CAIN Shares Insight on His Scottish Roots

Scottish artist CAIN swung by to chat about his roots, his thoughts on the local scene, and how growing up in the region influenced his signature sound.

CAIN is one of the latest UK artists to step out into the spotlight in a huge way. This Scottish artist isn’t your everyday DJ and producer; he’s also a bagpiper who pays homage to his roots with the elements he uses in his soundscapes. These inspirations will be prominently heard on his upcoming album, Lineage, which is due out June 18, and CAIN had some time before its release to dive deeper into his backstory.

Music and exploration had been part of CAIN’s life for years while growing up in the Scottish Highlands, which features glens that he described as having different characters and personalities. “Freely wandering the hills as a child really got my imagination going in a way that I completely rely on today when creating new music,” he shared. “I’m definitely someone who lives a lot in my own dreamlike world, which was inspired by growing up somewhere so beautiful. Also, the Celtic music traditions are very powerful and evocative.”

That Celtic music tradition runs deep, with its folk style akin to those from other ancient communities. To CAIN, the rawness of this form of music drew him in. “My favourite thing is to try to meld acoustic timbres with electronic sounds, but in unusual ways,” he said. “Trying to capture the beautiful timbres of ancient instruments whilst also taking advantage of the sound design possibilities that modern music production gives.”

This ancient-meets-modern approach finds harmony in the soundscapes that CAIN crafts. Recent singles like “Morrigan” and “The Highlands” pay homage to his Scottish roots with Celtic flute melodies, Scottish pipes, and folk-inspired vocals paired with contemporary percussion and melodic elements. More of this sonic exploration is anticipated to arrive with the release of Lineage later this month.

As CAIN continues to hone his craft, his experiences in Scotland have helped push him forward. While he admitted he hasn’t gotten out too much due to his focus on production, he noted that the local scene has continued to be strong. CAIN mentioned that shows are happening again at The Arches in Glasgow and that much of the energy in Scottish clubs has shifted to faster music.

“When I was a teenager, you’d generally hear gabber and stuff like that at raves in barns in the countryside, but everyone has been telling me that the happy hardcore kind of sound is really popular in Scottish clubs at the moment,” he shared. “I feel that Scots always have a lot of energy when they go out, so I can see why it is popular.”

Regarding what makes the local scene stand out as special, CAIN had nothing but praise for Scottish ravers. He feels the community has always been welcoming and supportive, and because of its small size, there’s a larger sense of community.

People in Scotland always seem to have so much energy when they go out. Scots are known for being really friendly and welcoming, and you can definitely feel that atmosphere in club nights. This means that the crowds are amazing to play to. Scottish people also tend to have a great sense of humour and don’t take themselves too seriously, so you see a lot of eccentric dancers and different characters, which really adds to the atmosphere.
CAIN

For those visiting Scotland, CAIN has some recommendations you should check out for a night on the town.

In Edinburgh, he recommends The Piper’s Rest to start the night before heading to Sandy Bell’s pub for a live folk session. “I’m a bagpiper, so I love hearing Celtic music whenever I can,” he said. “It’s a small pub, with an amazing atmosphere.” For dancing deeper into the night, The Bongo Club is the place to be.

CAIN shared that Glasgow has more nights focused on house and techno, telling us that he’d take everyone to Òran Mór for the atmosphere before choosing between The Berkley Suite, The Sub Club, and La Cheetah for some clubbing.

Meanwhile, Inverness, which is close to where his family’s house is in the mountains, offers plenty of fun as well. Live Celtic music at Hootananny’s and clubbing during a Hypnotic Groove night at The Tooth & Claw are musts when visiting. “Johnny Wilson and Andrea Mackintosh run those nights, and you honestly could not meet nicer people, and they have such a deep knowledge and passion for dance music,” CAIN said. “The crowds on their nights are always fantastic, too.”

As a final treat, CAIN shared an exclusive mix for our This Is Home series that showcases his unique twist on electronic music. Inside are tracks from his forthcoming album Lineage, along with curated tunes from artists who have influenced him. This includes James Holden for the raw, ancient beauty in his music, Blawan for the “incredible and unusual sounds” that are unique to him, Kelman Duran for his “powerfully rhythmic, dark, yet playful sound,” and DJ Plead, who CAIN feels produces and makes artistic decisions in a similar way to him.

All my mixes tend to have sounds from producers all around the world – I think that is because I get so excited discovering different musical flavours, and I always want to present as many as I can.
CAIN

Listen to this exclusive guest mix from CAIN, stay tuned for the release of Lineage, and follow his social media channels for more to come.