We chat to Arnej about Fruityloops, an Offensive Twitter Account as well as the return of 8 Wonders!
Q:
So born in Bosnia, grew up in Canada, and now Admired by the world… tell us a bit about how you grew up, and how that eventually led to The Producer/DJ We know today?
A:
I grew up no differently than most kids did. I played outside a lot, got into trouble every so often and probably didn't spend enough time doing my homework! Most people may find it a surprise (or not) that my musical beginnings didn't happen till much later on. You'll often read about artists and it will say they grew up with music in the family, they've listened to so and so since early on and so forth. Such was not the case with me. I had no interest in music until my mid teens, back when Aqua were the latest and greatest group. Eventually I stumbled across some early electronica music mostly thanks to the advent of the internet.
I grew up no differently than most kids did. I played outside a lot, got into trouble every so often and probably didn't spend enough time doing my homework! Most people may find it a surprise (or not) that my musical beginnings didn't happen till much later on. You'll often read about artists and it will say they grew up with music in the family, they've listened to so and so since early on and so forth. Such was not the case with me. I had no interest in music until my mid teens, back when Aqua were the latest and greatest group. Eventually I stumbled across some early electronica music mostly thanks to the advent of the internet.
Q:
Give us a short description of what we mind find in a teenage Arnej’s bedroom?
A:
The truthful answer to that is not much. We migrated to Canada just before the war bled into the region we lived in. Most of my early to late teen days were spent as a poor immigrant. Often we'd improvise and make our own toys. When you are poor, your imagination is all you need!
Q:
I’ve recently discovered that to my shock Canada has quite a catch of big DJ’s and Producers including you off course, how does the Canadian scene compare to the Scene Worldwide for you?
A:
To be honest, I don't know much about the Canadian scene. The only two relevant names I can think of in my eyes would be Joel Zimmerman (Deadmau5) and Max Graham, besides them I think the talent is pretty slim pickings. The music as a whole is still growing here, as well as globally, so only good things can come as a result. Most people imagine Canada as this huge country and it is physically, but our population is less that of New York and Los Angeles combined, to put it in perspective. Only the people in the major cities of the country have any sort of exposure to the music, which leaves you at about 6 cities or so that you can play in Canada.
Q:
I recently Interviewed Lazy Rich, originally from the UK, but now living in Canada as well, he told me that he could live anywhere as long as he could make music… would you agree?
A:
I would definitely agree with that. You can write music anywhere with any decent computer these days, provided you also have access to the internet, that is key ;)
Q:
Who were your biggest influences musically growing up, and how does that compare to your current influences?
A:
As I was a late bloomer, musically I had no inspiration or people I looked up to. There are some early EDM producers who's work I grew to love and respect, some key names that stand out would be Man With No Name and Astral Projection, of the psy/goa genre fame. These days I appreciate the works of orchestral composers like Hans Zimmer and Newton Howard, that is some real music there.
Q:
Thanx to a string of major releases and Support from some of the world’s biggest DJ’s, most people know you as a Dance Music Producer, but what a lot of people might not know is that you create sound tracks and FX for Games… how did this come about?
A:
I've been involved in game development for almost 10 years now. Most people don't know that my beginnings were of that in the graphic design field rather than music. Sound design came shortly after, which initially began with me just fiddling around and creating sound modifications for games. Music was actually the very last step in my career. Being a naturally inquisitive person, I think this was just a natural step in trying to create something with a different art medium.
Q:
I heard somewhere that you’re quite a fan of Fruityloops, what are your views when it comes to purists that say Software can never do what Hardware does?
A:
Fruityloops was and is the staple in my productions. I've been using it since the very first version and I absolutely love it. Long gone are the days of software not being up to par with hardware and there is much less purist attitude towards software. Ask any top DJ/Producer what they compose their music with and I bet you 9/10 will say software, even with a super composer like Hans Zimmer has a dedicated farm of computers that he composes his orchestral pieces. I've always been a firm believer that you can make anything with anything as long as the passion and patience is there, and of course not being afraid to fail, which is the only way to success.
Q:
Is there a specific track that you never leave home without? Something that just works every time you play it?
A:
As arrogant as it may sound, any one of my own productions. Many fans who come out to see you perform at a show want to hear you play your own records, it's what they associate with you as a performer. Those tracks will always get the best crowd reaction.
Q:
What are your current top 3 tracks?
A:
My top 3 would be 1) Arnej - The Day Will Come 2) Sied van Riel & Radion 6 - Another Heater 3) Track 12 of the Inception Soundtrack :)
Q:
If there was anyone you could work with or do a remix for who would it be?
A:
Good question! I think Benno (of Rank 1 fame) and I could do some serious damage in the studio, but in all honesty I am a difficult person to collaborate with due to my perfectionist nature. I can totally see myself annoying the other person with my constant changing of everything, hell I even annoy myself sometimes ;)
Q:
Any embarrassing DJ stories?
A:
Probably the most embarrassing story was when I was playing at a club, the CDJ cables were suspended, oddly enough. I was mixing on the headphones, doing my thing as I finished mixing the next track and took the headphones off, much to my surprise there was no sound in the club! Apparently because the cables were suspended, the speaker cables got disconnected, leaving me to enjoy a good minute of music all to myself. I probably turned 10 different shades of red that night haha.
Q:
What would we be surprised to find out about Arnej?
A:
I do all my own art, including press photos!
Q:
If DJ’ing and producing hadn’t worked out for you the way it has, what would you be doing?
A:
I'd still be doing what I am doing now, which is game development. I am still not where I can be in the DJ game but as with anything, patience and hard work will get you there.
Q:
Best gig you’ve ever played?
A:
The best gig I've played was in Montreal in a small club called Living. It was a last minute gig, I was asked to replace Ashley Wallbridge because he couldn't make it due to volcanic ash. Easily one of the best nights for me. Intimate crowd atmosphere, amazing vibe and an surreal live performance of my track "Free Of You" with the talented Sally Saifi. She is a local Montreal girl and it was awesome to see a lot of her friends come out in support. Her performance was so flawless, that we ended up playing the song twice!
Q:
Worst gig you’ve ever played?
A:
Worst gig was oddly enough in Montreal as well. Not to anyone's fault, it was a beach party with terrible weather. Who wants to go to the beach when it rains right?
Q:
Who do you admire most in the Scene? And music in general for that matter?
A:
I admire anyone who is doing this because I know the passion and hard work it takes, but If I have to give out a big shout out to anyone it would be to my closest friends in the scene, Sied van Riel and Blake Jarrell, love those guys!
Q:
I’m a quite a big fan of your 8 wonders project, any chance of seeing something new there?
A:
Funny you should ask that as I am working on a new 8 Wonders EP as I type this!
Q:
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any exciting projects in the pipeline?
A:
Probably the most exciting bit of news at the moment would be my exclusive digital compilation on Armada. It features some of the best Arnej songs to date, in addition to 3 new ones. It is scheduled to come out September 24th, so look out for it!
Q:
Lastly... any parting words and where can people see you, and get hold of your music?
A:
I try to keep up with my social networking sites as much as I can, so you can check me out on twitter.com/arnejsecerkadic and facebook.com/arnejofficial. Be warned though, some of the things I tweet about may offend you, viewer discretion is advised! As for upcoming shows, I will be making an announcement soon regarding this, so again keep your ears peeled! You can grab most of my music on all relevant download portals, such as beatport and trackitdown. A few cool and exclusive updates are coming to youtube.com/arnejsecerkadic so make sure you subscribe to be the first to hear them! ;)
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