Gary McCann, known professionally as Caspa (born 30 May 1982), is a
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...
music producer
A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
from
West London
West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary.
The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...
.
Biography
McCann's creative involvement in music began after a promising
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
career was cut short by a shoulder injury. Growing up, McCann cites Jungle and Hip Hop as his main influences.
He received his first public attention when, his first track, ''Bassbins'' recorded under the pseudonym ''Quiet Storm'', was picked up by
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts Black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been ...
's DJ Da Flex.
McCann has started his own label, which focuses on
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken ...
and
grime artists. ''Storming Productions'' was founded in 2004 and then he joined ''Stingray Records'' in 2006. Around this time, he also began his own radio show on
Rinse FM
Rinse FM is a London-based community radio station, licensed for "young people living and/or working within the central, east and south London areas". It plays garage, grime, dubstep, house, jungle, UK funky and other dance music genres po ...
.
["Caspa"](_blank)
''Relentlessbeats.com'', Phoenix, 1 December 2013. Retrieved on 5 November 2014. McCann also created an additional label ''Dub Police'' to focus specifically on Dubstep. ''Dub Police'' is composed of Rusko, L-Wiz, N-Type, The Others and more.
He has performed at a number of high-profile UK music festivals, including
Glastonbury
Glastonbury ( , ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury is less than across the River ...
and
Global Gathering and his release ''Back for the First Time'' has received widespread public attention, being playlisted on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
. He has also performed at many other notable festivals around the world such as Exit Festival in Serbia,
Stereosonic in Australia and
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
in the U.S. Despite his widespread success, McCann still finds time to perform every two months at the renowned Fabric in his hometown of London.
His debut album ''
Everybody's Talking, Nobody's Listening'' was released on 4 May 2009 on Caspa's own label Sub Soldiers/Fabric Records and included an appearance from legendary reggae figure Sir David 'Ram Jam' Rodigan.
In August 2012, it was announced that Caspa and various notable
electronic music
Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
producers would be featured on the
Halo 4
''Halo 4'' is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. ''Halo 4''s story follows a Human genetic enhancement, genetically enha ...
remix album.
"War" featuring
Keith Flint was used in the trailer for ''
Kick-Ass 2''.
In 2014, McCann moved to
Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, US. He cites Denver's music culture and friendly people as influential factors, although he is unsure whether the move will be permanent.
["Why Denver is a better place for an EDM star to live than L.A."](_blank)
''Westword
''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...
'', Denver, 20 March 2014. Retrieved on 5 November 2014.
Discography
Releases
*"For The Kids" / "Jeffery & Bungle" / "Cockney Flute" – Dub Police – 2006
*"Rubber Chicken" – Tempa – 2006
*"Cockney Violin" / "Dub Warz" – Dub Police – 2006
*"Acton Dread" / "Cockney Flute
( Rusko Remix)" – Rusko / Caspa – Dub Police – 2007
*"Ave It: Volume 1" – Sub Soldiers – 2007
*"Louder" / "Noise Disorganiser" – Pitch Black – 2007
*"Bread Get Bun" / "King George" – Aquatic Lab – 2007
*"Ohh R Ya – License to Thrill Part 1" – Dub Police – 2007
*"Ave It: Volume 2" – Sub Soldiers 2008
*"Floor Dem" / "My Pet Monster" – Digital Sound Boy – 2008
*"Soulful Geeza – License To Thrill Part 4" – Dub Police – 2008
*"Louder VIP" / "Power Shower" – Sub Soldiers – 2009
*"The Takeover
(featuring Dynamite MC)" / "Marmite" – Sub Soldiers / Fabric 2009
*''
Everybody's Talking, Nobody's Listening'' – Sub Soldiers / Fabric – 2009
*"Are You Ready" – Dub Police / Scion AV – 2010
*"I Beat My Robot" / "Marmite
(Original Sin Remix)" – Sub Soldiers / Fabric – 2010
*"Terminator
(Trolley Snatcha Remix)" / "Marmite
( Doctor P Remix)" – Sub Soldiers – 2010
*"
Love Never Dies (Back for the First Time)" – Sub Soldiers – 2010
(with Mr Hudson
Benjamin Hudson McIldowie (born 26 June 1979), better known by his stage name Mr Hudson, is an English singer, songwriter, and record producer from Birmingham, England. He formed the band Mr Hudson and the Library in 2006, for which he served ...
)
*"Neck Snappah" – Sub Soldiers – 2011
*"Fulham To Waterloo" / "Bang Bang" – Sub Soldiers – 2011
*"Not for the Playlist EP" – Sub Soldiers – 2011
*"Sell Out EP" – Sub Soldiers – 2012
*"War"
(featuring Keith Flint) – EMI UK – 2012
*"Check Your Self!" – Released via SoundCloud – 2012
*"On It"
(featuring Mighty High Coup) – Dub Police – 2012
*''Alpha Omega'' – Dub Police – 2013
*"Mad Man"
(featuring Riko) – Dub Police – 2014
*"Neurological" – Submerged Music – 2018
Remixes
*DJ Kudos – "Bring The Lights Down (Caspa Mix)" – Sound Proof Records – 2006
*
Art of Noise
Art of Noise (also the Art of Noise) were a British avant-garde synth-rock group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and ...
– "Moments in Love (Caspa Remix)" – Not on Label – 2007
*N-Type / The Others – "Way of the Dub (Caspa Remix) / Bushido (Caspa Remix)" – Dub Police – 2007
*Matty G – "West Coast Rocks (Caspa Remix)" – Argon – 2007
*Wonder – "What (Caspa Remix)" – Wonderland – 2008
*
Lennie De Ice – "
We Are I.E. (Caspa & Rusko Remix)" – Y4K – 2008
*
TC – "Wheres My Money (Caspa Remix)" – D-Style Recordings – 2008
*
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
– "
Wrong
A wrong or wrength (from Old English – 'crooked') is an act that is illegal or immoral. Legal wrongs are usually quite clearly defined in the law of a state or jurisdiction. They can be divided into civil wrongs and crimes (or ''criminal of ...
(Caspa Remix)"- EMI – 2009
*
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as deadmau5 (pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and disc jockey, DJ. His musical style mostly includes progressive house and electro house music, ...
&
Kaskade
Ryan Gary Raddon (born February 25, 1971), better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, music producer and remixer. ''DJ Times'' voted Kaskade as "America's Best DJ" in 2011 and 2013. ''DJ Magazine, DJ Mag'' named Kaskade fifty-fi ...
– "
I Remember (Caspa Remix)" – Mau5trap – 2009
*
Rusko – "Cockney Thug (Caspa Remix)" – Sub Soldiers – 2009
*Grand Puba – "Get it (Caspa's 80Eightie's Remix)" – Scion/AV – 2009
*
Kid Sister – "
Right Hand Hi (Caspa Remix)" – Asylum Records – 2009
*
Miike Snow
Miike Snow ( ) is a Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. The band consists of producing team Bloodshy & Avant and American singer Andrew Wyatt. The band is often represented by a silhouette image of a jackalope. In their career, the band has re ...
– "Black & Blue (Caspa Remix)" – Columbia – 2009
*
Breakage Feat. Newham Generals & David Rodigan – "Hard (Caspa & The Others – The Dub Police Takeover Remix)" – Digital Soundboy – 2009
*
Adam F & Horx feat.
Redman – "Shut The Lights Off (Caspa & Trolley Snatcha – The Dub Police Takeover Remix)" – Breakbeat Kaos – 2009
*
30 Seconds To Mars Feat.
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
– "
Hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
(Caspa Remix)" – Capitol – 2010
*
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
– "
How Low (Caspa Remix)" – Def Jam – 2010
*
Swedish House Mafia
Swedish House Mafia (SHM) are a Swedish house music, house Supergroup (music), supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 D ...
Feat.
Pharrell
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
– "
One
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
" (Your Name) (Caspa Remix) – Polydore – 2012
*
Katy B – "
Easy Please Me (Caspa Remix)" – Rinse – 2011
*
Buraka Som Sistema – "Hangover (BaBaBa) (Caspa Remix)" – Enchufada – 2011
*
Plan B – "
Ill Manors
''Ill Manors'' (stylised as ''ill Manors'') is a 2012 British crime drama film written, co-scored and directed by Ben Drew AKA musician Plan B. The film revolves around the lives of eight main characters, played by Riz Ahmed, Ed Skrein, Ke ...
(Caspa Remix)" – Atlantic – 2012
*
Neil Davidge – "Ascendancy (
Halo 4 OST) (Caspa Remix)" – 7 Hz Productions – 2012
*
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as deadmau5 (pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and disc jockey, DJ. His musical style mostly includes progressive house and electro house music, ...
– "FML (Caspa Re-Fix)" – Released via SoundCloud – 2012
*
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured
Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...
- "
The Day Is My Enemy" (Caspa Remix) - Take Me to the Hospital/Cooking Vinyl, Three Six Zero/Warner Bros - 2015
DJ mixes
*Caspa &
Rusko – ''
FabricLive.37'' –
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...
– 2007
*"My Style" – Dub Police – 2010
*Caspa – ''Mix 1.0'' – 2017
References
External links
Official website*
*
Caspa's SoundCloud
{{Authority control
Dubstep musicians
DJs from London
English record producers
Living people
1982 births
English electronic dance music DJs