Metronome #032: Candyland

Insomniac’s Metronome series features mixes from some of today’s fastest-rising electronic stars, as well as championed legends. It takes listeners deep across a wide range of genres, movements, cultures, producers, artists and sounds that make up the diverse world of electronic music.

The story of Candyland’s meteoric rise from the streets of Santa Barbara, California, to the upper echelon of the dance music scene may read like a full-on fairytale, but it wasn’t always sunshine and roses. Having burst out the gate four years ago after winning back-to-back Beatport remix contests for the likes of Skrillex and Bingo Players, Candyland has since gone on a genre-bending, high-energy tear that is as amazing as it is inspiring.

Originally formed as a duo, Josie Martin has since taken the Candyland moniker solo, shotgunning her way to the top with an eclectic but always refreshing mix of trap, dubstep, glitch, house and bass that is all her own. With releases on Spinnin’, Monstercat and Ultra, Candyland is also well-known for her ability to transform the likes of Krewella, Lil Jon, Cash Cash, and Major Lazer & DJ Snake into even deadlier dancefloor weapons when she’s in “OG remix” mode.

As a black woman who stands six feet tall and sports a massive afro, Candyland stands out not only for her ability to bring on the bassbin pressure, but as a female who seems to have embraced her role as a figurehead for those who don’t fit the usual or expected EDM mold. It’s an attitude that is no doubt born from the struggles she faced as a youth—ones that led to her not only finding an unlikely community in the streets of Santa Barbara, but one that reveals an awe-worthy mix of passion and determination.

As we turn to Candyland for the next Metronome installment, we can’t help but notice the way Josie’s own no-holds-barred approach to life is also reflected in her approach to music and the supposed limitations of genre. Developing a style she calls “melodic bass music,” it’s best to expect the unexpected when Josie steps up to the decks.

To inform those who don’t know where you’re coming from, let’s take it back to the early Santa Barbara days.
Santa Barbara is such an amazing, beautiful and laid-back place. I was lucky to grow up there, as it’s basically California’s official vacation spot. While there are lots of wealthy people there, I definitely wasn’t one of them! I think what I like most about Santa Barbara is that it has a great music scene and really supports local artists; so no matter what I was going through at home, Santa Barbara and the people there made chasing my dreams an awesome experience.

It’s interesting that, in addition to the mansions and estates, Santa Barbara also has such a large, young homeless population.
Yeah, to be honest, I have no idea what draws so many homeless youth to Santa Barbara. But it’s not just youth; it’s adults, too. Both of my biological parents and my adoptive mother were all homeless in Santa Barbara at one point. It has nothing to do with Santa Barbara in particular; I think it just shows that people everywhere go through hard times. Everyone has their own experience in getting out of a shit situation. But for me, it was just friends and family. It’s all about the support system. Candyland wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for them.

At a certain point, DJ culture entered your consciousness, and something about it grabbed hold of you. Do you remember the moment when that shift happened?
Before getting into dance music, I was super into ska and hardcore. No Doubt is my favorite band of all time, and Gwen Stefani is my biggest influence as far as female performers go. I think being a fan of metal and hardcore music made it really easy for me to transition into DJing, as I had no idea what to do when it came to mixing, but knowing how to play the drums definitely came in handy. From there, I think the shift to dance music was natural, for sure.

You’ve mentioned elsewhere that DJ AM was a huge influence in your own evolution as a DJ. Talk about your journey from turntablism to dance music and how you personally connected the dots between the two.
For me, when I thought of DJing, I thought it was ONLY people scratching and beat-juggling and working with vinyl. I was lucky to discover it in 2007/2008-ish, when dance music really started to come back heavily. AM was just the tip of the iceberg for me, and I kind of just dived in all at once, looking for as much music as I could and never worrying too much about the limitations of genre or style.

This attitude seems to reveal itself in your ability to effortlessly combine the influences of multiple genres in the space of one track. How do you describe your style?
My taste in dance music, and just music in general, changed and evolved this last year. There has been so much unique dance music coming out these days, I can’t help but get inspired by it all. My music will always have a dark/heavy vibe to it, but I will always be driven to new sounds and styles, so it’s hard to accurately describe.

I think other people would describe it as melodic bass music, usually centered on some female vocals. For example, with “Rage in Love,” I really wanted to work with Lexi Forche again, and I wanted to kind of go for that future sound but also play off what we did together in the past with “Bring the Rain.”

Remixes have been a huge part of your success—from remix contests for Skrillex and Bingo Players to official remixes for the likes of Krewella, on through to your infamous bootleg “OG remixes.” What sort of advice do you have for other would-be remixers out there on the come-up?
Personally, I like remixes that are as unique as possible and sound nothing like the original track. For someone coming up, I’d just make whatever you’re doing your own, and something someone can recognize you by. Be as different as possible. Definitely doesn’t matter where you come from, as hard work pays off.

This new joint—“Murda” on SMOG—is sounding ill! Any other forthcoming or exclusive bits we should be looking out for?
Thanks! Yeah, after that I have a song with Retrohandz that will be out on Dim Mak, just finished up a new remix for an upcoming singer out of Australia called Grace, and finishing up a couple collabs I can’t wait to share.

What kind of vibes should we be expecting from your Metronome mix?
I recently got to play a party that was a little different and chiller than my usual shows, and as a result was able to play some new styles of music that I wouldn’t normally get to. So I’ve decided to just start releasing mixes no matter what genre. Here’s the first of many, and it’s definitely on the chiller side. Enjoy.

Track List:: 1. Loge21 “So High”
2. AYO Alex “Catch a Case”
3. Svante G “Moment”
4. Oliver Heldens “Pikachu”
5. Blonde ft. Alex Newell “All Cried Out” (Don Diablo Remix)
6. Legitimate Scandal “Fu Gee La” (Loot & Plunder Edit)
7. Loge21 “Get Down”
8. GTA & Martin Solveig “Intoxicated” (Akadiian & Whiiite Remix)
9. Young Fanco & De$ignated “Back It Up” (Kitchen Sex)
10. Sharam Jey & Daniel Fernandes “Jump Up”
11. Shift K3Y “Not Into It”
12. Danny T “Rhythm”
13. MSCLS & Silky Gold ft. Big Kid Xavier “Like This”
14. Loge21 “Famous”
15. Tiësto & KSHMR “Secrets” (Jonas Aden Remix)
16. Gregor Salto “Samba Do Mundo” (Funkin Matt Remix)
17. Hairitage “Cornerstone”
18. DVBBS “Pyramids” (Inmado Remix)
19. Eptic “Danger” (Habstrakt VIP)
20. Loge21 “50 Degrees”
21. Wesley Verhey “Destiny”
22. Tchami ft. Stacy Barthe “Afterlife”
23. Wesley Verhey “Wasabi”
24. Rihanna “BBHMM” (Lambo & Doobious Remix)
25. Destructo ft. Problem “Dare You to Move”
26. No Clue “Believe It”
27. Dallerium “Dancin'”
28. Maiki Vanic “Need It”
29. Ruffneck ft. Yavahn “Everybody Be Somebody” (Lucas & Steve Remix)
30. Oliver $ & Jimi Jules “Pushing On” (Tchami Remix)
31. Funkin Matt “Elephant”
32. Anna Lunoe & Jesse Boykins III “Heartbreak in Motion”
33. Fawks “No Sleep”
34. Candyland “Rage in Love”