CID Discusses Working With CeeLo Green and Kaskade in an iEDM Exclusive Interview

CID is New York in a nutshell. You want real? CID is all about real recognizing real.

He wouldn't want to have it any other way and neither should you.

His music will tug at your soul and make your feet groove to the sounds your heart has been waiting for. When talking about leaving a strong impression, CID does so without so much as a second thought. That comes from growing up in his old stomping ground.

In an exclusive interview with iEDM at Electric Zoo, CID detailed his humble beginnings before getting on the road to EDM superstardom.

"That's kind of a really intricate question, I guess," he grinned when asked about when he fell in love with making music.

"My dad had a catering hall in New York. I was always fascinated with the resident house DJ who played all of the parties," CID continued.

It was CID's intense fascination which made him want to learn how to DJ himself. "At around 9 years old, the house DJ would tell me, 'Press this button! Put that fader in to get to the next song.' That was the moment where I thought to myself, 'This is something that I really want to do,'" he said.

Eventually, the young DJ would join the family business. "When I got my first setup, I was around 11 or 12. My dad eventually started booking me for all of those parties," CID said with a big hearty laugh.

After getting his feet wet by giving his father a helping hand, CID began to fully immerse himself into the music scene. He told iEDM, "From there, I started really getting into house music. The early New York house scene, you know? It was a lot harder back then. I got into it with turntables. I purchased a bunch of vinyl."

Investing in his future proved to be a wise move. CID intently studied his idols to further his own career and achieve similar success. "I saw the guys who were especially big in New York. They were all known for their own music. That really sparked my own interest in production. I really, really started to focus on production," he firmly stated.

CID would soon discover that he wanted to use his natural talent to make his own name in the game. "One thing lead to another. About 4 years ago, things came full circle and I was releasing my own music again. I was really trying to push my own project. I kind of got lost doing a lot of production for other people. I started to DJ and I always knew that's where I wanted to end up again," he smiled.

The friendships CID made along the way proved that there were still good people in the music industry. Instead of holding young talent down, the big dogs gladly welcomed CID to the party.

"I went through this transition period where I got really lucky and I met certain people. One of those people was Kaskade," he nodded. An artist truly couldn't ask for a bigger endorsement.

"At first, it was working with Don Diablo and then after a couple of collaborations--that really did it. Kaskade really liked one of the collabs that I did with Don and he wanted to help me. He said, 'Keep sending me music.' We wound up doing 'Us.' He put together 'Automatic' which lead to him taking me out on the 'Automatic' tour. It's kind of been crazy ever since," CID stated. Both Don Diablo and Kaskade held the door open for the DJ to make his mark in the business. Not bad for a local New York guy who is living the dream.

"I was living in Little Neck, Queens. On the border between Queens and Nassau. Now I'm in Brooklyn. Currently, my favorite place in New York would be House of Yes. It's fun. It kind of takes it back."

There's a reason why CID likes to party down at House of Yes. "Limelight was before my time...But I heard the stories that everyone told me," he let out a slick grin. CID continued, "I feel like there is this new resurgence of Limelight in New York. Somebody has to experience that to really 'get it.'"

The cool air that blew across the media lounge at E-Zoo matched CID's personality. The hard work that he has been putting into the game was finally being recognized.

His boyhood dream while playing at his father's reception hall was paying off. What's cooler? His latest hit, "Believer," with megastar CeeLo Green is sweeping the airwaves with no slowing down. The electronic force has proven to be powerful with CID.

"To be honest, CeeLo was with Atlantic Records. I'm signed to Big Beat and it was a vocal that was sent to me. They didn't know what to do with it and I immediately knew when I heard it that it should be a soulful, house record. I did my thing with it," CID told iEDM.

CID's vision of the song made it an overnight hit. When discussing how he felt after putting it out there for the world, he said, "It has been amazing to see it finally come out--we just released the music video last week. I wanted to do something different with the video and that whole animation thing was really funny. Every time I look at it I just start laughing."

With a couple of more big festivals on the way to close out 2017, CID wants festival-goers to join him by spreading good vibes across the land. He exclaimed, "Have fun and enjoy yourself! I've been with friends who have been reserved and bothered when someone else is having a great time. You gotta let yourself be a part of what is happening around you. Just have a good time."

It's no secret that people who have the greatest time at festivals are always dressed in their best. When asked about the sickest outfit he has ever seen during one of his sets, CID laughed, "Damn...I don't even know. I've seen some crazy stuff. You gotta get back to me on that later."

Before departing to enjoy the rest of the festivities at Electric Zoo, CID wanted to show his fans some love and let them know to keep their ears open for new music.

"First of all, thank you to everyone who knows my name and helps get it out there. I'm just really excited about putting out more music. I have a new single that's coming out on Don Diablo's label, 'HEXAGON.' It's gonna drop in about a month. Be sure to check it out!"

You can follow CID on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Spotify. You can also check out more exclusive DJ interviews with your favorite artists HERE.

Banner photo provided by Shervin Lainez. Article photo provided by Eva Mueller.