Event: Kaskade at Studio Paris, Sun, Aug 5 9:00p

[clubmaster]

Honest. elegant. beautiful. such terms are rarely used to describe electronic artists and their music. but kaskade is a rare breed. the songwriter/producer/dj/phenomenon is one of electronic music’s most sought-after emissaries, and one of its most beloved figures. unaffected and laidback, he’s known to show up at gigs in flip-flops, ready to warm the room – to a simmer or a boil – with his unique brand of feel-good music. this year alone, the chicago-born san francisco resident remixed the works of seal (“amazingâ€), nelly furtado (“all good thingsâ€), justin timberlake (“lovestonedâ€), and britney spears (“gimme moreâ€, “break the iceâ€) to the top of the billboard dance charts. coca-cola commissioned an original song to accompany their campaign for the beijing olympics, which includes a kaskade-branded bottle. dirty south’s remix of original kaskade track “sorry†snagged a grammy nomination for best remixed recording. and “i like the way†was just added to the motion picture soundtrack of upcoming blockbuster “sex and the city: the movie,†in theaters may 30. meanwhile, on the road, kaskade played a staggering 140-plus club and festival dates worldwide, including global gathering and nocturnal wonderland. (highlights from previous years include field day and coachella, where he shared a stage with madonna.) he won the title of “best resident dj†at the 2008 club world awards, for his regular gig at music-first chicago venue smart bar. and to ring in the new year, he mounted an unprecedented three-city, single-night tour, jet-setting from los angeles to san francisco to las vegas, and from massive street festival (giant village) to intimate club (mission rock) to after-hours free-for-all (empire ballroom), showing his diversity as well as his fortitude. with slowing down not in the equation (“i'm having a really, really good time,†he says), kaskade is set to release his fifth artist album, “strobelite seduction†(ultra records) on june 3. the album expands upon on his trademark sound of glistening, guitar-laden melodies, mixing in elements of various styles. check out the trance-tinged “move for meâ€; the earthy, r&b-flavored “your love is blackâ€; or electro-house floor-shaker “step one two.†blending different genres and moods, this is kaskade at his most adventurous. “i was molded by the city that i grew up in: chicago. but i have matured, and ‘strobelite seduction’ helps showcase a lot of my other influences,†says kaskade. “the record is a justification of my weekends in big dark rooms with flashing lights and pounding sound systems. i was seduced by the strobelite.â€