rickyleepotts Sits Down With Candyland

Growing up, I couldn’t wait to visit my grandma. Every time I would go over there, we would pull out Candy Land, a game made popular by Hasbro Gaming. They have dozens of games, but Candy Land is the one that I remember most. Imagine my surprise when I heard Candyland was not just a board game, but an electronic music duo. Candyland is Ethan Davis and Josie Martin, both Santa Barbara natives, and they have been producing beats since the spring of 2012.

Candyland ft. Lexi Forche – Bring The Rain (Original Mix)

These guys have had a lot of success in the few months they have been together. Their work has been at the top of the Electro House Top 100, the Dupstep Top 100, the Drum N Bass Top 100, and many more lists. When asked about all of this immediate success, they said, “It’s been great to see that people like what we are doing. It is an awesome feeling. We’ve been very lucky to receive this much support early on.” With as much success as they have seen, these two are extremely humble and are just excited to be producing for a living.

I was sad to learn that the game is not where the name came from. These two actually went through a few different names before deciding on Candyland. “We went by a different name for a few months, we stopped for a while and when we decided to start DJing again we decided that we were going to start making music as well. So we said we needed a new name to with the new group. We started shouting out names, Ethan yelled, “Candyland,” and it was my mom’s favorite so we went with that!”

Candyland in Hawaii

When Candyland invades Arizona tomorrow they will be performing at the Monarch Theatre. It seems to be a trend in dance music right now, having two members, but they don’t seem to feel crowded in the DJ booth. “We have a system that works.”

Producing With Multiple Labels

Candyland is having a lot of success, but they are gaining some traction working with several different record labels. They have a new single coming out on the new Kill Paris EP, they just released Bring The Rain on Spinnin’ Records, and they own Sweet Shop Records. “We own Sweet Shop Records, so we’re working on it all the time trying to grow our label. We will be releasing remixes and singles on that soon. Working with Spinnin’ is awesome. They are a great label. We will always work with other labels, but Sweet Shop is our baby.”

Kill Paris – Slap Me (Candyland Remix)

The new Kill Paris EP features several remixes, including a Candyland remix of Slap Me. I am always curious to hear how a remix comes to fruition. “He hit us up out of the blue on SoundCloud and from there we started chatting on Twitter. He asked us to do the remix and we couldn’t be more stoked to do that for him.” At the same time this EP is dropping, they are releasing Bring The Rain, a single on Spinnin’ Records.

“We had the track done for a while and were in the studio with Them Lost Boys finishing it up and Lexi just walked into the studio and we needed a singer so we just got her on it and she nailed it first take.” Besides being on tour, they are busy promoting these new releases.

Read More: KILL PARIS TO RELEASE ‘TO A NEW EARTH’ EP ON OWSLA

EDM is huge right now, and it is hard to ignore all of the great names coming from the United States [acts like Tritonal come to mind], but Candyland is the latest domestic sensation, and they haven’t even toured Europe yet. They are playing all over the place, but are looking for an excuse to head overseas. “I would love to go to Europe. I think that the more DJs/producers that come around the better that all the other DJs have to be. Standards need to be just a bit higher to continue having a successful career.”

Candyland is the “new kid on the block” and we are excited to have them coming to the Valley for UK Thursdays at the Monarch Theatre. After this show, look for more remixes from Candyland as they try to make a name for themselves in dance music. If you don’t remember the music, you will remember the hair! “I wake up and it’s poofy, not as good as but still looks like an afro. Then I brush it for 20 minutes, and pick it out for another 20 minutes. It hurts a lot, and sucks to maintain but I do it for the fans!”

Candyland headlines UK Thursdays tomorrow March 7 at Monarch Theatre with local support from Murk, Dirty Doses, and Savages.

Connect with Candyland
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/candylanddjs
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CandylandDJs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/CandylandDJs
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOfficialCandyland