DIM MAK RECORDS PRESENTS FELIX CARTAL!!!
FELIX CARTAL represents the new breed of artist emerging from grassroots music movements. The evolution of the Internet has provided the public with access to free music through blogs and file sharing services to free content meaning quality musicians have been able to leverage audience availability to amass large followings. Working from a small home-studio, Felix has managed to not only impress thousands of listeners but also fellow producers and DJs. Acts such as MSTRKRFT, Felix Da Housecat and Steve Aoki have consistently incorporated Felix’s music into their performances and sought him out as an opening act. Under the guidance of the Undocumented Management family, Felix has been given the opportunity to tour the world and grow as an artist. Once known solely for his aggressive and heavy style, he has evolved musically to utilize a greater breadth of musical genres and melodies. His upcoming full-length record on Dim Mak Records (www.dimmak.com) will highlight this musical growth—as noted by Felix, “everyone’s expecting me to 'bring back the banger' but I’d rather make a nice album to listen to rather than a collection of bangers.” However, his debut EP—“Skeleton”— promises to deliver the hard sound of his earlier work.
Beyond simply creating music, Felix Cartal has worked to form a substantive connection with his audience. Through his Internet blog and message board (www.felixcartal.com), Felix provides insights into his production strategies and equipment while giving fans up-to-date information on the progression of his career. Ultimately, this allows fans to feel like a part his music creation. It intimately connects the producer and consumer, creating strong anticipation for future releases and performances. This unique approach to fan interaction speaks to Felix’s broader strategy with his music—the combination of genres and ideas to create new areas for exploration. Simply put, “boundaries are ready to be pushed,” whether musically or otherwise.
Felix’s stylistic approach to music can be traced to his musical upbringing in Vancouver. Initially shaped by his parents love for The Beatles, Supertramp, and Steely Dan, Felix began to play bass in several rock bands. By fifteen, not only was Felix Cartal learning from high school studio engineers but he also began actively producing his own music. Playing bass and assisting the engineering process for his tracks created the foundation for his love of music production and provided valuable lessons on the process of creative works--“the two most important things I learned from being in those bands was that all songs follow a formula and that you can’t force creativity.” As the high school bands progressed toward harder genres, Felix was influenced by punk rock legends NOFX and new-age punk bands such as The Blood Brothers and Lightening Bolt. Given the strong electronic element in these bands, a logical progression to electronic artists James Holden and Alter Ego soon followed. However, it was the experimental blend of rock and electronica of Radiohead’s Kid A that marked a pivotal transformation for Felix Cartal, “I realized I could pull my punk rock upbringings and push this harder edge in a club into music I wanted to make for the dancefloor.”
With a home at Undocumented Management and Dim Mak Records, Felix Cartal has the base needed to expand his musical career to untold lengths. His debut EP SKELETON will be released on Dim Mak Records May 2009.
