Kaskade on Why His Historic Super Bowl Set Was a Different Kind of High: “In a Lot of Ways, It Felt Like Home”

As Kaskade's bass enveloped Las Vegas' largest stadium, so too did the collective realization that one of EDM's most beloved talents was actualizing something never before achievable—headlining the Super Bowl in real-time.

A longtime champion of electronic dance music culture, Kaskade has once again taken the genre to places it's never been. Thanks to yesterday's groundbreaking performance at the nation's quintessential sporting event, the Chicago-born hit-maker became the first in-game DJ in Super Bowl history. 

Kaskade has rocked stages at Coachella, Tomorrowland and virtually the rest of the world's biggest music festivals, but his latest gig was among the most surreal of his career, he says. He defied expectations at Super Bowl LVIII, proving that dance music can be the ultimate game-changer. And, well, Patrick Mahomes.

"Being the first in-game DJ to play the Super Bowl was surreal," Kaskade tells EDM.com. "In a lot of ways, it felt like home. I've played plenty of stadiums and had massive crowds around me but the fact that this reached millions of people at once was a first for me."

It was a whirlwind weekend for Kaskade, who received a last-minute offer to replace Tiësto after the Dutch dance music icon cancelled due to a family emergency. He ultimately found himself spinning from a luminous DJ booth in the stands of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, a city that has functioned as a seedbed of his music for over a decade.

"In a way I think all of the 'firsts' of my career have led to it," he continued. "I enjoy trying to kick doors down and sometimes they actually open. If nothing else, knowing that Taylor, Jay-Z, Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga all heard me play 'Escape' at the same time as my mom is probably a moment I'll never have again."

Led by Mahomes, who eventually nabbed his third Super Bowl MVP trophy, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 in a nail-biting overtime win to secure their second consecutive championship.