PORTLAND, OR – When you mix an alternative rock and gothic electronica background, you get Cain MacWhittish’s industrial electronic sound that the artist says encompasses all of his influences and experimentation together through his single “Ouch.”  

“I usually tell people to listen to see what they come up with. Some kind of electronic music, that’s what I like to say. I generally try more to come from not a regular electronica background. I try to come more from indie and punk influences.” 

Cain MacWhittish – who also goes by Cain WTF – grew up playing in the community orchestra as well as in school bands. After enlisting in the military for a few years, he moved to NYC in the early ‘90s and played drums in punk bands. He would attend shows of bands such as Jesus Lizard and Girls Against Boys, followed by dancing at venues amidst the ‘90s gothic club scene. MacWhittish made his way to the west coast – living in San Francisco for a majority of his life, until moving to Los Angeles and assisting former Thriller co-engineer Steve Bates, working with artists such as Courtney Love and Eric Clapton, while continually making his own music. He now resides in Portland, OR. where he continues to create his eclectic sound.  

Cain’s music, which includes 148 releases on Bandcamp, comes from using various synth plug-ins through Ableton live, in a songwriting process that has a play by improvising. “Ouch” implements the artist’s industrial and goth electronic sound background. It’s the darkwave sound of his musical history, ebbing in and out of industrial and ambient sounding almost similar to Aphex Twin. MacWhittish describes “Ouch” as a big representation of his music. 

“I feel like ‘Ouch’ really represents the sound I’m trying to create. With all this experimentation, I kind of have an idea of where I wanna go in my head. So ‘Ouch’ is the best installation of that so far.” 

And while MacWhittish is a fan of house DJs, he prefers to make eclectic mixes that have gained listeners off of Mixcloud, reaching up to almost 13k plays. Since Covid, he has spent his time in downtown Portland’s Pioneer Square with a synthesizer set-up performing live sets and sets his interests on playing music festivals in the future, honing his DJ skills after attending Movement Music Festival in Detroit. 

“The year I went, I was like ‘I should just up my DJ game’ so if I ever by some miracle got invited to play festivals like this, I’d be comfortable saying yes.” 

You can listen too Cain MacWhittish single “Ouch” and more, below: 

http://Cain.WTF 

https://soundcloud.com/cainmac/ouch 

http://twitter.com/cain_wtf 

http://tinyurl.com/CainIbiza

Views: 41

Reply to This

Best guide to hip hop, soul, reggae concerts & events in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles & New York City + music, videos, radio and more

Subscribe to E-Blast

WIN TICKETS

Nas
Wednesday, Nov 5 @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, SF

Raekown & Mobb Deep
Saturday, Nov 15 @ UC Theatre, Berkeley

How the Grouch Stole Christmas
Friday, Dec 5 @ UC Theatre, Berkeley

Atmosphere
Friday, Feb 13 @ Fox Theater, Oakland

Connect

Members

Photos

  • Add Photos
  • View All

Latest Activity

Editor's Pick posted discussions
12 hours ago
Editor's Pick updated an event
Thumbnail

Elevation (1st Fridays) with Davey D (KPFA) at Golden Ratio, Oakland

January 2, 2026 at 9pm to October 3, 2026 at 1:45pm
FRIDAY, JAN 2 True Skool in association with Days Like This present ELEVATION (1st Fridays)Featuring:Davey D (KPFA)@ Golden Ratio, 1517 Franklin St., Oakland 21+ / Doors 9pm / FREE B4 10pmFree B4 11pm with RSVP: http://bit.ly/elevationfirstfridayABOUTELEVATION is a brand new party series! Curated by renowned DJ and crate-digger Renoir…See More
13 hours ago
Tampa Mystic posted blog posts
13 hours ago
Editor's Pick posted videos
yesterday
Editor's Pick updated an event
Thumbnail

THROWBACK featuring Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist at Hello Stranger Bar, Oakland

December 24, 2025 at 9pm to July 8, 2026 at 1:45am
WEDNESDAY DEC 24 THROWBACK (2nd & 4th Wednesdays)Experience the ultimate Throwback party! 🎵 DJ Audio1 spins all your fave jams from back in the day! 🕺 Featuring DJ Audio1at Hello Stranger Bar, 1724 Broadway, Oakland. Doors 8pm. DJ Set starts at 9pm. No cover!RSVP: https://bit.ly/throwbackmusic…See More
yesterday
Editor's Pick posted discussions
Thursday
An event by Editor's Pick was featured
Thumbnail

Feel Good Fridays with Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist at Mad Oak Bar, Oakland

December 12, 2025 at 9pm to December 13, 2025 at 1am
Fri, Dec 12 Kick off your weekend at Feel Good Fridays! 🎧 Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist brings the best Hip Hop, Top 40, House & Throwbacks. Come dance and feel the good vibes! 🙌🔥Mad Oak Bar, Oakland • FREE entry | 21+ | 9pm-1am>>…See More
Thursday
Editor's Pick posted an event
Thumbnail

Feel Good Fridays with Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist at Mad Oak Bar, Oakland

December 12, 2025 at 9pm to December 13, 2025 at 1am
Fri, Dec 12 Kick off your weekend at Feel Good Fridays! 🎧 Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist brings the best Hip Hop, Top 40, House & Throwbacks. Come dance and feel the good vibes! 🙌🔥Mad Oak Bar, Oakland • FREE entry | 21+ | 9pm-1am>>…See More
Thursday
Editor's Pick posted discussions
Tuesday
UrbanElite PR posted a blog post

New York rapper & producer duo Tone Chop & Frost Gamble drop new single "Beautiful Foundations"

New York State rapper & producer duo Tone Chop & Frost Gamble celebrate their three decades of working together with the release of the new album “Beautiful Foundations” on May 15th 2026 through New Dawn Records.From the early days of recording demos in their Binghamton basement to becoming one of the most prolific partnerships in recent years with a quite…See More
Tuesday
Artistpr posted a blog post

JTMsocial's "Mind On a Mission" Ignites Listeners with Motivational Hip Hop Anthem

Charlotte Artist JTMsocial's New Single Features Epic tha Dawn, Phylia Adam’s, 1Chedda & MoreCharlotte, NC - JTMsocial, also known as Jeffrey Travis Mcmillian, is making waves with his latest single, "Mind On a Mission," a powerful blend of hip hop, pop, and…See More
Tuesday
Editor's Pick posted discussions
Monday

© 2025   Created by Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service