Introducing V3GARD, the music artist and composer who is captivating global listeners with his EDM creations. The artist has recently dropped a single titled ‘Penumbra’ that consists of a subtle layer of energy and creativity. Being a well-seasoned musical persona, he does not fail to captivate the listeners and this latest track is the best example for that. We thank the artist for sharing a few words with us.
DMR: Congratulations! How are you feeling about the release of ‘Penumbra’?
V3GARD: Thanks! I’m feeling happy really. It’s always a good feeling to release new tunes, but I’m particularly happy about this piece, I must admit!
DMR: Tell us something about making process and concept behind the track.
V3GARD: Normally my process entails numerous smaller sessions with a synth or piano, playing whatever feels natural and without much thought. Probably 90% or more of those sessions ends up with nothing, 10% ends up with somewhat a concept, and 3-4% of those I try to produce properly. If I love what I hear and find the right atmosphere, I get deeply involved and I normally produce the tune within a night or two. So once I find something I love, it can be a quick process really. Then some polishing that could take anything from a couple more days, to months.
Same thing happened with this tune really. But now I had a little extra motivational help from my soon 1 year old daughter. I was on paternity leave, and I noticed she enjoyed the EDM genre, playing some Armin van Buuren and Ferry Corsten – so we sat down a couple times and played (or she was hammering) on the synth, playing around with different sounds. I created a couple of the main melodies in this tune with her on my lap, and she sounded excited, clapping a bit even. So I took it as a sign, and got a huge boost of motivation to produce this tune. It ended up really solid and I’m super happy with the result!
DMR: Who helped you pursue your passion for music?
V3GARD: My father and my older brother mostly. My father plays the guitar and bass. He was really good at just sitting down, playing and singing for us kids, while we sang along. I suppose he was an important figure to my older brother as well, who pursued music a bit more professionally than I ever did. My brother played in bands, mostly with pianos/synths, bass and drums occasionally. Very talented and creative. He was the one who introduced me to tracker software (Fast Tracker 2), I think it was back in 1996. I don’t know music theory or can’t read notes, I guess I just know from experience and through hearing what fits well together and what does not. I was more interested in sports and tried to pursue that, but I’ve always produced music ever since I got my hands on Fast Tracker 2.
DMR: Tell us something about your creative influences. Who inspired you the most?
V3GARD: What inspires me to sit down and produce, is normally just life. Things happening to me, my family, any events, but especially what’s going on in the world. Because of that, I guess my music often falls into a darker atmosphere, often melancholic. You know, on the account that the world is a crazy clown-show that keeps getting crazier, darker and scarier for each year apparently.
But musically and technically, it’s just other artists. To hear what others are able to produce and bring to life is very inspirational. I could just list up some artists that really has inspired me through the years: Tiësto (his In Search of Sunrise series was the reason why I fell in love with EDM and trance. But I must say, unfortunately, that his music the later years are not that inspiring to me, there’s much less soul and too much pop), Ferry Corsten (+Gouryella), Armin van Buuren, Deadmau5, Röyksopp, Infected Mushroom, Pendulum, Jonas Steur, Chicane, Calvin Harris, Rank1, Moonbeam, Todd Terje, Martin Garrix, Mauro Picotto. And many others! There’s so many talented people around in the EDM scene, huge shout out to the #trancefamily!
DMR: It is quite wholesome that your little girl enjoys your work. Tell us how are you enjoying your paternity leave. Are you using this time to make new compositions?
V3GARD: I rarely have time to work on music normally, with two small kids (have a 3 year old boy and the 1 year old daughter) and a full-time job. I really have to make my time count when I finally have some spare time.
But yes, I would say the paternity leave have upped my production time a bit, although it’s not my focus of course. I really enjoy the time with my daughter, getting to know her properly, it’s a lovely time!
DMR: Your musical arsenal shows your preference and proficiency in instrumental EDM creations. Would you like to incorporate vocals in your works?
V3GARD: Short answer is definitely yes, if I had someone to work with that had vocal talents, I would really enjoy to at least give it a try.
But on the other side, I’m not sure I would stick to it. To be honest, I have never been a huge fan of vocal songs, I don’t really find lyrics to be a very important aspect in music. To bring actual or textual meaning to a song through lyrics, you kind of take away some of the mystery. What I associate and feel when listening to a good instrumental, could be something completely different than what you or others feel. I understand this can be true for vocal songs as well of course, so I guess it’s just more about personal preference. I want the instruments to shine and be the majority of a song I guess! When there’s vocals, I tend to just focus on the vocal melody and where it sits in the mix rather than what is being said.
DMR: Is there any music artist whom you want to collaborate with?
V3GARD: Tough question! To be honest, I think it would just be a very nervous and stressed experience to collaborate with a huge name. It would be a bit daunting I think.
But if I could choose freely, it would be an amazing experience to work with Ferry Corsten. He seems like a down to earth guy,and has an amazing range of creativity. If nothing else, it would be incredible to see his process.
DMR: Sticking to dance, electronica, and EDM; would you like to experiment with other music genres?
V3GARD: I can listen to pretty much anything. My only “requirement” would be that it’s melodic, and if there’s vocals, it has to be audible. I can enjoy both jazz music, rock, hip hop, any electronic genre, and pretty much whatever else really.
But I would probably never go down some other path, at least not a completely different genre. EDM with hints or flavours from other genres, on the other hand – sure!
DMR: Is there any upcoming music project by releasing this year? Please shed some light.
V3GARD: Well, I would say I always have multiple projects and potential releases on the horizon. Originals, remixes, re-compositions, you name it. I have been creating music for 20+ years (though with.. varying quality to put it like that), so if I’m having a writer’s block, I can always revisit some of my 150-200 older songs, working on evolving them, or remixing them.
I actually also have a tune that is pretty much completed, but I really wanted to get some vocals on it in fact – and it’s basically just sitting there, waiting for someone to do the job.
Like I mentioned, I have a lot on my plate, both at home and at work. There’s just too few hours of the day, so I can’t really promise or guarantee anything when it comes to music. A bit sad, but that’s life currently.
DMR: Is music your full-time profession or, do you have other ventures as well?
V3GARD: I wish it was a full-time adventure! But no, I’m working within IT of a beverage company operating mostly in the Nordics. I really enjoy the challenges and the tasks ahead, and there’s currently a lot going on! Also at home we’re doing a lot of renovation and have a lot of projects on the house, which of course also takes time. So yeah, I hope that some day I can devote more time to producing again!
DMR: As a talented artist and rising music artist, what obstacles do you find in the modern music industry?
V3GARD: I’m not sure I find any real obstacles. The software technology for music production is just amazing, and it keeps getting better! So, I guess it’s mostly up to each and every artist to be able to create some sort of niche, or to produce the next big thing. Of course, since it’s so “easy” to produce something from home now, and basically anyone can do it – I guess that’s the biggest hurdle, that you compete with so many others, and it’s hard to get discovered, hard to get attention.
DMR: Is there anything you want to share with the listeners?
V3GARD: Well, I hope your life is good! With so much depressing things going on in the world, it’s almost hard to find people who are not stressed out or struggling with something.
In any case, I just hope you enjoy my release Penumbra as much as I do, and I hope you would honour me by visiting my Spotify profile to check in on some of my other releases! There will definitely come more down the line!
Thank you so much for your time, hope you have a great summer!
Follow V3GARD : FACEBOOK
Song Link :
https://open.spotify.com/track/6zkiiKNXRPtAPBaKaRAuxP
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