Felix Cartal built his career on pushing the boundaries of preordained limits. As the music project of Taelor Deitcher, the Vancouver-based and JUNO-winning artist is perched on the intersection of indie and electronica, distilling the emotional details that contemporary producers often overlook. Though endorsed by Billboard as one of "13 Dance Artists Who Dominated the Year”, it’s Cartal’s history of dabbling in DIY punk bands that capitalizes on his talent as a lyricist, and elevates his production into the pop realm. Embracing the unapologetic vulnerability of songwriting, Cartal forges personal narratives and cinematic soundscapes from a genre that shies away from the heartfelt.
Although Cartal has no interest in being a vocalist, his ability to manipulate unlikely phrases into potent hooks leaves him oscillating between the dual role of writing lyrics for his songs while also producing their soundscapes. Cartal began weaving words in basement bands during his childhood, where he spent afternoons writing songs with friends. Stumbling upon Radiohead’s KID A signaled validation for the producer to fuse his singer-songwriter roots with an electronic palette, and matured into a novel approach to electronic dance production. These experiences paved the foundation for a producer who can not only cull an anthem from the quirky play on words that underlies a track like “The Life”, but also produce a radio hit from the simple idea of “Mine”.
The release of 2021's Expensive Sounds For Nice People came as a moment of clarity for the producer. Written over the course of 3 years, the album sees Cartal exercising his uncanny ability to amplify the intimacy of poignant lyrics with accessible melodies. It took a series of immersive studio sessions for Cartal to craft a record that brims with the sort of lush instrumentals that mark a milestone in a producer’s career.
With 3 songs certified Platinum in Canada (2018’s “Get What You Give”, 2019’s “Love Me”, and 2020’s “Mine”), it’s clear that unparalleled emotional depth doesn’t abandon the commercial viability that continues to propel Cartal into radio airplay—instead, it embraces the sincerity and optimism that underwrites self-reflection, and marks a coming of age for the sonic identity of Felix Cartal. And the mounting success hasn’t hardened his humble and lighthearted nature. Even with over 350 million streams on Spotify, it’s still a surreal surprise for the Canadian artist to stumble upon his own music on the radio. Getting his start on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records, the producer has collaborated with industry heavyweights like Kaskade and R3hab, and pads his chameleonic discography with official remixes of Zedd, Selena Gomez, Galantis, Dillon Francis, and more. Citing international performances at festivals like Tomorrowland and EDC, Felix Cartal stands as one of Canada’s most dynamic exports, continuously evolving within a space that’s hinged on predictability.
