Read the Karakter Interview below and share it on social media.
Please tell our readers who you are and what you do?
I go by the name of Karakter and I produce cinematic electronica + funky hip hop.
Main idea behind this project came from an idea that we all create our own characters. Thats what makes each and every one of us an artist. We constantly evolve through the re-imagination of the self. Last July I released my debut "Create Your Karakter" EP which tells the sonical stories of three characters I created from my personal world of daydreaming. I tried to create a conversation between eastern storytelling and western production styles using lush and ambient sounds blended to MPC sampling techniques.
I was actually doing a business degree in the UK two years ago where I posted some earlier demo versions of the EP songs and it got discovered by James Santer from BBC Introducing Radio Show around the time The Big Weekend came to Exeter along with BBC Academy. After "Grass" got the first big play I got more exposed to the other platforms and released by EP through the Istanbul / Amsterdam based label Plaktone Records.
First track “Grass” is a psychedelic electronica, taking inspiration and recorded samples from natural habitats. Second track “Chimp Up” is a funky old school beat, taking inspiration from 90’s hip hop and monkeys. Third track “Digital Self” is an experimentation of synths and drums, taking the EP to a darker colour.
How would you describe your influences and how have they changed over the years?
When I dig deep into what influenced me from the start, I would say Gorillaz. The visuals and conceptualization of all their songs shifted me from a cartoon watching kid towards the world of music at a young age. I remember always having friends that were older than me and they would know everything before I do. So a friend of mine loaded some top hip hop albums of the time like 50 Cents "Massacre" and Pharrell's "In my Mind" and I remember listening to them over and over again.
After certain periods of alternative music, legendary electronic names like Frederic Mercier, Flying Lotus, Kitaro really expanded my scope of what music can tell to the audience. But after all I want to push a certain boundary to flex the culture, Ive been highly inspired lately by Arca, Dedekin Cut and Avalon Emerson.
What´s new right now?
This year I moved to Valencia, Spain to do a Masters in Berklee on music technology and innovation where Im learning about all the possibilities of electronic arts. Everything is leading up to this big final project where I'll be building an Audio/Visual live show with interactive technology, original videos all performed live. I'll actually be VJ'ing on stage in sync with the music.
I imagine it to be a like a journey instead of classic live shows where the song ends and there is an applause between every track. Im also trying to avoid standing behind a table, because it reminds me of a 9-5 job. These songs are personal and I really want the connection to be personal too. I performed the live set couple of times in Spain so you can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_krNh_lCIk&t=2s
After all the performance mindset is really shifting my approach to production. Ideas are shaping for an album that involves more characters and Im finding the inspiration from human psychology. Im willing to take my time before that mindset arrives. Also, really looking forward to understand, produce and elevate other artists and their perceptions towards the arts so that I can reflect the learning experience into the Karakter project.
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Are you a superfan of anyone? How did you become a superfan? Do you remember how you become a fan and what turned you into super fan? Have you ever thought about why you´re such a fan?
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What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
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How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
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Do you have good promotion tips for other musicians?
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Do you have insights on how to grow your audience on soundcloud that you want to share with our audience?
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What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
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How do you personally discover new music?
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Once you discovered new music, do you tell others about the new music/artist you discovered? If yes, how exactly?
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What is your number one tip to improve your music production or songwriting skills?
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What is your best tip for those who struggle with finishing their tracks?
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We meet again in one year. What has changed?
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http://www.soundcloud.com/karaktermusic
http://www.facebook.com/karaktermusic
http://www.instagram.com/karaktermusic
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Enter your questions to the artist in the facebook comment section below.
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