Arkanna Interview on Nagamag

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Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?

Arkanna:
At the moment, I would say electronica, trip-hop, downtempo, chill, sometimes with world elements.

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Arkanna:
I grew up in a musical family. With musicians on both my parents sides. I was brought up listening to Rock n Roll, Motown, Soul and everything in between. The UK charts were always on in my house growing up, hearing bands of the 80's like Bronski Beat, The Human League and The Cure. Also often, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and my Mums favourite, Rod Stewart.
When I was a teenager, I loved Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, The Doors, Nirvanna and lots of dance music like Beats international, The Source, Technotronic and 808 State.

I first picked up the guitar at age twenty one. At the time I started going clubbing and loved progressive house back then and all the chillout stuff around at that time. Before this I was more into drawing and painting as my creative outlet. A number of years later I started writing my own songs and played a few acoustic gigs. I was listening to bands like Morcheeba, Beth Orton, Faithless, Massive Attack,Lamb, Portishead, The Chemical Brothers, The Future Sound Of London, Bjork, PJ Harvey and Leftfield.

Soon I met my partner, who was an MC in a Drum n Bass band at the time, and as a DJ he introduced me to a lot of breakbeat, Techno, Hip Hop and DnB. He introduced me to my first production software and I was hooked.

I started to teach myself production developing my acoustic tracks into a more electronic sound. I put a few of my first productions online. In 2009 I was offered work with London based techno/breaks producers, Elite Force and Meat Katie, recording vocals for 'Fire's Still Burnin' on their Dustbowl EP, released on U&A Recordings.

While still working on my own productions, I was also writing and recording music as part of a collective called Timeshade. This brought about a release in 2010 in which my vocals featured on Bambook's track 'off the system' feat Arkanna, the vocals taken from one of the Timeshade songs.

Later, I collaborated with producers from Nomad Records based in Italy, on a three track EP. It was never officially finished due to some problems within the label at the time. You can listen to 'Love is Timeless', on soundcloud, which is one of the tracks from that EP.

Finally by 2017 I felt happy enough with my own music production to begin independently releasing my music, the first of which was 'All This Time'.

My latest release 'Wonder Cloud' has been supported on BBC music Introducing in Scotland and recently remixed by the very talented Side Liner.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Arkanna:
I have always loved music as far back as I can remeber. I was always singing when I was a child. I was given my first keyboard when I was 10 and remember writing lyrics to the songs I made up on it. The Casio SA-1, I thought it was so cool lol. I actually found one a few years ago in a charity shop. I had to buy it haha.
Music for me is about my connection to the unknown mystery, the all or whatever you want to call it or see it as. It is my healer, my passion and a tool for self- reflection and discovery.

Nagamag:
What are your plans for the near future?

Arkanna:
I am currently finishing my EP and plan to develope and release a lot of the music I have written over the past few years, as well as all my current material. I'm also collaborating on a track for another artists forthcoming album, more details on that in the very near future.

Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?

Arkanna:
Ane Brun "All My Tears"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?

Arkanna:
Massive Attack "Teardrop"