I enjoyed catching up with Casey Walters to learn more about the making of his latest Trigem “Kismet” EP. Casey’s newest EP is a fun ride filled with interesting Producer Dojo Artist collaborations and in this interview Casey shares why Kismet was meant to be.

Casey, tell us about your musical journey and how did it lead you to ill.gates, The Producer Dojo and the Class of 808?

I have always been a big fan of music since childhood. My dad was a drummer, and I was always around instruments growing up. I didn’t start playing around in Ableton until around 2010, where I made really bad loops, and projects that never went anywhere. In April of 2018 I decided if I’m really going to pursue music, I need to do it now, since I’m not getting any younger. I found an ad for a workshop Ill.gates was doing, and after watching, I told myself I would join the class of 808, take producing seriously for a year, and see what happens.

Where are you from originally?

I am from a small town in southwest Louisiana called Lake Charles.

What made you want to become a music producer?

I originally wanted to be a DJ,  but I quickly found out if I wanted to play real shows, and not just in bars, I had to make the music myself.

Tell us about the “Kismet EP.”  When did you begin working on it and how long of an adventure has it been?

I began writing it around September of 2018, I believe. It took me about 2 months of non-stop writing to complete the actual writing part. Then another 2 months of fine tuning small things, to get it sounding just right. I am fortunate enough to not have a normal job, and only work the weekends, so I was able to dedicate a lot of time to the project. Also, the people who worked on it with me, Slowform, Vaedynn, and Imperivm, were able to grind nonstop as well, in order to get it wrapped up rather quickly.

I love all of your collaborations on the EP.  Can you share some stories from your collabs with Winn (Imperivm), Kaitie (Slowform) and Vaedynn?

The collab with Vaedynn was pretty much finished before I started writing the EP. We wrote the song together for something else, and I decided it definitely had to be included. We added some small things in after the EP was underway, and it was done.

I knew Slowform was a fan of the weird bass, so I hit her up asking if she would be down to write something together for the EP. The project came together super fast, to be honest. It was over after passing it back and forth about 4 times I think. She is a very talented producer.

The collab with Imperivm had to go down, because we have been friends for quite a few years, after meeting in the Louisiana bass scene. I asked him to start something up to send over to me, and we both built off of that to create the track “Watch.”

I am very lucky to be able to include some of the most talented producers in the Dojo on my EP.

What creative ways do you promote your music?

If I am being 100% honest, I am lacking hard in this department. I do the normal social media blast, and beg my RL friends to share my stuff. JK, but seriously…

Are there other artistic projects and communities that you are a member of?

I am a member of Spicy Bois, an underground bass collective planning to take over the world.

If you could go back 10 years ago and advise your younger self of 1 thing, what would that advice be?

Screw DJing, and playing shows for free or where you have to sell tickets. Produce music all day and night, and write music you love. Eventually gigs will happen, and you can DJ then.

Do you ever experience writer’s block in the studio? How do you overcome it?

Yes, quite often. I just take small breaks, and force myself to overcome it. Writing music, is kind of like problem solving. It’s just figuring out “how do I make this part sound the best?” I usually will switch up synths, or play around with resampling, and after a while I’ll usually be able to move forward. Worst case scenario is I trash the entire concept and try and rewrite something from the ground up.

How did you come up with the artist name, Trigem and what does it mean? What is next for Trigem?

Okay nobody judge me here…I used to play this game when I was a kid called Everquest. There was some dude on my server who had the name, and it always stuck out to me for some reason. When I was trying to come up with a name for this project, it popped into my head, and I decided screw it, im taking the name. So if you’re out there guy from Everquest, sorry I stole your name in real life.

I have a bunch of unreleased music, and collabs I’m sitting on, that I am trying to figure out what to do with. My goal for 2019 is to get on a talent agency, so I can start getting booked for shows consistently. I am just going to keep writing music until that happens.

Is there one song that you are most proud of on your latest EP?  If yes, why?

The track “Dream.” It showcases my favorite style to produce. The super weird, what the hell is going to happen next style of experimental bass music.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?

Plz buy my EP, so I can buy more pizza.

If you haven’t had the chance to check out the new Trigem “Kismet” EP yet, download and stream here.