Exclusive Interview: Arty at Spring Awakening Music Festival Chicago

Arty, the new (but not so new) trance kid on the block, sat down with EDM Insider for an exclusive interview right after he played an artistically magical set at Spring Awakening Music Festival in Chicago. Before watching the show, I had already set the bar high because I’ve seen Arty perform two unbelievable sets before. First, when he opened for Avicii at Pier 94 in New York this past New Years Eve (which he described as “dope” and “one of the best parties he has ever played at”), and recently when he toured with Group Therapy and performed the Thursday before Ultra Music Festival.

I broke the tension a bit by teasing him about Russia’s loss the day before to Greece in the Euro Cup (a little context for y’all readers: my family is from Greece). Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to bring his morale down after he played a successful show, but it didn’t stop us from getting to the nitty gritty of the interview.

EDM Insider Amanda 1: How did you prepare for your set at Spring Awakening today?

Arty: Well when you play for a festival you only have an hour to perform, where as in a club you have two to three hours. And actually at EDC Vegas I only had 45 minutes. I definitely try to feed into what the crowd wants and play a mix of house and trance music. I obviously play the “banging” tracks of the moment. Today’s crowd was so crazy and energetic. By the end of the set I couldn’t even see because of all the sweat in my eyes.

EDM Insider Amanda 2: Was this your first time performing in Chicago?

Arty: No, my first time was at Vision nightclub last spring. I played with Mat Zo.

EDM Insider Amanda 3: Awesome, I am a huge fan of your collaboration EP, “Rebound,” how did you two team up and create that?

Arty: It started out as Mat Zo’s idea. He had the melodical part done. I listened to what he sent me and I just finished it.

EDM Insider Amanda 4: What software do you use when you create your music?

Arty: When I produce my own stuff I use Apple Studio. It’s a really cool and easy program to use. The program makes it easy for you to know what to push to create a certain result. It’s super quick. But when I produced with Mat Zo I used Ableton since Mat Zo started making the track on that program. I didn’t want to take the time to convert the track into Apple Studio. I’ve also used Logic and Ableton on my own, but I prefer Apple Studio because it is simple and I have worked with the program for 5 or 6 years.

EDM Insider Amanda 5: How did you come to sign with the Anjunabeats label?

Arty: It was a hell of an experience. At first it was hard for me to sign my tracks with Anjunabeats because I was an unknown guy that didn’t know anybody. Because even though you may have some cool tracks, no one will pay attention to you in the beginning. But after a few attempts I was able to sign one of my tracks to the label and it was successful so we continued to work together. And now I just signed my new track, “Open Space,” with Anjunabeats, which I dropped here at the festival.

EDM Insider Amanda 6: Oh yes! It was definitely a highlight in your performance. So what inspired you to start producing and DJing?

Arty: I started playing piano in musical school when I was younger. That’s when I learned how to practice music and spend hours getting to know a composition in order to perfect it for a concert. I would spend 7 to 8 hours a day playing a song on the piano so I would know everything about it. Now it is easy to go to my studio and spend 16 hours at a time on my laptop just to finish a track.

EDM Insider Amanda 7: Where do you spend the most time producing your tracks?

Arty: Well my studio is with me right now in my backpack. I produce with my laptop and headphones. But my favorite place to produce my tracks is at home in Russia. It is the best place because that is where my family is. I am really close to my family. So when my last show on tour comes around, I am always excited to go back home.

EDM Insider Amanda 8: So tell us about your girlfriend Kate.

Arty: Aw yeah, it’s a special story. I met Kate the February before last. She worked at a famous radio station back in my native city and she interviewed me for a radio show. We had a really nice interview and our meeting felt extra special, so within the next three to four months we started dating. She actually came to the US with me when I recently played a show at LAVO in New York City. This girl was the inspiration behind my track “Kate.”

Article by: Amanda Stamelos

About the Author

Amanda Stamelos Law student, EDM connoisseur, music festival fanatic – these are some of the many hats this girl wears on a daily basis. It was only after she started to write for EDMinsider.com where she discovered her passion for music journalism and appreciates the new perspective she has gained on electronic music. Other favorite pastimes include, starting a mean dance circle and attempting to mix songs on her brother’s vinyl DJ decks. She is very grateful for this opportunity and wishes her readers lives filled with great beats, good vibes, and epic times.