Though Florida may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of electronic music, the EDM scene in the Sunshine State is right up there with places like Denver, NYC, and Los Angeles. The difference being – the scene is not just confined to one city, but spread across the whole state. From the major cities- Miami, Orlando, and Tampa- to college towns like Tallahassee and Gainesville, Florida’s EDM scene runs far and wide.
One artist/DJ making noise in Florida is Tampa-raised Evan Cazes, better known as Evalution. Playing instruments from a young age before trying his hand at producing, Evan takes his musical background and blends it with bass-focused, heavy electronic sounds. One thing that makes this young DJ especially stand out is that you’ll often find him shredding away at a guitar on stage.
Evalution’s DJing career really took off when he moved to Tallahassee to attend college at Florida State University (FSU). Within his first year at school, Evan found himself playing multiple shows a week at some of the city’s best nightlife venues such as TENN Nightclub and Recess Nightclub. During this time he began producing original music and forming his sound. In 2018, he released his first original tracks, which gained support from huge industry names like Blunts & Blondes and TVBOO.
Now, Evalution has found himself a comfortable spot in Florida creating and performing his uniquely crafted bass music / live instrumentation fusion. Most recently, Evalution earned himself a spot performing at one of the largest EDM festivals in the country, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Orlando.
After catching his afternoon set at the Rynobus, we had the opportunity to ask the rising artist/DJ some questions about his experience at the festival, Florida roots, new music, and more. Continue reading to learn more about Evalution.
Evalution x Respect My Region Exclusive Interview
RMR: How do you feel living in Tampa, Florida has impacted your sound and career?
Evalution: I was actually born and raised in Tampa, Florida. I lived there my whole life until I was 18, and then I went to FSU, so to move back home is really awesome. There’s so many great producers that came from Florida who have inspired me, so that definitely made an impact on my sound alone.
I would say Tampa kind of took me away from the college scene and taught me how to play more to these types of crowds where they really enjoy less of, like, the cheesy shit, and more of the good stuff. It’s been a good transition, it’s helped a lot.
RMR: What’s the EDM scene like in Tampa?
Evalution: It’s really big in Tampa. Tampa is crazy, like, the Ritz has been around forever. Blunts & Blondes came out of the Ritz. D3v came out of the Ritz. Lizzy Jane came out of the Ritz. There’s a lot of really good people who have found their shit in Tampa and ran off with it and really kept killing it.
RMR: Do you envision yourself staying in Florida, and specifically in Tampa?
Evalution: Probably, to be honest. I really like the weather here. Even though, when it is really hot, it kind of sucks; but I’d rather be hot than be cold. I also have family here and stuff, so it’s nice. It’s a good spot to live as well as vacation so that makes it nice for sure.
RMR: What would you like to see more of in the Florida EDM scene?
Evalution: I think there’s a lot of DJs in Florida, that’s for sure; which (no hate on that) I do love. The open format DJ game – that’s where I got my start, but I wish people would get more motivated to make music. I feel like that is when you really kind of open up potential to make a whole life long career out of this and really make an impact, which is what I’m going for.
RMR: So do you equally make original music and DJ, or do one more than the other?
Evalution: I focus on producing a lot now, definitely because that is how I am going to advance forward. So I’ve just been trying to pump out as many tracks as I can, sending them off, trying to get them signed, and all that.
RMR: Is this your first EDC Orlando?
Evalution: I was here in 2019. I was at Circuit Grounds for the Blunts & Blondes set. I remember texting my manager at the time and telling him I wasn’t coming back here until I was playing. It feels really good to come back and be playing.
RMR: If you could do a b2b set with anyone here right now, who would it be?
Evalution: Blunts & Blondes for sure. That’s the OG.
RMR: What track were you most excited to play during your set at EDC Orlando?
Evalution: Probably my new one, “FL Sound.” I just dropped the track on Bassrush with Stellar. We did vocals for it and everything. It was super dedicated to Florida, so it felt really good to play it here.
RMR: Do you have any pre or post-show rituals?
Evalution: Yeah, actually, I always take a Y-bomb. For those who don’t know what it is, it’s a Tallahassee drink. It’s a Redbull. You crack it open, you dump out some out of it, fill it with a shot of vodka, and then you shotgun it like a beer. Gets me energized before my show. Usually that, I usually have to go to the bathroom, and I usually get super quiet before I play too. Just gotta focus.
RMR: How did you get introduced to EDM in the first place?
Evalution: Probably my older brother, he’s a DJ too. He was into that stuff super young. I think it was also heavily around that like 2011-12 era with Avicii, and all that stuff blew up and it started to become more [a part of] regular life instead of this tiny, little niche thing. It came up on radios and stuff, and it was more mainstream. It was around that time that I started hearing it and getting accustomed to it.
RMR: Did you start in the genre you do now?
Evalution: Actually, no, I started making Future Bass music and then after about a year-and-a-half I made my first bass tune and I was like, “This is what I want to do.” It’s definitely more my style, and it’s easier to blend up more live instrumentation and stuff like that. I usually play live guitar, but… *raises up an arm wrapped in a cast*
RMR: What’s next for you?
Evalution: I’m playing in Michigan in December – super stoked about that one. I have a new EP coming out in early 2022.
RMR: Do you plan to get into NFTs at all?
Evalution: Actually, I need to, because I know I’m way behind.
RMR: What motivates you to keep making more music?
Evalution: Probably just finishing a song. I feel like every time I finish a song I’m so happy with the way it turns out after spending a couple days on it that I’m like, “Alright it’s time to start a new one.” It gives me that fresh, creative flow that allows me to take a new idea and run with it.
RMR: What would you describe the energy of EDC like?
Evalution: Literally, insane. That set literally felt so good. I’m still completely energized from it… can’t calm down now for the rest of the day. It was really good.
RMR: If you could be reincarnated into any animal, what would it be and why?
Into any animal? Ooo. Probably a tiger because tigers are f*** awesome.
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