A few months ago we had the pleasure interviewing Insomniac Record’s very first signee when he came to play at Beta Nightclub. After previously seeing this young Russian artist play at Red Rocks and at Ultra Music Festival, we were eager to fire off a few choice questions before his set.
Check out what ARTY had to say about the scene in Russia, what signing with Insomniac meant to him, and home-cooked meals from his mom.
TMN: Hey Arty, thank you so much for taking some time to sit down with us today. First up let’s talk about your latest release, “Up All Night”. Talk to us about the process heading into this track, working with vocalist Angel Taylor.
ARTY: I was sitting in the studio with two songwriters (Toby Gad and Angel Taylor) and I had this idea for the track. It basically was some harmony and stuff. We did the vocals in one day and when I got back to my place, I just finished the track. It was completely different than what we were expecting. It was nice and trancy at first, and in the end it turned into something completely unique. I’m really excited about it.
TMN: This is also your first release on the newly launched Insomniac Records, which you’re also the first artist signed to that label. What does it mean to be on a label that’s backed by one of the biggest names in EDM?
Pasquale (Rotella) is like a superhero. He’s like a rock star. He’s super passionate, and it’s not a decision of signing the biggest names. I’ve had a lot of meetings with this guy and I’m confident he’ll be a big part of working on the album and what comes next.
TMN: You’re no stranger to playing huge venues and festivals though, including Coachella, Ultra, Tomorrowland, EDC, ect… We remember catching your set at Ultra back in 2013 and it was definitely one of our favorites. What are some of your favorite spots to play at?
ARTY: Thanks, man! That was a fun one. Well, right now we’re in Denver, and one of my favorite venues in Denver is Red Rocks. I had goosebumps the entire time through my set when I played there. It’s such a great venue.
What else?
TMN: Sorry to interrupt, but is this your first time playing at Beta?
ARTY: No, this is the second time. I played here a while ago…like three years ago.
TMN: There’s quite a line outside tonight!
ARTY: Good sign! It should be fun.
TMN: You broke into the scene at a pretty young age. It was 19 correct? Talk to us through the experience of DJs you admire starting to play your music in sets.
ARTY: That was awesome. The first guy to really play my songs was Armin Van Buuren, then Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, and Above and Beyond, of course. For a long time I was trying to knock on Anjunabeats door, and I finally was successful. I’m so happy we’ve had such a good relationship for the past three years.
The highlight of being supported was from my idol, Axwell. I released “Around the World” and Swedish House Mafia were playing it in their live sets around the world.
TMN: Were you in Russia when you started releasing music?
ARTY: Yep!
TMN: What was the scene like in Russia back then, as a young, up-and-coming artist?
ARTY: Nothing exciting or nothing big. It was kind of big five or six years ago, but there’s a lot of background things happening in Russia. It’s not easy to handle a big festival in Russia without any issues with certain people…it’s kind of tricky. It’s fucked up right now, but I hope it’s going to get better. We’re trying to do the best to bring the music that represent our country though.
TMN: Talk to us about your upbringing. Were you classically trained as a child to read and write music?
ARTY: I was a piano player.
TMN: Seems to be a common theme with producers that we’ve interviewed.
ARTY: Not really. Not that many people play actual piano. Some people play, but they’re not classically trained. If anything, you can always teach yourself to play piano and you don’t really need to be trained to make good music. Look at Axwell. He’s not classically trained, but he’s one of the best at creating melodies and harmonies.
TMN: We’re pleased to have you as our Resident Artist for July, which essentially is a month-long feature on you and your work. Do you pay much attention to Hype Machine and the blogosphere, or is that something you leave to your publicist?
ARTY: It’s awesome! My publicist pays attention to that kind of stuff. I never was that guy that was trying to get into everything, from music making, to marketing, to live shows. That’s why you have a team. People do one thing together and do great things.
TMN: So, simply put, you’ve always been into creating music?
ARTY: Yes.
TMN: Speaking of July, you have an album coming up. What exactly can people expect from that?
I decided for myself that you should give people a new experience. I mean, it’s not exciting for me because I want to have new experiences as an artist. That’s why I was in the studio for such a long time working with so many different people.
TMN: Now let’s move into some random questions. What’s one food item from Russia that you can’t get here, that you crave on the regular?
ARTY: All the food is the same. We have Mole in Los Angeles, who is run by Armenian guys. You have all kinds of Russian stuff there…even Russian brands.
TMN: What was your first job?
ARTY: I didn’t have time for that. I was always making music.
TMN: What was your favorite band when you were 13?
ARTY: Orbital.
TMN: If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?
ARTY: Last meal? Wow. That would have to be a meal from my mom. I don’t know what exactly, but definitely something from her.
TMN: The weirdest thing you’ve ever put on your rider?
ARTY: I’m not that crazy. Standard stuff.
TMN: Alright, what’s one thing that’s always on your rider, no matter what?
ARTY: (Laughs) water.
TMN: (Laughing) Aside from water?
ARTY: Cold vodka.
TMN: If your music were an animal, what would it be?
ARTY: Oh dude, I don’t know. I don’t want to be too selfish and say “lion”. Definitely a monkey. Something good. Wait, I don’t like that…I don’t like to compare my music to animals. (Laughing)
