Over the past 2 decades, the flourishing musician Pierre-Marie Maulini has evolved from a rock band member to now an unconventional electronica producer under the moniker Kasztan, where his sounds evoke an atmosphere of nostalgia, futuristic elements, and alt-rock nature. He delivered his debut EP “Rare Earth Elements” in September 2021 followed by his latest EPs “Celeste” and “Unbleach” this year with several thrilling collaborations coming our way.

The native French artist launched his first post-rock band A Red Season Shade with his brother as an early teenager before subsequently joining M83 for a few years in 2004. Since then, he’s signed a debut album under his STAL project with Arista/Sony Music in 2012, while also writing music for commercials, signing soundtracks for documentaries, and remixing several acclaimed artists. The former M83 band member describes his contemporary style as hybrid and a bit ingenuous, for he’s just a “post-rock / alt-pop guitar guy making electronic music” who’s still learning the ropes of the field and knows that it will stabilize over time. Compared to his earlier days in the rock industry when he used to travel around Europe in a worn-out van, he realizes now that he has to do so many jobs simultaneously. “In addition to being an artist, you have to be an entrepreneur, community manager, graphic designer, and producer. The biggest challenge is to try to not lose focus. Of course, making good pictures and growing a fanbase on your socials is important but not if you end up botching your work on the music side.” Overall, the brilliant character would love to see “less story-telling, fewer stats, less data, and more quality music” in the competitive scene.

During the midst of the past few chaotic years, Pierre-Marie discovered a few things about himself, such as that he “really needed to focus more on the present rather than always waiting for the future” and “always tries to use the struggles of life to move forward, which ends up working great for music too!” The optimistic persona also developed a newfound passion as he utilized some of his free time taking care of birds in his LA garden. For now, he hopes the future holds “more dance music, tiramisu, and pure excitement” by what he’s doing. Support the multifaceted artist now on Instagram and Beatport.