Photo courtesy of Matt Kaye, Easy Tiger.
DJ Casper is aiming to bring vinyl sound to a new St. Pete listening lounge, Easy Tiger.
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By Kailey Aiken
Justin “Casper” Layman, known to Tampa’s music scene as DJ Casper, is bringing his vinyl records to a brand new high-fidelity listening lounge.
Just three years ago, Casper helped open Water Street’s staple music club, Alter Ego. Now, he’s teaming up with Matt Kaye, hospitality entrepreneur, to bring a new concept to St. Pete’s EDGE District called Easy Tiger.
At Easy Tiger, no stone has been left unturned when it comes to detail around the guest experience. Music, sound, and ambience are at the center of this project.
“[The sound] is not an afterthought; it’s a part of the room, part of the design. It’s part of the whole essence of it,” Casper said.
Both Casper and Kaye have a long history of working in the bar and music industry. Casper led Crowbar’s thirteen-year run of Dirty ‘Ol Sundays in Ybor City up until 2024, which was a weekly event dedicated to DJs spinning funk, hip-hop, soul, disco, and reggae tunes. For Kaye, Easy Tiger marks his fourth venture in St. Pete. He owns and operates The Bends, Wild Child, and Slim Charmer as well.
At Easy Tiger, Casper said they’re ready to bring people something new. As a self-proclaimed audiophile, Casper said he’s most excited about the hi-fi audio system he and Kaye have put together. The crowd in St. Pete is different from the one he’s leaving at Alter Ego in Tampa, he said, and he’s hoping to experiment with more vinyl—if the crowd is ready for it.
“I’d like to showcase [vinyl] at first, really showcase beautiful music on a really amazing sound system,” Casper said. “But, we don’t know what’s going to happen until the doors open up. Every room is different. Every scene is different, and until people get in the building, we don’t know what the people are going to want.”
The system is built around Klipsch Heritage speakers and McIntosh amplification, allowing music to fill the room without overpowering conversation.
“We just want it to be a place with incredible sound, great cocktails, and great vibes,” Kaye said in an interview with St. Pete Rising.
While Spotify and Apple Music still run the show, vinyl is on the rise. In the United States, vinyl revenue surpassed $1 billion in 2025, according to the RIAA’s end-of-year report, and has seen steady growth over the last couple of years.
Whether vinyl can reclaim a place on today’s dance floor is still up in the air. But at Easy Tiger, Casper is giving it the space (and the sound system) to try.