TALKING SHOP
The minimalist maestro on sampling, J Dilla and his debut album Alone Together
All the way from Steve Reich through to Ricardo Villalobos, minimalists have recognised the fundamental truth at the heart of the old cliché, ‘less is more’. While the uninitiated might accuse minimal music of soullessness or vacuity, those acquainted with its charms know that the opposite is true; sparse arrangements serve to heighten the listener’s focus, revealing new levels of detail while amplifying the emotion and drama inherent in their constituent parts.
This is something Viken Arman accomplishes masterfully on his debut album, Alone Together. Arman’s been around the block a few times, releasing five EPs over the last decade while carving out a reputation as an acclaimed international DJ and live performer, and that confidence can be heard in the nine tracks that make up his first full-length project, the French producer’s boldest artistic statement yet. Where Arman’s early releases perfected a menacingly funky take on minimal house, his debut release expands this purview, channeling inspiration sparked by ecstatic moments on the dancefloor through weighty grooves that borrow from jazz, hip-hop and world music to drape Arman’s skeletal beats in vivid new colours.
We caught up with Viken Arman to hear more about his unique approach to music-making, his beloved compressor chain and the classic analogue synth he describes as a “masterpiece”.
When did you start making music, and how did you first get started?
“I began playing music with the piano. I entered the conservatory when I was five years old. I studied classical music and later jazz. At the age of 12, I created my first hip-hop beat. My dad was a graphic designer so I was familiar with Photoshop and computers at a very early age. There was Pro Tools and GarageBand on the computer, so when I opened the software I quickly understood the concept of audio collage. I started sampling my dad’s record collection – the beginning of an endless journey, as I was finally making a kind of music that truly belonged to me.”
Tell us what your current studio setup looks like…
“My workflow is divided between my home and my personal studio at Renate in Berlin. At home, I have most of the acoustic instruments like my Petrof upright piano and some unusual ethnic instruments. All the mics are already set up so whenever I want to record something I just have to press a button and all the room is recorded. My favorite microphones for the piano are a pair of Neumann KM56s and a Melodium 42Bn for the room. When my good friend Martin Gretschmann [Acid Pauli] gave me this mic, it changed the way I play completely!
“My personal studio is a very intimate space, and my setup is a bit complex with a lot of analogue processing – that’s why I can’t share it with someone else. I love
