Hey hey, welcome to Tanzgemeinschaft. Please introduce yourself.
Hey everyone, this is CODE ARK, I am a techno DJ & Producer. I started making music 9 or 10 years ago and throughout the years I’ve made several different genres under different aliases.
Two years ago I started this project with 2 main focuses. The first one is to have creative freedom within the techno sound, no matter the style, as long as it feels good, it’s enough for me. The second one goes with the aesthetic. I love the whole futuristic vibe. So, I’ve implemented this on the project by doing 3D animations with this kind of aesthetic or even playing around with holograms to bring this futuristic vibe to the table and making sure that it goes along with the music and my socials.
Connect with CODE ARK on Instagram | Spotify | Soundcloud
How would you describe your sound and style?
That’s a great question, I love playing around with different sounds, it can be melodic, hard, acid, or even orchestral lately. But something that I have noticed, is that no matter what style I go for, there’s always this dark undertone around the vibe of the track and together with the futuristic aesthetic it gives this sense of mystery and immersion.
What triggers the idea for you to begin a new project?
To be honest it’s always exciting. A lot of times I come to the studio with one simple idea. Maybe a drum pattern, maybe a chord progression, sometimes it can be just a random melody in my head that I think has some potential. I’ll start a new session on my DAW and let myself go.
There will be times when I spend weeks working on a track and there are also times when I can make a track from the ground up in 2-3 days. To be honest, those tend to be the ones that I enjoy the most.
Do you have a recent release to showcase? Tell us all about it and something about the process behind it.
Yes, I recently released an EP called “It’s A Rave” on Underground Records, it’s a 2 track EP. This EP was meant to have 2 more records, 1 of them was released a year ago on Booster Music called “Chromatic”, but the other 3 never felt entirely good. So, after a few months of testing and tweaking, I had this idea of combining the records just to see what I could possibly create.
I started playing around and ended up making a 10-minute track that had the potential to become 2 different records. That’s what I did in the end. I tested them a few more times to see what was missing and after some final changes, the EP was done. I contacted the guys of Underground and they immediately loved both tracks., I honestly am super happy and grateful to have released this EP with them. Everyone around the team is super nice and supportive. It just felt right from the start.
What other releases have you planned for this year that you can tell us about? Like when and on which label?
I have a release coming up on ARK-E-TYPE Records. There’s still no release date but it’s coming out this summer, for sure. I also have 2-3 more tracks coming later this year, but I can’t talk much about it at the moment. Hopefully, I can share something more about them soon on my socials.
When searching for a label, what is it that you are looking for? What do you expect from a record label?
The first thing that I always look for on a label has to be the sound. As someone who’s always doing different styles within techno, finding the right label to release your tracks is important. That way you can reach the right audience and even gain some new listeners or fans maybe.
What is one thing that would make your musical career more successful? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I’d say being able to travel and do shows. Maybe it’s a somewhat obvious answer, but since last year I’ve realized that a lot of countries around the world are actively listening to my music.
This year I’ve been able to do a few guest mixes for different radio shows around the world and the response has been pretty positive, so I think there’s a growing interest, it’s just a matter of being able to do it at some point.
In 5 years I see myself as a more established artist, hopefully playing some shows around the world, being able to work with some well-known artists and just connecting more with people and creating these cool, long-lasting memories because, in the end, that’s what I love about music and techno. The way you can connect with people is by the sounds and the general vibe on a room or a record.
Which characteristics of other artists do you find annoying? Which encourages you to move on?
I think whenever an artist feels like someone untouchable and better than anyone around them can be quite annoying. You’re meant to be here for the love of music and the connections that it can create. So why would you act like that? I think that’s the one thing that annoys me.
On the other hand, something that encourages me is creating something that connects with people and brings you joy, motivation and hope. Something you can feel and share with others and that can become a good lasting memory.
Who are your musical or audio heroes and why?
i_o without a doubt, not only do I love his music and the vision that he had. But he was also a key element when I started this project. His music helped me a lot during a rough time in my life, so he is without a doubt my biggest inspiration and musical hero.
And when it comes to your field, producing, are there any particular ideas or pioneers that you go back to frequently or who really influence your thinking about the work you do?
I don’t think there are any ideas in particular. I think it’s more about what some artists have been doing. i_o has to be one of my biggest references, but there are also artists like Anyma, Space 92 or T78 that I’d consider to have this sound that makes them stand out in the industry. And that for me, inspires me to create something different and true to myself, something where no matter how much I experiment, I can maintain this sound that could differentiate me from others.