Equate Meets Cadenza
"Once I discovered all the avenues that music could offer, I was totally hooked."
Oliver Rodigan (better know as Cadenza) is one of the UK’s most sought after & versatile producers at the moment. Son of the acclaimed radio DJ Dave Rodigan, Cadenza has music flowing through his bones, his deep history with dancehall & club music led to his own releases coming out on such labels as Mixpak, Fools Gold & Dummy, alongside touring as part of Major Lazer. In recent years with the likes of Loyle Carner, Stylo G, Busy Signal, Shenseea, Yxng Bane and Jorja Smith, with whom he recently returned the favour writing and producing her latest monster hit ‘Be Honest’ and the hugely popular track ‘Where Did I Go’.
Having produced tracks for the debut Rag N Bone Man album, AJ Tracey (Plan B), he is currently in the studio with the likes of MIA, Aminé, Sean Paul, Aitch, Zara Larsson and Ms Banks. Equate met him to talk about what we can expect this year.
EQ: How did you come up with your stage name, Cadenza, and is there a story behind it?
C: I came up with name from playing classical music at school. A cadenza is usually a really difficult solo passage that a violinist would play during a symphony and it allows them to demonstrate their skill level.
EQ: You’ve grown up surrounded by music, has this influenced your artistry in anyway?
C: Yeah, I definitely being around reggae and dancehall music at a young age informed the music I make today. There’s a lot of subtle references to those genres in the music I make and its also something I search for in another people’s music.
EQ:…and did you always know that music was what you wanted to do?
C: I played around with the idea of being a lawyer, but it just didn’t excite me. Once I discovered all the avenues that music could offer, I was totally hooked. Even if I had ended up being a manager or an A&R I think I would have been quite happy
EQ: You’ve worked with some notable names in the industry like MIA and Jorja Smith. Who are you most excited to collaborate with in future?
C: I’m working with an artist called BEAM currently. He is the most gifted vocalist/producer/engineer I have ever worked with and the sound he is creating is mind blowing. It’s a fusion of every genre that I naturally gravitate to so making music with him is just a really fun process. Look out for his debut album this year and check out his “95” project in the meantime.
EQ: Your EP ‘Dead Set’ is out now. What was your creative process on this like?
C: This project came together by actually taking the focus off of making music for myself. I was so zoned in on producing records for other artists that I ended up with a lot of music leftover which felt like a development of my sound. Working with Flohio and Killa P was natural as we had already connected before but I’m always about finding the next wave of talent of which Kasien is the leader fo the pack for sure.
EQ: And what does being able to give back to emerging musicians though your writing camps mean to you?
C: Putting together the writing camp was like a science experiment because there are so many variables that have to be right for the music to come together. Obviously, the location is key and Geejam is an amazing place to write music, but you also have to get the right balance of people. There were so many magical moments that happened between people that didn’t really know each other. Kasien linked up with Aminé and made one of the hardest songs of the camp! All I want to do is create environments where that kind of magic happens as if its normal.
EQ: With all that’s going on at the moment what are you doing to stay positive?
C: Don’t watch the news for too long and find something new to cook everyday.
EQ: What can your fans expect to see from you whilst everyone’s currently self-isolating?
C: I’ve made a little home work setup so I’m going to lock in and make music. I’m hoping to share the documentary we made about the Jamaica trip ASAP too.
EQ:…and what can we look forward to seeing from you for the rest of 2020. Any exclusives you can let us in on?
C: My full project “Dead Set” dropped this week. I’ve also been in the studio with M.I.A. for the past few months so hoping to drop from those sessions soon once this all blows over.
YouTube/CadenzaVEVO
Stream ‘Dead Set’ HERE
Keep up with Cadenza on socials:
Instagram: @Cadenza
Twitter: @Cadenza