Kicking off our Summer of Sound in style is Viken Arman. The Parisian-Armenian producer has spent the last decade releasing 5 EPs but has recently announced his debut album is coming later in 2023. ‘Alone Together’ is scheduled to release on the 29th of September and sounds set to cement his reputation for making sophisticated and layered dance music. Being able to categorise Viken Arman is quite difficult though because he pulls from so many different musical inspirations. There are jazzy elements, some French House, a splash of hip-hop and plenty of world music samples to boot. Some of these samples come from Viken’s Armenian home where he samples old Armenian records and plays them very quietly in the background of his beats.
The lead single for his upcoming album is ‘Lonely Raver’ and it personifies everything I’ve said earlier. The beats balance a chilled zen vibe akin to Bonobo but the influences vary. On the track, Viken says “The track was born from the unforgettable experience of a Berlin party, where I found myself immersed in nostalgic emotions being the last person standing on the dancefloor—the embodiment of the lonely raver I once was.” The Berlin clubs certainly bring the rhythm section alive but it is the mesh of keyboards, samples and layers of detail in the other sounds that really sell the idea of a lonely raver, just enjoying its own orbit.
Enjoy ‘Lonely Raver’ below, the single is out now. For more information on Viken Arman, follow him on Bandcamp.
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