Conversations with Felix Cartal

For starters,

How did you get into this scene? What were the early days of Felix Cartal?

I started off in a few different bands, playing everything from punk to jazz to pop. During this time I was fortunate enough to have access to a recording studio in my high school. This is where I first learned production and started making electronic music for myself on the side. A few of my first tracks gained the interest of some bigger DJ's and they helped mentor me into the scene.

Do you play any instruments?

Bass guitar, and a bit of piano.

Which artist has been your biggest influence?

Vitalic has always been a big musical influence for me. His albums are a great example of balancing melodic song structures with heavy dance-floor tunes.

In which country did you experience the biggest culture shock?

Japan was definitely the most foreign experience for me. Having to travel in a country where they speak a foreign language is always a bit difficult, but having an entirely new alphabet made it much harder to get around. I had to navigate based on landmarks instead of street names.

Honestly, did you find that success came from luck or talent?

I think there is always a bit of luck involved in any success in an entertainment industry, but if you don't have the baseline of hard-work and quality product, that success will fade as quickly as it came.

At which point do you feel satisfied with your work?

I've never finished a song and thought it was 'the best I could ever do,' but I think that's important if I want to keep improving. As long as the next song I write feels better than the one before it, I feel satisfied that my catalogue of work is progressing how I want it to.

How did you sign on to the Dim Mak label?

Steve Aoki was a friend of some of my friends in the industry, and on top of that, he was supporting a lot of my music during his DJ gigs. When he offered to sign me it felt really natural and comfortable so I was happy to accept. Having an experienced and respected DJ like Steve to back my music is a great quality to have in a label owner.

Your favorite piece of gear used live?

Macbook + UC-33 Evolution controller.

When is the album expected to be released?

Early next year. No exact release date at this time though.

Are you in charge of all the mixing and mastering?

I mixed the entire album myself, but the mastering will be done by someone else.

Most epic show so far?

I recently played a 6-year anniversary party in Cologne, Germany for a party called LooneyLand. It was a good sized party with about 2000 people, and they had amazing costumes and motion-sensored lights. It was a great introduction for my first time in Cologne.

Crazy times in the life of Felix Cartal.


He and Congorock will be coming to town for NYE @ The Social.

Mark that off in y'all moleskines.

and of course, much thanks to Felix for this interview.

You can check out some tunes here