Cassie Crawford has always been drawn to music. Long before she was packing warehouses in Los Angeles under the name Casska, she was a kid in the Bay Area juggling instruments in the school band and playing in rock groups. But it wasn’t until she heard Deadmau5 for the first time that something clicked. Today, that curiosity has evolved into a fast-rising hard techno project that’s carving out space in the Los Angeles underground.
Crawford moved from Northern California to Los Angeles roughly five years ago, bringing with her a background in traditional musicianship and a growing interest in production. The shift toward creating music solo came out of practicality as much as inspiration. While playing in bands, she often found herself waiting for bandmates to learn their parts. Eventually, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
Learning to Produce
She began learning to produce live music in 2018, but by 2020, she had fully committed to electronic production. Classes, tutorials, and a lot of trial-and-error accelerated the process. Drum & bass was the first genre that really captured her attention. It was the genre she wanted to learn to produce first. It was also the genre that pushed her to expand her skillset. “I had to figure out how to perform this, so I learned how to DJ.”
The pandemic proved to be an unexpected turning point. While streaming regularly on Twitch, Casska experimented with different genres each night. Over time, one particular stream began to stand out. “Every time I would look forward to techno night the most.”
Most Casska tracks begin in Ableton, but her studio is far from entirely digital. She has multiple hardware synthesizers, and she often records them live when building out new ideas. Occasionally, her earlier musical training finds its way into the mix, she’s added guitar parts to some releases and has begun experimenting more with her own vocals as well. At this stage, she’s focused on refining the core of the project, “leaning more into what I’m good at and what I naturally want to create.”
Listeners new to her catalog should start with her latest release, “Svatba,” a track that combines psytrance and techno while also being built around a Bulgarian folksong. For something more melodic, she points to “Juniper.” Her growing catalog has already found homes on respected labels including Darksiderz’ Audiorotica and JSTJR’s Group Chat. Sometimes she feels like she needs to release songs on specific labels to be taken seriously, but she usually just takes things as they come and tries to find a home for a track once it is finished. She doesn’t know if she will ever make a track that could be released by Mau5trap, but that would be a fun full-circle moment for her.
Her inspirations remain wide-ranging. She points specifically to producer Imanu as someone who reshaped the way she thinks about composition because “his tracks are a journey within each song.” If given the chance, he would be her dream collaborator.
For producers just starting out, she reminds them that it is okay not to be perfect at producing right away. “Just be open to different ideas and lean into your own creativity. No matter how long you’ve been producing, you’re going to keep learning. There are so many tutorials on Youtube, I’m still learning all the time.” She also recommends, “When you finish a project, just let it be. You don’t have to keep working on it. Work on something new.”
Exploring New Places
Her music has taken her many places, playing across the U.S. and Europe and appearing at festivals like Escape and Wasteland. “Playing those big festivals was a huge milestone for me. Looking out and seeing a sea of people is really crazy.” She’s quick to point out that none of it happens alone. Casska credits her manager, Albert, and the Corson Agency for helping guide her project’s rapid growth.
Some of her favorite shows happen in unexpected places. Albuquerque, New Mexico, stands out as one of the most memorable places she’s played for so far. While hard dance and hard techno have traditionally thrived in Europe, Casska believes the United States is quickly catching up. “It’s growing, and there is no reason for people to overlook the scene in the US.” Looking ahead, she’d love to play Amsterdam Dance Event, any of Verknipt’s events, and, as she puts it, anywhere else that will have her. Touring, traveling, and meeting new people remain the most rewarding parts of the journey.
Beyond her solo project, Casska is also part of a techno duo with 2025 Rising Star Clawz called Generation Chaos. “While we both play hard techno, we both have such different styles. When we play together, it’s just really fun.”
Outside of creating music, her interests include playing video games, reading, and drawing. She also used to be a pretty serious dancer, but now she just does that for fun. Her favorite video games are League of Legends, The Last of Us, and Zelda. At home, she shares the space with her dog Samwise, named after the beloved character from Lord of the Rings.
As for what comes next, 2026 is shaping up to be a busy year; several new releases are already in the pipeline, including a remix for one of her close friends. “I’m looking forward to what the year is going to bring. Making more music, playing more shows, and meeting wonderful people.”
With the momentum Casska is building, it’s safe to say plenty of people will be meeting her soon enough. For the Arizona Moon Fvm, you can catch Casska performing in Phoenix on March 20th. Stay up to date with everything Casska has going on by using the links below.
