In December, a tragic fire at the Ghost Ship, a DIY music venue and warehouse in Oakland, Calif., killed 36 people. It was the deadliest fire in more than a decade in the U.S. Shortly after, electronic-music artists held a show in Phoenix raising money for the Ghost Ship.
Music producer Michael Castenada, who goes by the name Terminal 11, organized the Ghost Ship Benefit Show. It brought together stalwarts of the local electronic and experimental scene, plus also newer artists.
Casteneda actually used to help foster the local scene by running monthly electronic and experimental music nights in Phoenix, events he was inspired to do by seeing the scene in other places, like even in Oakland. But he stopped doing them in 2009.
There’s a bit of a burgeoning scene right now, with collectives and labels like Thriller Scope Records, Castaneda’s Sunwarped Records, Ascetic House Records, Count Orlock putting on shows and bringing together different producers.
We talk to Castaneda about the scene, his goal in bringing together diverse genres, and even the new rise in cassette releases.