Kaskade a DJ/producer/remixer/artist, was born in 1972 in Chicago, Illinois. He later moved to Salt Lake City in 1992 to attend the University of Utah. During this time he owned and operated a local record store, Mechanized Records. In May 2000, Kaskade moved to San Francisco and began working as an A&R assistant for Om Records. Releasing his first single "What I Say" on the label in 2001. In 2006, he joined Ultra Records and left Om Records. He still resides in San Francisco where he continues to produce and spin electronic music.

Kaskade took his stage name from a nature book when he saw a picture of a waterfall and a co-worker agreed "cascade" was a good choice, but he then changed the spelling.