#ard1n

[reygwenwrites2]

I Love Ard1n, and You Should Too With Ard1n

By Rey Gwen

February 6th, 2024

Photo above taken by @666.pastel on Instagram

If I were to describe Ard1n in a word, the word I’d choose in a heartbeat is vibrant. The unique style that they’ve orchestrated turns music into a captivating encounter with Ard1n’s craft, with their upbeat energy seeping into everything that they do. Their dynamic presence on stage parallels the powerful energy reflected in their music. Ard1n turns music into not only art that is full of life, but also an unforgettable experience.

REY GWEN: Could you walk me through your process on curating your sets?

ARD1N: Well, the sound of my set fully depends on the party and what crowd I can expect to be there. I play parties for some pretty different scenes so I need to know my audience, but once I decide on what sound I'm looking for I go straight to Soundcloud and begin digging. Song selection can take up to a week because I want to be 100% happy with the songs I pick.

GWEN: How does your mindset change when working on a singular song versus an hour(+)-long set?

ARD1N: When working on a set, my head is very production heavy. I’m more focused on the texture and sound design in the songs I select as I feel that is what I pay attention to when I'm hearing other people dj. However when making my own music, of course the production is still a huge factor but what matters most to me is if my voice is compatible with the beat. Sometimes people have voices that are better used with certain sounds or genres and that is what i try to get right when making my own music.

GWEN: What role does audience feedback play in curating your sets?

ARD1N: I like to play what I want. Yes, audience feedback can decide what song I play next, but usually I have a setlist I want to get through before I begin freestyling. I think I always have more fun freestyling though. Oh and I DONT TAKE REQUESTS. That shit will irk me. What I consider audience feedback is their reaction and movement to the current song playing or what sounds/beats gets the people to move. That is what will decide what comes next.

GWEN: How do you know when a set is ready to be performed?

ARD1N: I’m never 100% ready 🤣 you can ask anyone of my irl friends and they will tell you that before I go on stage I’m always shitting my pants and worried what I have prepared won’t be good enough. I do think having more songs prepared for the set makes me more comfortable though.

GWEN: What has been your favorite experience thus far in your music career?

ARD1N: This is a hard question to answer! I’ve had so many really cool experiences and opportunities come from music. I think one of the coolest things i was asked to do was play Boiler Room in December of 2022. My good friends at Subculture Party invited me to play one of their Boiler room stages since they were working in collaboration together. It was a great weekend filled with great music and friends. The next best thing would probably have to have been the Halloween party I threw last year. I co-organize a party called Dancing For Heaven with my best friend, HVN, and we worked together with other Toronto party series ‘Body2Body’ and ‘Bambeeno’ to throw a mega Halloween warehouse rave we called ‘House of Skin’. It was absolute insanity and we want to throw another one again next Halloween 🤭🤭

GWEN: What/who are your inspirations? How do they influence how you work on music?

ARD1N: I'm inspired by any new artist I find with fresh ideas. They inspire me to look outside of the box and try stuff I've never thought of before, and explore sounds I didn’t think would fit in music. I’m also so inspired by my friends. When I see the people I care about doing cool things it makes me so happy and makes me want to do cool things as well!

GWEN: How do you mentally prepare yourself for performing?

ARD1N: I’m freaking out every second until I’m on stage. It’s only once I’m already djing or performing that my nerves go away and I fall into the groove of what I’m doing and I lock the fuck in. It’s like I forget the crowd is there and I’m djing for myself like how I would in my bedroom.

Ard1n on Soundcloud

Ard1n on Instagram

Ard1n on Twitter