Russian dubstep producer Leo Cap sat down with us to dive into the details of his four aliases, his latest album, the scene in Thailand, and more!
Russian producer Evgenii Khmel, best known to dubstep fans as Leo Cap, is an artist of many aliases. While he’s most known for the aforementioned dubstep project and his DNB project, Black Barrel, many fans don’t know he has two more.
Currently based in Thailand, fans in the US have been patiently waiting for a tour from Leo Cap in the States. While US listeners haven’t been as lucky, fans from across Europe, England, Australia, and New Zealand have been treated to performances from the rising star from dark clubs to the beach parties of Outlook Festival.
While he’s gained support from major labels like Artikal Music, Deep, Dark, and Dangerous, Navy Cut, Dispatch Recordings, and more, Leo Cap is also known for his many self-releases and huge vault of unreleased tunes. As his tracks continue to pop off in US artists’ sets everywhere, the talented producer is more than ready to bring his tunes across the pond.
We sat down with the producer to learn all about his slew of projects, his latest album, and more, so keep reading for the full conversation and stream the exclusive mix from Leo Cap on SoundCloud!
Stream EDMID Guest Mix 408 || Leo Cap on SoundCloud:
Hey Leo Cap, thanks so much for chatting with us! Let’s start off with a little bit of backstory as to where it all started for you with music. Who were some of your biggest inspirations early on, and what sparked your love for electronic music?
In the summers of 2003-2005, I was a little fucker listening to local electronic radio with house, pump, hardcore, trance, and drum and bass. It was the biggest influence, which later pushed me towards production.
Southeast Asia has an electronic music scene that seems to be growing each year. What are your thoughts on the current state of the electronic music community in Thailand and other countries in the region?
Honestly? [Laughs] I can’t say about all regions, only Thailand and mainly the Surat Thani area, but it sucks! After performing in England, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, this is simply disgusting. Here, they offer such fees that I am ashamed to play. It seems that wedding DJs earn more than the legends of the music genre. Perhaps I was too soft and kind, but every time I agreed to another party, deep inside, I remained disappointed. I do not want and will not deceive anyone. To put it mildly, I miss Europe. People don’t speak like that. From my personal experience and just my little opinion, it sucks!
You are known for your trademark leopard aesthetic. Can you explain the origin of it and what the leopard symbolizes to you?
Of course, massive! In 2020, my southern Russian brothers asked me to make some 140 beats because I’m quite a nice producer, and they saw I could definitely do something cool! After the first tune, ‘Desert Viper,’ which is the first official track from Leo Cap, I started to think about the name of my new project.
At this moment, on my desk, I see my leopard snapback, which was gifted to me around six years ago by my ex-wife when we were in Thailand. It’s funny that two years ago when I returned to Thailand again, this cap that had flown halfway around the globe with me, flew away from me on the Koh Phangan road while I was riding a bike. The leopard pattern symbolizes wildness, rage, and wisdom in my music.
While your Leo Cap name is the one dubstep fans know you by the most, you also have a DNB alias called Black Barrel. Do you have plans to play 140 “Leo Cap” and 174 “Black Barrel” live sets separately, or can fans expect to hear a little bit of everything in a Leo Cap set?
It doesn’t matter to me. I love both genres; they are both very dear to me. When DJing, I always proceed from the request of my audience. I never prepare for sets in advance. I consider this a lack of imagination and a block of improvisation. If they want to hear both genres, I can play two sets or one mixed, whatever they want! I just want to show them the magic and wake up their consciousness with my contrasting music as I usually do.
But rumor also has it that you’ve now started a THIRD alias! What is this one all about, and where can we hear it?
I actually have four aliases. Black Barrel (Drum and Bass), Leo Cap (Dubstep), Yougeen (Techno and 4×4), and Innerline (Electronic). The best example is the recent release of all of them, which is called ‘Phangan Tapes Vol.1’.
After years of working alongside the label, your debut full-length album recently dropped on Deep, Dark, and Dangerous. How long have you been working on “Underground Business,” and what is your creative process like when making music?
Such a story. This album took around three months, and I was trying to sign my music on Deep Medi. So, at first, all of these tracks were sent to Mala. I had been waiting for his answer because he liked some of these tracks. So I can say that he signed four tracks from this LP for Medi, but after much waiting, I think it was around three months, I had collected 11 amazing tracks, which were their own concept, perfectly suitable for a good long play. So, I decided to show these tracks to Tristan and Andre from DDD.
After the next few days, I received a response with full agreement to release a full-length album without any expectations or disputes. I got back to Mala and said that I would release with DDD instead, and you know what? I received his response immediately. This amused me. I don’t understand why I waited for three months, and I don’t know what other artists expect when ignored. Well, I think this is a very interesting story, worthy of real underground business.
You’re also known to have a massive collection of unreleased and rare tracks. Can you give newer fans insight into how they can further support and hear even more of your music through sites like Bandcamp and Patreon?
Yeah, during the pandemic, I started a Patreon page, where I do demo and production streams, tunes, sample packs, and just all that I can share, kind of like a musical education journal. There is a solid collection of exclusive tunes that everybody can get for just a one-dollar subscription. So far, I haven’t deleted anything since the beginning of this page as a thank you for the support. It is voluntary and does not oblige you to anything.
In 2021, I left the office where I worked in the IT sector of a network integrator based on Avaya solutions and was involved in auctions and tenders. Since then, I have been fully involved in music and am independent only thanks to the support of people. Each of them helped me realize my dream; thank you very much. I appreciate everyone, everyone, rays of love and kindness, bless ya my lovely mind aliens!
If you could play a back-to-back set with any artist from the US, who would it be and why?
If I could play b2b with any artist, I would politely turn them all down and take my girlfriend Eluidess on the microphone with me because she has a very beautiful voice and a talent for captivating the mind. There is a reason for this. I’m very hungry and narcissistic and tired of watching everyone play my tracks. With four years of anticipation, I want to play solo first, then I’ll stand with my Ternion Sound brothers, because of Jack, don’t ask me why if you know this guy! That’s all for now, I hope I will see you all soon, my lovely people!
