John Summit’s been selling out arenas like Madison Square Garden, and we had the opportunity to talk to him about his latest album ‘Comfort In Chaos,’ his relationship with Kaskade, closing out EDC 2024 with childhood idol, Green Velvet, being accepted by the house music scene in Chicago and more!
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00:00The only way to get people to not say your name is by doing nothing, is by saying nothing.
00:04Exactly.
00:05And I do not want to choose that route.
00:07Hi, I'm Jon Summit and you're watching Billboard News.
00:12We have a lot to talk about because you are a busy man.
00:15Tell me about closing out EDC and playing with Green Velvet
00:18and what that moment was like for you.
00:20That was like absolutely surreal.
00:21Like Green Velvet's been my childhood hero for, you know,
00:25ever since I started listening to house music.
00:26I mean he came out with Percolator like the year I was born.
00:301994, which is crazy.
00:31And then yeah, closing out EDC, which is like I feel like every DJ's dream.
00:36I think it was like 150,000 people in the crowd.
00:38So, which is weird.
00:39Like I thought I'd be nervous walking up.
00:41It's like so many that like you kind of like your mind came in process.
00:45And we just played it like a straight up Chicago house set.
00:48And then people liked it.
00:50So I'm happy.
00:51Did I catch you crying for a minute there at the end?
00:53I got a little emotional.
00:55Okay, well tell me what was going through your mind or like your emotions at that moment.
00:59Because that's a big deal.
01:00I mean, I closed out the festival with Go Back,
01:02which is my new single with Subfocus and Julia Church.
01:06You know, the writing behind it is, you know,
01:07when I hear that sound, I want to go back.
01:08I want to go back.
01:09And then closing out the festival with that kind of brought back all the memories of
01:13doing the festival the last four years.
01:15And yeah, it really hit.
01:17What is it like for you?
01:18I mean, and obviously this is not a new thing.
01:20But to be really, it seemed, welcomed into the Chicago lineage by artists
01:24like Green Velvet, by guys like Lee Foss.
01:26Do you feel like you're part of a, like a lineage there?
01:30It's crazy because those guys, like I looked up to my whole life,
01:34really, especially being into house music.
01:37I never even thought they would even know who I was or recognize me.
01:40And to not only like support me, but to play with me and then to make records with me,
01:44like single with Cascade, Resonate.
01:47That's just like, and then that connection is just crazy
01:50because he kind of has a very similar background and upbringing to me,
01:53but like 30 years prior.
01:55Sure, right, right.
01:56You're kind of following in his footsteps, so to speak.
01:59Well, I wanted to talk to you about that because it seems like you guys have
02:03maybe like a special or an in-depth relationship.
02:06Obviously, you remixed I Remember, you opened for K5 at the Coliseum,
02:10you played back to back with him at Hard Summer.
02:12Like, tell me about your relationship with Cascade and what you've learned from him.
02:16So I met him because he just released the record with Hegel, I call it Escape.
02:22And then I put it on my Instagram story, like just kept playing it on my Instagram.
02:27I'm like, I love this record, I love this record.
02:29And then he DMs me the next day.
02:30He's like, well, would you like to remix it?
02:32And that's the first time we actually got in contact with each other.
02:34And so I freaked out.
02:35I'm like, of course.
02:36And so that's actually how me and Halo met was through that remix.
02:40And then from there, you know, I did Where You Are with Halo and Sugar with Halo,
02:43which is like two of my favorite records of all time.
02:45Totally, and big songs.
02:47The fan reaction to them has been insane.
02:50So we connected in a very natural way because it wasn't just because of the Chicago background,
02:54it was through the music.
02:55And then once he found out and kind of knew my background and then we met in person,
03:00we're like, oh my god, we have so much in common.
03:03What have you picked up from him in terms of maybe production and also how to live this lifestyle?
03:09It's funny because I have a big party image and I like to party and stuff.
03:14And then Cascade is kind of the opposite, you know, because he's fully sober.
03:18It has helped that he's kind of been like a little bit of a mentor for me and stuff, too.
03:21You know, it's not a normal lifestyle.
03:24Yeah.
03:24We live.
03:25Yeah.
03:25So hearing from his experience and I think it's helped me out a lot because
03:30I did not expect to get so big so fast.
03:33Yeah.
03:33And it's a crazy world to navigate.
03:35So there's much to talk about there because it's not just in the past, what, three months?
03:40It's been EDC.
03:41It's been playing Coachella four times over the two weekends.
03:45You're headlining Madison Square Garden.
03:47You're releasing your debut album.
03:49You've got a zillion shows between now and then and beyond that.
03:52Yeah.
03:53How are you feeling?
03:54I got five hours of sleep last night, so I'm feeling pretty good right now.
03:58Is that a lot for you or a little or how does that compare?
04:00That's as much as I can get.
04:02But yeah, I'm feeling good.
04:03I mean, I love playing shows.
04:05That's where I get energy from.
04:07I'm actually like a pretty introverted person outside of my shows.
04:10So I think when I like to actually expend my energy is when I get on stage
04:15and that's when I kind of really feed off other people's energy.
04:18Sure.
04:18Outside of that, I'm pretty much in my room doing this.
04:23This is a live feed of him recharging as an introvert.
04:27That's so funny.
04:28Well, no, I mean, that's really interesting to me because you don't strike me or anyone
04:32maybe as an introvert unless people really know you.
04:34How do you balance that?
04:36And like, do you require a lot of alone time because of that?
04:39Well, yeah, pretty much.
04:41I mean, so like that's kind of the whole concept of my album, really,
04:44is because my album is called Comfort and Chaos,
04:46which is the chaos really is the John Summit that everyone knows and sees.
04:51Right.
04:51But then the comfort is the John Schuster, which is me in my bedroom making music,
04:56sort of being radio silent to everybody for like five days before I get back on the road.
05:02So it really is just all a balance.
05:05But yeah, it's like I feel like people only see the John Summit side
05:09and I kind of want to show the John Schuster side of things.
05:11I think that's super interesting because as you said,
05:13you've had this reputation as a party guy.
05:16Yeah.
05:17It seems like with this album, you're moving into a new phase, perhaps.
05:20Yeah, I mean, I feel like I'm kind of reaching that phase of my life, too,
05:24where like I do still love to party and I do like party on the weekends and stuff.
05:29I wanted to kind of show more of myself that's always been there,
05:32but I haven't really been really that vulnerable with my music and my art.
05:37So it's cool.
05:37It's really cool to show that side of me.
05:39You do have to take in accomplishments.
05:41If I walk off stage upset, then what's the fucking point in doing it?
05:44Here's a cheesy question, but what does the world not know about John Schuster?
05:51What does the world not know about John Schuster?
05:54Well, some of my fans know this, but I mean,
05:57on the weekdays, I just stay in and I just love to watch anime.
06:02All right.
06:03I kind of keep my John Schuster life a little bit hidden.
06:06And you had mentioned when you, I think you posted on Instagram
06:10that this is the most vulnerable thing that you've done, the most vulnerable body of work.
06:15So I'm curious about what that means to you and how it feels to now be putting it out.
06:20Well, because I kind of really just focused on the singles, you know, my whole career.
06:25I mean, my first release of 2017, they've all been singles or just like a two-track EP since.
06:29They're all kind of really dance floor focused.
06:32And so I have had some vulnerable pieces of music and stuff where,
06:35you know, I'm like nervous about to put out.
06:38But at the end of the day, I know they still work on a dance floor where
06:40on this album, there's a lot of tracks.
06:42I have this one track with Bambi called Palm of My Hands.
06:44And she's this like amazing vocalist from London.
06:46And it's kind of this like rainy day, liquid drum and bass vibe.
06:50It's not meant for dance floors at all.
06:52So you have to put yourself in a vulnerable state when making that kind of music
06:55because you don't see the easy dance floor response that everyone hands in the air.
06:59It's more something that's more introspective, listen.
07:02Right, right.
07:03And I imagine it's like, okay, if I'm not giving people the dance floor music that they know me for,
07:08are they going to like this other stuff that I'm now presenting?
07:11Exactly.
07:12Because I've never done anything like this before.
07:14But I've always, my whole career, my whole, ever since I started listening to music,
07:17you know, I just have so many influences that I've always wanted to pursue.
07:23And I think that I'm at that point in my life and the right point in time in my career
07:26where I think this is the time to put that kind of stuff out.
07:29Absolutely.
07:30I mean, do you feel like the last however many years since the pandemic
07:34or the moment that you really started rising, rising, rising,
07:37like, do you feel like you had to kind of go through that phase to get to this one?
07:41Like, did you learn through all of it to be able to make this album?
07:45Yeah, I mean, the whole kind of concept of the album is, you know,
07:49the comfort and chaos and duality of the highs and lows.
07:53And that has been my whole, like, life the last four years on tours is that,
07:58like, having the biggest high from being on stage
08:00and then going back to your hotel room all by yourself
08:02and having, like, you know, pretty bad lows time to time.
08:06And I haven't been able to reflect on that in my music at all
08:09because my music has all been meant for the high energy parts.
08:13Yeah, I'm not going to put something out,
08:15sad track or some introspective track.
08:17So it is cool to be able to actually represent that in my music.
08:21Tell me about the collaborators that, like,
08:22did you know that you wanted to work with Ven B and Of The Trees and Subfocus?
08:26Or are these people, did they naturally come in as you were there and making the music?
08:30I'm glad you brought up Of The Trees too,
08:32because he's an American producer as well.
08:34But then we got in contact with Clementine Douglas,
08:37who helped do the vocal for that.
08:39Her voice is so sick.
08:40This is so cool.
08:41It's, like, unbelievable.
08:42And the first one that I knew for sure how to make was,
08:46because the first single that is made on the album is Where You Are, which has been out.
08:51I knew that was always going to be on my first album,
08:59no matter what, because that's kind of, like, sonically set the tone.
09:02Sure.
09:02Because that's the first time I kind of did lean more in a vulnerable direction with music,
09:07where it is a super high energy drop, but you know how the song starts off,
09:10where it's like, do you dream alone?
09:11And the moon's very...
09:12Oh, it's very feelsy.
09:14Yeah, exactly.
09:15Exactly.
09:15It's like feelsy, then hands in the air kind of vibe.
09:18But so then we did Shiver together in London.
09:21And then also reached out to Elderbrook, who I've been a huge fan of.
09:24Yeah.
09:25And I've actually never worked with, like, a male vocalist like that before, too,
09:28and doing a big anthem.
09:29Julia Church, who I connected with.
09:32Venby, I was just a huge fan of and just, you know, hit up.
09:35I'm like, hey, like, your stuff is so cool.
09:37I don't know how this is going to work, but you want to do something?
09:39Yeah, I've got this slide house.
09:41Yeah.
09:41Come over.
09:43And then, yeah, so it all worked out pretty well.
09:46Yeah, I would say it did.
09:48Let's talk about the album cover, which is really interesting and kind of psychedelic.
09:52And I feel like you really have to look at it.
09:54You have to study it a bit to kind of get what's going on.
09:57Tell me about what the meaning in that is for you and how you connected with the artist.
10:01So I got connected with Marcus Alvaro.
10:04We've been, like, fans of each other for years, just following each other,
10:06like, on Twitter and Instagram and stuff.
10:08And not only his art, but his, like, messages, tweets he does, like,
10:12I just very much resonate with.
10:14He's, like, a very introspective person, very, like, mindful as well.
10:18Yeah.
10:19And then I think his art really represents that in a more psychedelic, abstract way.
10:24And it's, like, very heavy on symbolism and stuff, too, which I just, I love.
10:27Yeah.
10:27And so he kind of took this whole concept of this, you know, picture, you know,
10:31comfort and chaos, but put it into his vision and his style of art.
10:36So it's cool to be able to not just take my vision and put it into music,
10:40but then also into kind of more abstract art, everything,
10:44and just collaborating with, like, other, like, really cool upcoming talent.
10:49It's just so fun to me.
10:50Yeah, it's a really, it's a cool cover.
10:52Like, it's a resonant cover.
10:54And like I said, there's a lot to unpack in it.
11:01Take me to, like, some of the highest highs that you've had.
11:04The first one that really comes to mind, besides, like, Coachella, EDC,
11:07but was when I did Lollapalooza in 2022.
11:10And I opened with, like, the Chicago Bulls intro.
11:13Yes.
11:13And that's, like, where I fell in love with electronic music.
11:16I mean, it was literally in 2011 seeing Deadmau5 in the Porn Rain there.
11:21Like, I was like, okay.
11:23Because up to that point, I was, like, very much like an indie head,
11:26and super into, like, Radiohead and Animal Collective and stuff,
11:29and going to Pitchfork Festival.
11:31And then going to that, I was like, oh, like, electronic music is sick.
11:36Because it's not just the music, it's the production, it's the show,
11:38it's the community, it's everything together.
11:41And then 11 years later, I'm playing that festival.
11:44I have my whole family there, all my friends,
11:46everyone I went to college with in high school.
11:48And that was a big moment.
11:50What do your parents think?
11:52They love it.
11:53They're my biggest fans.
11:54Yeah.
11:55They're probably a little confused about everything going on.
11:58Shout out mom and dad.
12:00But they're incredibly supportive, along with my sister and her husband.
12:04This is also not easy, what you do.
12:06And, you know, it looks like a party all the time,
12:08and maybe people can have this perception that it's always fun.
12:11But as you mentioned, like, there are lows and there are challenges.
12:13Like, what are the hardest parts?
12:15The hardest part?
12:18Honestly, it's like, you know, I mean, I do like being by myself and stuff.
12:23But, you know, you kind of, like, especially someone that, like,
12:25was from Chicago, like, friends with the same people growing up,
12:28and everything, too.
12:29It's kind of like leaving that life and totally being on your own,
12:32and then being in a different city every night.
12:33And then having all these genuine connections with people you meet one night,
12:38and then never seeing them again afterwards.
12:40And now, like, I follow, like, 2,500 people on Instagram.
12:43And it's, like, so bad that, like, I don't even, probably don't even,
12:45wouldn't even recognize 2,000 of them in person.
12:49It's like, because every single night.
12:51So, I don't know.
12:52It's a, it's just such a chaotic lifestyle,
12:56which I guess that makes sense with the album thing, too.
12:58Yeah.
12:58That, that's definitely the hardest part.
13:00You move very quickly through the world.
13:01You connect with a lot of amazing people.
13:03You would like to see them and talk to them again,
13:04and you don't always get to do that.
13:06Exactly, exactly.
13:07That's, I think that's the kind of stage I'm at in my life, though, too,
13:10where I was doing, like, 220 shows a year,
13:12and now I'm doing, like, 70, which still sounds like a lot.
13:15Yeah.
13:16But, like, to me, that's, like, a healthy balance
13:18where I can still have an amazing night and, you know,
13:22and have those genuine connections, but still, I don't know,
13:25have a little time to yourself.
13:26Well, it sounds like you're figuring it out.
13:28Yes.
13:28You know, like, you're, you're learning what works,
13:30what doesn't work, and you're fine-tuning the machine.
13:32Yeah, exactly.
13:33I'm just, yeah, I guess everyone does that in life, right?
13:35I'm just doing that on a very public scale.
13:38Exactly.
13:38We're all doing it in private, for sure,
13:40but you get to do it in public for all of us.
13:41Baby Goo said to me,
13:43if people are saying my name, it means that I'm doing super well.
13:47Exactly.
13:47So go ahead and say my name.
13:48Literally.
13:49I was like, that's such a powerful way to think about it
13:51because then, like, nothing can kind of get at you.
13:53The only way to get people to not say your name is by doing nothing.
13:56It's by saying nothing.
13:57Exactly.
13:58And I do not want to choose that route.
14:00Right.
14:01Well, I mean, you are very vocal and charming and funny on social media,
14:06and that's a big part of your brand.
14:08Like, how much time do you have to invest in that?
14:10And then how do you kind of wean yourself off of it,
14:13maybe, to then focus on the music?
14:15So that is tough,
14:17because I was never even, like, a big social media guy until, like, 2020,
14:21when it was, like, all you could do was, like, sit on, like, your phone,
14:24be on Twitter and stuff.
14:25Yeah.
14:25It's just funny that it really caught on with people and stuff
14:29because I just was unapologetically posting everything.
14:32And I still do.
14:32Like, I still keep up.
14:33But if I really need to, like, get music done and finish an album,
14:38because I spent the last two weeks finishing it,
14:40doing all the mixing and mastering in L.A. here,
14:43that's when I just, like, throw my phone out the window
14:45and turn my internet off on my computer.
14:48Sorry.
14:49Turn the Wi-Fi off.
14:50So there are times when you have to turn it off and on.
14:53But I really do love social media when I'm on the road, though,
14:56because when I'm, like, by myself at the airport or wherever,
14:59it is a way to connect with fans and other people.
15:02There's a time and place for everything.
15:03Yeah, absolutely.
15:05I was talking to Subtronix, I guess, the week before last,
15:08and he was saying, you know,
15:10there are all these, like, apparent schisms in dance music,
15:12like fractures of, like, the bass scene hates the techno scene,
15:15or, like, you know, like, there seems to be...
15:18The snob, the snob, hate the other snob.
15:20Exactly.
15:20And he's like, you know, it's not actually like that.
15:23There's, like, so much love between all the genres.
15:25It just appears that way online.
15:27Like, what's your take on that?
15:29It's so funny because, you know, like,
15:31me and Subtronix, like, kind of, like, really broke the internet
15:34when we did our collab together,
15:36because we were, like, talking and, like, friends
15:38and huge fans of each other's music.
15:40But, like, the whole world didn't know that
15:41because we're so, like, separate in our own ways.
15:43We have our own crowds and our different, like...
15:46You know, it felt, like, very high school to us.
15:49The whatever, you know, this jock table and the whatever table,
15:52you know, which is just funny.
15:54And we were like, yeah, what if we just break all modes
15:56and do a show together?
15:58And then just show that, like, all this is, like, petty bullshit
16:01as long as you, like, like the music.
16:04And yeah, so...
16:04And then also as an artist, though,
16:07it was just a super fun challenge
16:09because I'm like, how do you mix a house track
16:11into a bass track back in and actually have it work?
16:15And the first time we did it was at Electric Forest
16:17at a Renegade and, like, we...
16:19I didn't even know it was on his USB.
16:20He didn't know it was on my USB.
16:22So it was kind of like we're, like, doing a little DJ battle.
16:25It's on, like, YouTube.
16:26Like, there are some transitions where I rarely mess up.
16:29But it was actually, like, so, I don't know,
16:32like, actually authentic and raw
16:35that, like, fans really, like, I don't know,
16:37gravitated towards it.
16:38Yeah.
16:39And I imagine you find, too,
16:40that, like, a lot of your fans are the same people.
16:42Yes, exactly.
16:42Like, everyone has common ground in some way or another.
16:46And at the end of the day, we all love electronic music
16:48and people in electronic music forget
16:50that this is still niche music.
16:52Like, we're not breaking the charts or anything.
16:54It's not pop music or anything.
16:56I mean, there are some tracks that, of course, are.
16:58But in, like, especially, like, the dubstep scene
17:01and everything, too, is that, like,
17:02we're all kind of on the same team here.
17:04Well, you bring up a really interesting point
17:06because, like, no one's bigger than you at the moment.
17:10But as you're saying, like, electronic music
17:12doesn't necessarily cross over the Hot 100
17:14like it used to or the Billboard 200.
17:16And, like, you don't necessarily have this mainstream crossover
17:20that maybe an artist like Avicii or Swedish House Mafia did.
17:23So electronic music is, like, niche.
17:26Yes.
17:26Despite the fact that it's also massive.
17:28Yeah.
17:29Like, how do you feel about that juxtaposition
17:33or dichotomy, I guess?
17:34It's weird because, like, people, like, don't know
17:37who I am and stuff outside of dance.
17:39And then they, like, ask me about my tour schedule
17:41and I'm like, oh, I just, like, have MSG
17:43that I just sold out.
17:44And they're like, what?
17:45They're like, like, the club or, like, the arena?
17:49And I'm like, yeah, the arena.
17:50And it just blows their mind because we do,
17:52you know, like, Illenium did, like, SoFi Stadium and stuff.
17:55You know, but you turn on the radio
17:57and once you go to, like, a dance station,
17:58you won't hear it.
17:59Right.
17:59Some people think that's, like, that means dance music
18:03has, like, kind of, like, dipped down since that era.
18:06My opinion that I'm a community-based person.
18:08Like, I love acts that have strong communities,
18:12like Grateful Dead and Phish.
18:12I used to be a big jam band guy.
18:14Yeah.
18:14And, like, you're not hearing Grateful Dead on the radio.
18:17Exactly.
18:17Which, but you go to a show and the community's all so loving
18:20and, like, everyone's so high energy.
18:22Not to say, you know, I wouldn't love to have a big hit or whatever,
18:25but, like, that has never been the goal with my music.
18:28And, you know, having tracks like Where You Are and Go Back
18:31and stuff that I've streamed really well is cool.
18:33But the intention, it's always been,
18:36I feel like dance music has always been fan-driven music,
18:39not, like, stat-driven music.
18:41Right.
18:42Yeah, absolutely.
18:43It's like, even if the numbers aren't necessarily there on streaming,
18:47the artist can sell, as you're saying,
18:48you can sell at Madison Square Garden,
18:49you can sell 100,000 tickets and, like, you're still very big.
18:53So, with respect to all that,
18:54what does success for the album look like for you?
18:57Success on not just the album, but music and art in general,
19:02is that we, I am, so this is my opinion,
19:05is that everything nowadays has an extremely short shelf life.
19:08Everyone has a short attention span.
19:10Like, having, like, a hit for, like, a day on TikTok means,
19:13like, would be nothing to me.
19:15I want music in, like, a body of work that people can not just
19:19listen to now, but, like, listen to, you know,
19:22five years from now, 10 years from now,
19:23maybe show their kids or whatever, because that's what I do.
19:25That's how, like, I still listen to the same albums I listened to from high school.
19:28Yeah.
19:28I mean, like, one of my favorite albums that, like, was inspiring for this album
19:32was, like, Jamie XX and Color.
19:33Listening to that, I'm like, that is something I want to do,
19:37not just make a, you know, a pop hit and then just forget.
19:42Sure, yeah, you want to make a classic.
19:44Yeah, yeah, and, um, which I think I kind of have with the singles I've done so far.
19:50I feel that with, like, Where You Are and Go Back and stuff.
19:52It's also still pretty new.
19:55I mean, I put out Where You Are like a year ago.
19:56But, um, yeah, that's like, I feel like that's every artist's dream, right?
20:00I appreciate it, truly.
20:02And it's nice talking to a fellow Midwesterner.
20:03Yes, the Midwest is the best, baby.