The Cataracs are about to flip the game upside down.
The Bay Area duo wields a wild sound that teeters between hip hop hysteria, electro elegance and pop flavor. For Cyrano [Niles] and Campa [David], boundaries don't exist, and absolutely anything goes. On "Like a G6" their hit collaboration with Far East Movement and Dev, there's a rap bounce, a danceable groove and a hook that's meant to be blasted loud. In addition to performing their own red hot tracks, The Cataracs have become a sought-after production duo. The Cataracs are no doubt going to be heard, seen and felt wherever they go.
For Cyrano, The Cataracs maintain a simple formula. "It's an everyday man's take on pop music," exclaims the producer and singer. "It's a dirtier, grittier approach from the perspective of kids who grew up in a hip hop community. We appreciate pop music and electronic music, and this is our take on it."
Their take can be heard loud and clear on "Like a G6." The song has become a favorite online, climbing up digital sales charts and establishing The Cataracs as a go-to production and performance team.
"We naturally wanted to blend a lot of genres for that song," says Campa. "No one can place us in a lane. When you work with us, you're going to a get song that encompasses numerous styles. We share vocal duties, and we're big fans of harmonizing. There's no one singer, rapper or poet. We have a bag full of tricks."
Their production talents have captivated a number of successful artists, who have approached them for songs. Cyrano credits their unique style as a big reason. He adds, "We like taking new sounds and tweaking them. We look for sounds that tickle my ear or Campa's ear. Then we have a slumber party where everyone tickles each other in the studio."
That sonic "tickling" began in 2004 while Cyrano and Campa were still enrolled in a Berkeley high school. The two started creating constantly, and they utilized MySpace—this was the good ole days—to release their song "Blueberry Afghani." Wild 94.9's DJ J. Espinosa took notice. He instantly fell in love with the song and started playing it on-air. The Cataracs began to generate a palpable buzz in their hometown, drawing countless people to their "Technohop Parties" and cultivating a diehard fan base.
"That was a huge milestone," Campa explains. "We had no label or management at the time. J. Espinosa just dug the track and played it all the time. It was surreal."
Their next single "Baby Baby" was Wild 94.9's number two requested song in 2008. At this point, the group had also become bona fide icons to throngs of teen girls in the Bay. Following up the success of "Baby Baby," The Cataracs composed the incendiary anthem, "Club Love" in 2009. The song caught the attention of Universal Republic Records who signed them that Spring.
Campa adds, "That song opened up a ton of doors for us. It linked us up with so many artists, and we shot a great video for it. People discover it all the time. That put us on the mainstream map and paved the way for 'Like a G6' and 'I Get dough'."
Bay area legend E-40 even popped up on the "Club Love" remix, while Glasses Malone did "I Get Doe" with The Cataracs, preserving that connection to the hip hop community. "Coming from the Bay, getting E-40 on a song was so big," says Campa. "He offered to get on the track! It's so special to me that we've connected with artists organically. We grew up on that kind of MC shit; that's why we have the alter egos!"
The Cataracs' sense of humor is just as sharp as their songwriting. Campa asks, "Who'd want to listen to you if you were serious all the time? It would suck. You just want to laugh sometimes. Berkeley is such a strange melting pot—it's how we developed our sense of humor."
That style and astute cleverness separate The Cataracs at the end of the day. "Our character comes through in the music," concludes Campa. "The artist's personality will translate into the authenticity of what he or she ends up creating. We want to be universal artists. We want our music to reach everybody. Cyrano and I have huge plans."
Welcome to phase one of those plans…— Rick Florino, July 2010
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