see him and like, we kind of fanboy out, but like we, we, we kind of asked that exact question to him cause he’s just this larger than life rockstar to us at that point. And he gave us the most like cliche thing, break the rules.

He said, break the rules. There are no rules. Break the rules.

And like, yeah, it sounds so easy on paper, but like once you like get into like producing music, especially as an up and coming artists, like the more you realize that like what rules there are that you think there are that have been fed to you, there are no rules. There are literally no rules. And I think you’re seeing that more with like artists now.

Like there’s so many more risks being taken with different artists and artists are bouncing around genres way more than when I first started. When I 10 years ago it was way more like you make this genre music and that’s what you make and you, you know, you don’t really step outside of it as much. Now I feel like artists are just making whatever they want to make, which is awesome.

And I think also festivals, you know, like decadence tonight, like I’m playing a stage with like flume and Fisher in Mala. So it’s a lot of houses, different styles of music and I make something completely different than that. So I think audiences are also catching up and are, are, are, are, are craving that as well.

A variety, not just with like the music from one artist to another, but a variety within a set. And that comes with what you make sometimes as well. So like I make all styles of dance music.

So I play all styles, styles of my set. So I say break the rules. There are no rules.

Just go out there and just have fun. Fuck it up. And yeah, just have fun with it, man.

Seriously. Have fun. And it’s how, how important is merch much?

[Darran]
Yeah. How important is money?

[Kayzo]
It’s important. It’s fine. Like I love, I love, you know, shopping for clothes.

Like not just, I, I had a little designer phase. I love that. It was cool.

But I like going to like thrifting and finding old kind of fun, cool clothes. Like this jacket I found at the thrift shop, but I love making merch. It’s really, it was something, it’s another creative outlet for me to kind of get my creativity out on paper outside of just writing music.

So I love creating merch. I love creating all my tour posters with my graphic team. My creative team, we’re very involved on the creative side because I truly love it.

Not cause I need to be like in control, but I really love being creative outside of just writing music. So I love merch. I love making it.

[Darran]
If there’s anything you could say to our DJ sessions fans that you want to let them know about, what would that be?

[Kayzo]
Yeah. I mean, um, well thank you for having me. Uh, happy new year.

We’re about to go into 2023 which, um, I’m about to go on my biggest bus tour to date. KZO Unleashed XL in 2023 all over the U S and Canada. Um, so hopefully I’ll see you guys there.

You can get tickets at a kzomusic.com and uh, you can find all of the updates for the tour on my social media. At KZO music on Twitter and Instagram and all that fun stuff. And so hopefully I’ll see you guys at a show, uh, Seattle for you guys, uh, Walmart theater.

And I think April, I think is when it is. So we’ll be in touch. We’ll go, we’ll go to that, uh, have you out for it.

And yeah, hopefully I’ll see you guys at a date on tour.

[Darran]
We’ll have to get you in our mobile studio when you’re up there. We’ll tell you all about that later. I love it.

K-A-Y-Z-O, correct? KZO music.

[Kayzo]
At KZO music for social media and that’s where you can get all my updates.

[Darran]
Well, thank you so much for coming on the DJ sessions. Have some fun out there and have a happy new year. So that’s KZO.

I’m Darran coming to you from decadence in Phoenix, Arizona, brought to you by Relentless Beats. Don’t forget to go to our website, thedjsessions.com. Find us on Twitter, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram.

We’re out there all that information and more 600 news stories a month, exclusive interviews, exclusive mixes, our VR nightclubs, our mobile app. It’s all there at thedjsessions.com. Again, KZO, Darran, coming to you from the VIP Platinum tent at Decadence 2022.

And remember when you think about the DJ sessions, the music never stops.