“Pretty much from day one, it was just off to the races.” That’s how Linus Altman-Kurosaki, one third of genre-busting dance collective TELYKast described their formation back in 2014. Flash forward six years, countless sold-out shows coast to coast, 40 million streams, over 20 million video views and a signing to Astralwerks, and it’s clear that the trio – rounded out by Kyle Tonoli and Trevor Klaiman – were onto something when they first met and started writing together.
The three musicians’ differing musical backgrounds shouldn’t work well together, but somehow, they managed to find perfect harmony when they first started out and they haven’t looked back since. Linus, who was raised on hip-hop, R&B and classic rock and eventually ended up learning jazz guitar, perfectly compliments underground DJ Kyle and former metal guitarist Trevor, who rounded out the project. “I was like, ‘Damn, it would be cool to have someone to co-produce with that plays guitar, but does the flip side of what I do.’” Linus recalled when talking about TELYKast’s formation, “And then literally within a week, I met Trevor, and Trevor’s a really sick lead guitarist. And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah this could fuckin’ work.’”
Since then, TELYKast has not only defied all odds, but also defied genres with their wide range of influences, impressive live shows and incredible work ethic. The group, now backed by Astralwerks, operated independently for years, working hard to prove themselves in an oversaturated market. And it worked. “We wanted Astralwerks to be our home for a long time,” Linus expressed, “In terms of what we can do independently, especially for where we’re at, it’s kind of like we had – I don’t wanna say we hit a ceiling – but it definitely felt like we needed a big gun to come on to really be able to push it forward.”
“Up until this point we were really, I think it’s super cliche, but we were finding our sound,” Kyle added. And honestly, that’s the great thing about a group like TELYKast. With their wide range of sounds, nothing is off limits, giving the trio plenty of space to explore and experiment while cultivating their brand. What was just an idea a few years ago is now a cohesive collective, which admittedly makes the writing process a lot easier, as well.
“It has totally evolved into such a good ebb and flow kind of thing, where we immediately know where there’s a blank spot in the room to just kind of occupy,” Linus explained when reflecting on their growth over the past few years. “Since day one of being in the studio together, trying to figure out where three cooks in the kitchen fit to now, it’s completely seamless. There are no barriers.”
Trevor agreed, “We’ve worked together for so long at this point. In the beginning, there was obviously a lot of chemistry and I think we’ve always worked well together, but I think over time, we’ve just developed a method of writing and also just knowing our strengths and weaknesses and being able to use those to complement each other rather than have any ego or anything get in the way.”
That work ethic and natural chemistry comes across in TELYKast’s most recent releases, as well. It’s no coincidence that their latest single, “Daylight” has been their most successful yet, with millions of streams and notable influencers on TikTok catching onto the track organically. They’re not planning on stopping there, either. With the firepower of Astralwerks behind them and plenty of time right now to hone in on what exactly they want to accomplish moving forward, TELYKast are poised to take not just the dance scene by storm, but hopefully the pop world as well. “We’ve always really been about always trying to push the boundaries and not doing what everyone else is doing,” Trevor said.
Although the trio spent their formative years trying to find their lane and discover where they fit, now they’re set on creating music that can not only get radio play, but can also make for an exciting live set. The success that they’ve seen while finding themselves thus far would seem daunting or overwhelming for others, but it only fuels the trio’s fire, and they’re already looking forward to their next step.
“We really are onto something that we love and are super passionate about with the “Daylight” sound,” Kyle expressed when looking toward TELYKast’s future. “We just want to keep pushing that more as much as possible, but with all the live instrumentation.”
Linus shared the same sentiment, “I’ve seen a lot of things, and I kind of know when you’ve got a fish on the hook, and I feel like for the first time, maybe ever, this is gonna move in a really, really upward trend.”
So what’s next for TELYKast? Like many other artists right now, they’ve been using their time at home wisely, writing and producing new music, and even hopped on a successful Zoom writing session recently. Although the trio would love to be celebrating the success of “Daylight” with live performances, they’re taking every opportunity to continue growing and getting better while the live music scene is on an indefinite hold.
Six years in the making and with countless successes under their belts, TELYKast are poised to take over in 2020. It’s no surprise, either. With their combined influences and experiences, Linus, Kyle and Trevor perfectly balance each other out and have managed to find a niche in the music scene just for themselves. As Linus puts it, “We’ve got three minds that know how to work together.”
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