Comeback Kid

Cliché as it may sound, there’s certainly some truth to the maxim: “Nothing worth having comes easy.” And in the world of electronic music, few know that aphorism better than David Lee Crow, better known by his stage name, Ghastly.

There are plenty of success stories about DJ/ producers keeping their noses to the grindstone and making significant sacrifices to get to where they are today. But, not many can say their journey starting on a goat farm in the Arizona desert, followed by a homeless stint living out of a van in Venice Beach, Calif.

But Ghastly can. Indeed, he overcame all these odds to become the globetrotting artist he is today, playing at the biggest festivals across the globe, including appearances at Electric Zoo in New York, EDC in Las Vegas, Lollapalooza in Chicago, and Parookaville in Weeze, Germany. Currently, he’s in the midst of a headlining tour across North America, supporting his debut album, The Mystifying Oracle. At 28 years old, he finally seems to be gaining a genuine payoff for his efforts.

Crow grew up on his family’s large Arizona farm in Buckeye, about 45 minutes west of downtown Phoenix – lots of goats, lots of cows, lots of physical labor. Concurrently, on the musical side, Crow was partial to hard rock, and he served as vocalist of a metal band called The Irish Front. Eventually, he discovered electronic music, fell in love with seminal acts like Aphex Twin, and dove headfirst into digital production platforms like Propellerhead Reason and Ableton Live.

Entirely self-taught, the budding producer made the decision to venture away from the family farm to pursue his career in electronic music. So, as soon as he felt confident enough in his music-making abilities, he packed his bags and headed to Los Angeles to seek his fortune.

Once there, he bounced from job to job, living out of his van, doing whatever he could to stay afloat in his attempt to gain notice in the music industry. However, at a certain point, Crow believed he had completely failed, as a handful of record-label opportunities fell through. Plus, his employment opportunities began to dry up. It was time to head back home.

Instead of calling it quits on his dream, howcomeback ever, Crow remained determined. So, he headed back to square one. And just what did that mean? It was back to the Arizona farm, with long days milking goats, making cheese and doing odd jobs – yet saving up for another journey back to Los Angeles. Of course, he did all this while using any spare time to hone his craft as a producer. In the end, of course, Ghastly would prove to be the ghost with the most.

By regrouping like this and dedicating himself to a second chance, Crow became completely detached from his social life and, in doing so, put forth monastic devotion to making music. Once he returned to the City of Angels, he had a whole new work ethic and level of drive. Ultimately, these newfound qualities allowed him to land a job as a promoter at local hotspot, Exchange LA – eventually, the club hired him as a resident DJ.

Back in the studio, Crow began pushing boundaries on more traditional electronic genres, creating hybrids, as he fused elements of house, trap and dubstep. By 2014, he made his first break, as his “Crank It” collaboration with Mija, a fellow Arizonan, was signed to Skrillex’s OWSLA imprint. It propelled him into the EDM spotlight.

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Ghastly would soon become a fan favorite, as he began to produce some of the scene’s most forwardhitting bass tracks. In addition to serving up scorching-hot collaborations with Brillz (2015’s “Hawt”), Getter (2016’s “666!”) and Jauz (2014’s “Miami Connection” and 2016’s “Ghosts n’ Sharks”), he dropped a number of high-octane originals (2016’s “Fuk Watchu Think” feat. Jameston Thievers and 2017’s “I’ll Wait” and “We Might Fall” feat. Matthew Koma). Then, this past May, he unveiled The Mystifying Oracle – a bass-heavy, beat-crushing orgy of disparate soundscapes and raw emotions. A 25-date headlining tour in support of the album would feature his own awe-inspiring Oracle Stage production with custom-designed, retro-horror film visuals. Right now, it seems as if the sky’s the limit for him.

We recently caught up with Ghastly, an America’s Best DJ nominee, following his packed show at Philadelphia’s District N9NE venue to discuss the production of his debut album and much more.

DJ Times: Not too many DJ/producers can say they were raised on a goat farm – you’ve come a long way. So, how were you first introduced to the world of electronic music?

Ghastly: To be honest, I think the first time I heard an electronic beat and knew that it was different from what I heard on the radio was the “Mortal Kombat” theme song. Then came a sliver of bouncy house music that was very pop-oriented like Vengaboys and Eiffel 65 – and, of course, the almighty “Sandstorm” by Darude. But what really caught my ear was when Aphex Twin and The Prodigy were prevalent on MTV. It was the most bizarre and unique sounds I’d ever heard before, and they were dark and eerie. They really resonated with me.

DJ Times: You really roughed it before your career began to take off. You were homeless, but you remained committed. What lesson did that teach you?

Ghastly: Darkness before dawn translates into nobody owes you shit – you have to earn everything in life.

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DJ Times: What was so appealing about bass music that you wanted to produce it yourself?

Ghastly: The same reason any musician wants to make music… there’s a calling inside of you that tells you that you need to do this. You don’t really have control over it. You, more or less, get to tell it where to go as it guides you through life.

DJ Times: DJing or production – which came first?

Ghastly: Production – I was always making music before I was DJing it. In fact, I had been producing music for about five years before I even touched a pair of CDJs.

DJ Times: How has the bass music scene, specifically, changed since you first emerged onto the scene?

Ghastly: It’s more diverse in literally every single way shape and form – from the musical composition to who is composing it. There are no boundaries in place anymore. Anything goes in today’s music industry.

DJ Times: You’re currently on the road as part of your tour, supporting The Mystifying Oracle album. But before you were headlining this nationwide tour, you were a resident DJ. How did that experience of your career mold you into the DJ that you are today?

Ghastly: I feel that starting from the ground up is a crucial part of growing as an artist. When you go straight to the top, a lot of people find themselves falling faster than the pace they grew, and you also miss out on the journey of getting there. I’ve gone through so many different evolutions in my life that could not have taken place without having started from the bottom, and I don’t think that I would have the creative capacity that I have now if I hadn’t gone through them.

DJ Times: Speaking of the tour, it features new Oracle Stage production. How did this stage design come together?

Ghastly: I was really stoned in Australia watching the moon rise out of the ocean one night and it tripped me out. I started thinking about weird ways that I could make a stage that could trip me out the way the moon did that night.

DJ Times: How does it feel to see your vision come full circle, giving fans that cinematic retro-horror experience?

Ghastly: It’s amazing, but to be honest with you, I’m really not 100-percent sure what the experience is like. I have to go off of what everyone else tells me because I can’t experience it from my position. I am merely orchestrating it. Don’t get me wrong… it’s an amazing experience to be at the helm, but I still wonder what it’s like to participate in the experience as a listener and viewer.

DJ Times: Your debut, full-length album, The Mystifying Oracle, is quite an effort, some really big sounds there. So, why an album now?

Ghastly: Because I was tired of releasing a single song at a time and wanted to make a full expression of what I’m about as an artist.

DJ Times: When it came to creating the album, did you feel there was any pressure to deliver, with it being your debut album?

Ghastly: Of course! There’s always a dash of pressure and, of course, there’s always going to be that dash of doubt. But no great piece of art ever came without a dash of worry on how it will be received. But it’s also an artist’s job to not give a fuck what anyone thinks and just create for themselves – and I think that’s when I really started to make my album as good as it became.

DJ Times: What was the process like in putting a 13-track album together?

Ghastly: The approach was always just… write what entertains me and let that resonate with everyone else. It was definitely a rush and a thrill-ride of very-high ups and very-down lows. All of the emotions I had experienced through the last yearand- a-half were conveyed throughout it. It was essentially me doing an “audiotistic” representation of what my life has been like for the last year.

DJ Times: What would you say is your favorite track of the album?

Ghastly: I don’t think I could ever name a favorite song off of the album, simply because of the fact that each song took on a unique time, course and drive to be created. They are all so special to me.

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DJ Times: Your album feature s t h e h i g h - o c t a n e c o l l a b o r a t i o n , “Lemme See U,” with Crankdat, who you did an unannounced backto- back set with at EDC Las Vegas. How did you two first connect?

Ghastly: Crankdat has been in the scene for a long time now and I had always been a fan of his work. Everything he’s done has been really high-quality, and it was merely a matter of time before we worked on a song together.

DJ Times: You seem as if you’re never one to shy away from a collaboration – you’ve had several. Why do you choose to go that route as a producer?

Ghastly: That’s actually quite far from the truth now. Lately, I’ve had to turn down dozens of collaborations. I used to do a lot of collaborations in the beginning because I wanted to put my name out there and have my name associated with a lot of the great artists that I always wanted to work with. But as of late, I’m pretty much just been making my own work, even though the album has four collaborations. That’s still nine original songs that were all me, and everything I’ve been working on lately is a solo project.

DJ Times: Is there anyone you hope to work with in the near future? Ghastly: Not particularly. If something good is going to come from a collaboration, it will happen naturally and organically.

DJ Times: Which DJ/producers are you really feeling now?

Ghastly: Nitti Gritti, DMVU, Kompany, and Space Laces.

DJ Times: Where do you find inspiration?

Ghastly: Memories.

DJ Times: When it comes to production, can you walk us through a studio session with Ghastly?

Ghastly: A Ghastly studio session? Fail, repeat, fail, repeat, fail, repeat, fail, repeat, get it right – cool! Fail, repeat, fail, repeat, get it right – dope!

DJ Times: What are some highlights of your studio arsenal?

Ghastly: Native Instruments’ MASSIVE [soft-synth plug-in], Xfer Records’ Serum [wavetable synth], iZotope Ozone, and Ableton Live 10 [DAW].

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DJ Times: How do you like to organize your workflow?

Ghastly: I don’t. I am the most scatterbrained individual you will ever meet. I can hardly keep track of my own feet.

DJ Times: It seems metal/dubstep hybrid tracks are becoming quite the fan-favorite throughout the bass community. What is your opinion on this fusion of genres? A long time coming?

Ghastly: Everything comes in phases and everything grows and falls in popularity. Nothing that is popular now will be popular next year, and what’s popular right now will have some type of growth in the next year. Mixing genres is crucial to discover new sounds and I’m glad that everything comes in phases and everything grows and falls in popularity. I’m glad that metal is more prevalent in bass music, but it has been for quite some time now – only difference is people aren’t afraid to scream with the song any more.

DJ Times: After a debut album release, then a successful headlining tour, what’s next for you?

Ghastly: Well, we are barely starting the second leg of the tour next week, but I’m also already writing a new EP and doing some remixes. I’m also filming some music videos – some short films – while also creating a new live-streaming show and continuing my YouTube episodes. I’m doing all this while trying to balance a healthy family and social life. I’m busy as fuck, but I couldn’t be happier.