presented by
At this year’s ADE, we were joined by the fantastic English artist Malarkey in the BPM pop-up studio Amsterdam to talk about all things EDM.
A Cambridge DJ at heart, Malarkey first found his musical feet in Shoreditch where the techno scene was crying out for fresh, young talent. From there, he developed a style that was uniquely their own, bringing us the kind of dark techno beats we know and love. In recent years he’s released tracks on HEXAGON and Spinnin’ Records and had his music listened to by countless fans worldwide. With tracks now stretching up to #5 on the global dance charts, it’s clear for anyone to see that he’s beginning to hit his stride on the world stage.
With that in mind, one of the first questions we were eager to ask was just where the inspiration for that sound comes from and what helps him to get started on a new track. As it turns out, the answer isn’t so complicated – most inspiration comes from listening to other music. Whether it’s a sample you plan to use or just a split second of music, for Malarkey, listening to music is one of the best ways to spark new and original ideas of their own.
Of course, it isn’t all about producing, as any DJ worth their salt could tell you, and that’s why we were also eager to get some insight into how an artist like Malarkey prepares for his sets.
“You’ve gotta put yourself, first and foremost, in the crowd… I wouldn’t always like to go for the latest thing in my inbox. I like to go for things that are maybe a little subversive; maybe people haven’t even thought about that… As a DJ, you always want to play the songs people don’t know they want to hear.”
Great advice for aspiring artists, to be sure, but naturally, that got us wondering what the latest thing in Malarkey’s inbox is.
First up, he had a new song debuting during ADE. That track is called Fantasy, a beat-driven dance track that makes excellent use of sampling for a creative sound. Following that, he said he had more shows lined up for ADE, and he was having a great time “discovering [his] sound” and “trying to do something that no one else is doing at the moment” while remembering all the while to have fun with it.
To learn more about Malarkey, his time at ADE, and what drives him to create music, check out the full Nexus Radio ADE Interview below.
