Earlier this year Argentinian Joaquin Caste released his debut single Return which showcased his undeniably unique vocal that manages to evoke so many emotions that feel like they’re coming from someone well beyond his years. It was an enthralling RnB song that uses a minimalistic production, comprised of a few calming beats and earnest piano keys, to highlight the poignant lyrics he’s written.
On March 29th Caste will be releasing his debut EP Repetitive Thoughts that takes you on an emotional journey with the solemn vocal of Caste being your guide. It’s our first taste of what this artist is capable of and he manages to hit out of the park with tracks like Hiding which is an emotionally enthralling masterpiece to say the least. Check out our interview til him below.
What was your journey to where you are now in the music scene?
Music was always present in my life. I started playing the piano and singing from a very young age. It was last year actually that a lot of amazing things and opportunities took place and the making of “Repetitive Thoughts” definitely was incredible. Regarding the EP, we first started recording and producing the last half of it and once that was finished, we continued with what now is the first half of the EP.
Is there any advice you would give to someone in the music industry who’s struggling to thrive in it right now?
I would definitely say that consistency is a key factor. If you consistently put out quality content that people might enjoy, more people will start noticing you
Your music is very mature and compliments your evocative vocal, can you share a bit about your creative process and what gets you to that point?
Music-wise, the creative process was very different in each of the songs, but usually it all starts with me sitting at the piano coming up with a melody and harmonising it with some chords. You never know how much it’ll take you to finish writing a song. Some songs might take days while others might be finished in one day. In “Repetitive Thoughts” the song that took me the longest time to write was “Hiding”, the last song of the EP, and I really like how it ended up being.
What would you say is your most memorable experience with music?
I don’t know if I could pick one. I’m basically always doing something related to music. Right now, looking not that far behind I could say it was an awesome feeling when the EP was finished, and when I finally listened to the full EP from start to finish. Another thing that touches my heart everyday is the feedback of the fans.
How do you imagine your fans listening to your EP? Is there any way you want them to take it all in?
I would like people to adapt each song to what they’re feeling at the moment and relate either to the lyrics or to the vibe of the song.
How did you decide the four tracks that would make it into your debut EP?
The thing that played an important role when deciding the songs for the EP was when they were written. All of these songs were written during the same time period. I didn’t want to add a song that was written either long before or after the others, so it could all have a bit of balance.
A bit of a Sophie’s Choice question here but what would you say is your favourite track on the EP and why?
I really like all of them, as I feel we kind of had a completely different approach when working on each the songs. All of the tracks are unique in their own way, not only the writing process but the recording and production processes as well! But I feel, if I had to chose one, it would be between Escape and Hiding. Hiding was really amazing to write and the production process was so awesome as well. And Escape was absolutely a turn, I love the lyrics in there, and we ended up aiming the production towards a different angle, which was really incredible to me.
What would be your ideal live show? Where’s the venue? How would you start and end the show? What would you do after? Who would you bring on to perform with you?
My ideal show would start with maybe my debut single “Return”, and it would end with me thanking the people for the support and for enjoying my music. I feel like it would be really cool to play at a music festival right now, as I’ve never done that before.
Who are the artists on your radar? Who’re you counting in?
I’m not listening to a lot of indie acts right now as I was immersed in the making of the EP, but if we talk about artists that I do admire the list would definitely start with James Blake and Tom Misch.