Heard Arkaik’s Cutting Edge EP yet? Out this week on Diffrent, it’s a four-track escapade of pure D&Beauty that paints the clearest picture of this exciting new artist to date. We checked in to see what his game his… And how it’s been changed over the years.
Arkaik… That’s just a clever way of saying you’re old school, right?
“Yeah maybe a little bit, yeah! The older style of drum & bass is what originally inspired me.”
How long have you been tinkering in the studio, then?
“I’ve been DJing for about 10 years. Since I was 15. So I was really into mixing and wanted to take that further so I started making tracks. Started on Garageband, then Logic… I’ve been at it for about four or so years now.”
The classic story! So… Diffrent, Dispatch… Cool labels to launch your career on! All part of a big plan?
“Not really! It just came together. I housemate knew the guys at Diffrent so hooked me up. They’ve supported me since my first release Stress Relief, which has been really cool. The Dispatch thing actually came about through a remix competition. Ant TC1 has been really supportive of my work. Then there’s a Proximity release coming too. Which is through Axon at Kane.FM. I made some tracks with him and Basher really likes them. It’s all just luck really!”
Some of it’s luck… But you’ve got to have some skills or no one would listen in the first place.
“True. You’ve got to put the hours in in the first place! Learn the ropes, put in the hours and you’ll get the results.”
That’s the ticket! You’re a designer too, right? Any parallels between what you do graphically and sonically?
“Yeah, there’s definitely crossover between the graphics and sounds. I like minimal and clean design and I guess that affects the way I approach my music which is very stripped back. Not thought too deeply about it, but I yes there is a strong parallel.”
Wicked. Let’s chat about the Cutting Edge release… It seems to be the broadest EP you’ve done so far.
“Yeah it’s definitely my most varied release. Lost is more of a liquid, rolling track which I’ve tried to make more fuller than anything I’ve done before. Cutting Edge is half time which is different to anything I’ve done before. Game Changer is more stripped back and future sounding. MCXL went to town on that one. He tapped me up on Soundcloud in 2011 saying he liked my tracks so we did Headskill together. Then we followed it up with Game Changer…”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsuwjbAw1Bk
Nice. So give me three game changers in the world of Arkaik…
“My Macbook Pro. That’s a game changer in a major way. I had a Powerbook before that, but my Macbook Pro definitely upped my game. My missus has been a massive changer too. She’s had a big impact on the music I make.”
Ah that’s nice. Would you make darker music if you were lonely?
“Haha! No, she’s into the darker stuff! She helps out with Therapy Sessions, London so she loves the darker stuff. But she’s been very influential on the feeling and vibe of my tracks.”
Sweet. Come on, give us a final game changer… Maybe something studio-ish?
“Erm…. I love using Ensemble. It’s a wicked piece of production software that makes elements constantly change and vary throughout. It’s a standard Logic plug-in. PSP Nitro is a game changer too, it puts a series of effects on a sound. It’s very interesting and changed my game in the studio. Yeah, that’s enough game changers from me for now, if that’s cool?”
Yup, you can’t be too greedy. Big ups!
Arkaik – Cutting Edge EP is out now on Diffrent
LISTEN AND DOWNLOAD