March 13, 2021 | Lucy O'Brien
Bringing the noise seems to be Kadena’s forte with their most recent song release. Yesterday, Joe Cadena, better known as Kadena, released their remix of Meduso’s wonderfully constructed track titled ‘Bring the Noise’ via Yugen’s remix album that also features a handful of other extremely talented underground bass music artists! Honing in on Kadena’s remix, I had the pleasure of speaking with them about their creative process during the making of the track, and it is so beautifully complex, raw, and intriguing.
Upon hearing the remix and discovering Kadena’s sound as a whole, I was immediately drawn to the captivating sounds and movements throughout their tracks. Joe has so much to say about their craft, and I find that adds so much to the weight of the tracks. They said, “This Yugen remix means a lot to me because it’s the first time I’ve ever remixed a friend’s track. I met Meduso’s girlfriend a few years back, and she introduced me because we both make music and thought we would make good friends, and she was so right! Fast-forwarding to today, it’s really special to me that we finally did a project together.”
Joe’s ‘Bring the Noise’ remix starts off with a more ominous, unsettling vibe than the original track. It has a disorienting, eerie feeling that slowly transforms into a drop that makes you completely stop in your tracks (at least for me).
It is a piece of ear candy that might scare you at first but in a good way. Towards the end of the track, it circles back to the same sound loop from the beginning, tying it all together seamlessly. Joe also adds that they’ve been trying to focus more on the quality of the initial signal or sound. They said, “I like to maintain that throughout the production process rather than purely trying to create ‘cool’ sounds. A ‘sound’ that is well designed and with quality has proven to stand out more to me than making a sound that is ‘different.’”
On a more personal level, Joe lets us know that this track is special because of the time in their life during the making of it. Joe said, “This was a pivotal turning moment for me in my production because, during quarantine, I’ve only focused on leveling up my sound design and songwriting. I’ve been busy in the studio finding ways to better illustrate my ideas in the daw, and for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m truly able to create the exact music I want to make.”
Joe has recently come out and would love to let us know that they are gender fluid. The name Kadena (his last name but with a K) means ‘with/to have rhythm. To add to that, they say, “I felt the female nature of Kadena makes me feel more comfortable in the ways I choose to express myself as an artist.”
Joe has so much to say about their creative process, and with or without their visionary input, their ‘Bring the Noise’ remix speaks for itself. The choice and placement of each individual sound make it feel so intentional and specific.
For the future, Joe has a track titled ‘Demon’ set to be released sometime in April on The Inaugural NYT Club Compilation.
If you haven’t yet heard the track, give it a listen here!
There is so much to know about what’s inside the mind of Kadena, so keep up with him here!
Lastly, be sure to check out Meduso’s entire album of ‘Bring the Noise’ remixes here!