Candyland have only been producing since 2011 but the co-ed duo consisting of Ethan Davis and Josie Martin from Santa Barbara have known each other long before that. Josie spoke about how the two first met, “My first DJ gig was his [Ethan] 17th birthday party and we met from there and he started as my drummer for my DJing but then we formed a group and he began to DJ with me.” It wouldn’t be long before the two would start to mold their craft in what was soon to be Candyland. Ethan said in an interview, “Yeah she [Josie] got me into EDM. Eventually I started producing and Candyland was born.”
In early 2012, Ethan and Josie got to put their talents to the test. The two entered and won two Beatport remix contests that changed their lives. The first being the Bingo Players’ “Rattle” remix contest, and in the same year, the Skrillex and Damian Marley’s “Make It Bun Dem” remix contest. Josie gave some back story in a recent interview, “Well Ethan was super into ‘Rattle’ before there was even a contest and he just decided we needed to give it a shot. We REALLY wanted to win that one. [It] Was pretty exciting to win. We first thought that everyone and their cat would remix Skrillex, even the more known producers, so entering it would be pointless. We did anyway and just kinda hoped it would do well. Winning the contests have done a lot for our career’s so we are happy we did them.”
When the two released their debut album Bring the Rain on Spinnin’ Records earlier this year, it charted #3 on the Beatport’s overall Top 100 chart, #1 on the dubstep, electro house, drum and bass, and even glitch hop charts. Candyland continues to evolve with every original and every remix they’ve released. We’re not coming down when Candyland takes the stage at Sun City Music Festival. Grab your tickets today and secure your spot on the dance floor.
