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For the better part of a decade, Arnej Šećerkadić has been an unfathomable creative force in the studio. Whether it is producing spine-tingling orchestral pieces or devilishly techy and intricate grooves, he continues to dominate progressive trance, having honed his own dark, signature sound. From producing the epic orchestral “Heroes of Newerth’ game soundtrack to churning out masterfully composed harmonies under his Arnej and 8 Wonders monikers, his work has proven to be a sonic treat for fans worldwide.

www.arnej.ca
www.musical-evolution.com

Introducing Arnej

Rachel Rixham: New website, new label, new music, new compilation it’s all go for Arnej at the moment isn’t it, how are you feeling? You certainly seem to be on a roll.

Arnej: In short? Sleep deprived! Haha! Things are coming together along nicely, and I am very pleased with the progress so far. I much prefer a slow yet steady growth period and I believe that it shows in the way things have been moving along so far.

Rachel: Before we dive in to your new compilation The Musical Evolution: The First Chapter, I’d like to get to grips with the real Arnej if I may, give us a brief intro in to your musical journey throughout the years, where did it start, what encouraged you to take a musical career path in the first place, did you have a firm idea of where you wanted to be in the future and have you managed to achieve those goals yet?

Arnej: Unlike a lot of people in the business, I didn’t start out as a fan of music. It may even shock people to read that I didn’t get into music until my teens. My journey into music was not a planned one. Everything originally began as an experiment. I was very fascinated by how music was done and being a very inquisitive person by nature, it was only a matter of time before I dove into it. Things have drastically changed since and I find myself now building a career out of something that started out as an experiment and now I don’t see myself doing anything else!

Rachel: As an upcoming artist what challenges can you remember being the most difficult and how did you combat those rough times, any top tips for the upcoming artists, what should they watch out for?

Arnej: The most difficult part of the journey is getting your music heard. You can be the world’s greatest musician, but if nobody ever hears it, how great are you really? There is a famous quote that says something to the effect of “the path to success is paved with failures”. Many people want immediate success, but that realization that this is an ongoing process has to be there, and that there will be plenty of mistakes and failures on the way to. This realization is key, be patient and practice your craft, success will follow.

Rachel: The music industry is a very competitive industry, an industry that makes it very hard for any artist to keep themselves in the limelight consistently, they need to tend to so much suchlike a constant supply of high quality releases, ongoing promotion, oh and did I mention they will need a reliable management behind them which shouldn’t be too difficult right? How should one organise themselves for this ever-growing industry, thankfully the WWW (world wide web) has significantly helped artists, however even that has its upsides and downsides. What steps do you feel they need to take first?

Arnej: The industry has grown immensely and success is right around the corner, but with that said it is almost even more difficult to attain because of the sheer over saturation of talent. The web has helped tremendously and has made the scene global, but now the level of competition is at its highest. The step, the foundation, the bottom line, of any artist’s career is of course the music. Without music there is nothing. Artists need to focus on making good quality music and that will almost in itself open many doors. The steps to take from then on depend on the individual and what opportunities are presented. I think many people get blind sided by the potential of fame and wealth to realize that all this is just icing on the cake. Sure, money is important, but as they say money comes and goes. This should be, first and foremost, a passion for the music. If you can get something more out of it in the end, by all means!

Quick Fire Questions

Rachel: Home-cooking or posh restaurant?
Arnej: Home, more specifically my girlfriend’s home :)
Rachel: Favourite tipple? (drink)
Arnej: Vodka as long as it’s accompanied by something sweet!
Rachel: If you could be anyone in the world for a day, who would you be?
Arnej: Chuck Norris, so I can go around roundhouse kicking people with no repercussions ;)
Rachel: Ever broken a bone? If so which and how?
Arnej: Despite my adventurous youth, I’ve never broken anything and I hope it stays that way!
Rachel: Something you wish you could change? (EG: legs, toes, ears)
Arnej: My diminishing hairline haha :)
Rachel: Naughtiest thing you have ever done?
Arnej: Now now, some secrets are best left untold ;)
Rachel: Worst nightmare?
Arnej: Freddy Krueger
Rachel: Happiest memory?
Arnej: It is so hard to pinpoint just one that stands above them all!

Grab your copy from the following stores!
iTunes / Beatport

Musical Evolution: The First Chapter (Released Sept 23rd)

Rachel: The Musical Evolution is a very interesting name tell us what the name means to you and where it came from?

Arnej: When I was working on the concept, I wanted to come up with a name that transcended genres, something that was not specific. #MusicalEvolution represents the next evolutionary step in music, which in my mind is electronic dance music. Music has evolved considerably over the years, not moreso than in the last couple of years where even the pop genre is now electronica-infused. To me this is a double edged sword, while it is popularizing the edm genre moreso than ever, it is also in a way watering it down. The idea behind the name is to capture the evolution as it happens, which is why the compilation while mostly trance, still has a variety of music on it.

Rachel: The First Chapter clearly signals the start of things to come, care to expand?

Arnej: This is the beginning, the first step of many. Needless to say, #MusicalEvolution will not be tied into being only a compilation, it is a concept that hopefully will branch out into other avenues.

Rachel: Moving along, I especially appreciated the creativity on the compilation cover not to mention the intricate details around the videos, ‘THE’ piano keys took me a few moments to recognize, but it was a nice little addition for sure. Who designed the artwork for you?

Arnej: Not many people probably know, but my first career path was graphic design, music came much later down the line. I’ve dabbled in every imaginable art medium over the years so with that came a fountain of design related knowledge. I actually designed everything myself, from the logo concept, YouTube videos to the website.

Rachel: The new compilation features a plethora of respectable vocalists and producers, how long did it take you to compile the tracklist from start to finish and more importantly how did you compile the tracklist? Did you have a theme, or storyline in mind or did you just go with the flow?

Arnej: It was a good month or so of sorting tracks to figure out a way to have some sort of a flow from start to finish. I am a big fan of “journey sets”, so that was one of the goals behind this compilation, to create a musical journey. The compilation starts very slow bpm, with moody progressive and then slowly builds up in pace and energy level, eventually finishing with higher tempo trance.

Rachel: In addition to the above question you have also made room for some new material which includes never-before-heard talents, which seemingly brings an element of mystery in to the compilation. Was that Intentional?

Arnej: My only interest was to feature some new and unheard of music, it is out of sheer coincidence that so many of the tracks came from producers whom haven’t had a release yet, so this will be a first for many on the compilation and I am glad to be a part of their journey as well!

Rachel: Which of those never-before-heard talents, would you recommend? and will your label Arnej Music perhaps be involved in any forthcoming releases from those artists in particular?

Arnej: There seems to be an influx of talent from Russia and the eastern European countries, maybe there’s something in the water? Haha :) Some names to look out for would be 1Touch, Emin K. & Ansarov and the guys behind “Behind The Sunset”.

Rachel: On Topic, Arnej Music seems to have opened it’s doors widely to new talent, what can we expect from the label in the coming months? and how would one get in touch in regards to sending demo’s?

Arnej: The doors have fully opened indeed. Much of the music featured on the compilation is actually future material coming out on the label. 13 of the 19 tracks are Arnej Music exclusives, which I am very ecstatic about! Best way to get your music to us would be to send a link to the track (zippyshare, yousendit, sendspace, etc) to demos@arnejmusic.com ;)

Rachel: Back to the compilation, The #MusicalEvolution unleashes a vast array of genres which seems to offer something for everyone, not to mention keeps the compilation interesting and vibrant throughout. However, it can be very tricky when delivering so many in to one compilation and yet you managed flawlessly, how did you find working the different genres in to the Musical Evolution, and did you come across any problems in the process?

Arnej: The most obvious challenge was the mixing itself. A big trend today is to mix everything in key, which results in a seamless transition from one track to another, but this becomes tricky when you are dealing with music that is diverse. Almost none of the tracks on CD were mixed in key, what I went with instead is trying to mix based on an evolving theme in the music, which I think turned out quite ok!

Rachel: I am going to put you on the spot now Arnej, sorry (kinda) name 5 tracks from the compilation that you feel most represent the overall sound, in addition give a brief description for each.

Arnej: I suspected it would come to this, but ok game on!

1. Grube & Hovespian vs Klauss Goulart – Territory (Celluloid Mix)
When I first heard this, I just had to have it! This to me represents everything that was good about progressive music back in the day. It has depth, production quality, class and not to mention that transcendent journey. Pure class!

2. Arnej – No Turning Back
This one is for the fans, the Arnej sound that they’ve grown to love. This was originally something I saved for my artist album, but I decided to include it on the compilation.

3. Emin K. and Ansarov – Adrenaline
I like to call this the “new progressive”, a smooth-easy-to-follow melody, along with a nasty beat, perfect for the dancefloors for trance and house Djs!

4. Arnej vs Orjan – The Music Makers
This one is meant to be played out, and played out loud. We created this as the festival season was coming to an end, and the idea is to bring that big festival sound into the clubs.

5. Behind The Sunset – Painting Heaven Together
This one is for the fans of uplifting trance, this is the kind of uplifting trance that I still love. Big epic theme, driving bassline, and beats to match!

Rachel: For a listener upon hearing your new compilation what do you hope to achieve?

Arnej: My one and only goal is that upon listening to the compilation, the listener feels like they’ve listened to a singular piece of music instead of a bunch of randomly mixed tracks. If they do, then I would have done my job well, or as Borat says, success! ;)

Rachel: And finally why should everyone rush out and buy your new compilation,  in addition where can we buy it?

Arnej: Putting me on the spot again, but ok here goes my best sales pitch! :)
You should buy this compilation because some of the music featured here you will not find anywhere else, period. Be part of the musical evolution, stand out from the rest!

http://www.facebook.com/arnejofficial
http://www.arnej.ca
http://twitter.com/#!/arnejsecerkadic
http://twitter.com/#!/arnejmusic
http://www.musical-evolution.com

Posted in: Featured, Interviews | Posted on September 21, 2011 by Rachel