His music might be described as giving off an electromagnetic pulse but Malik Garraway is another kind of EMP: electronic music producer. This producer, songwriter and DJ is known musically as Malikai and hails from Vancouver. His Cutting Ties EP was released last month. Check out all of Malikai’s tunes on SoundCloud and YouTube.
What’s the best and worst thing about being an electronic music producer?
I love being able to express myself musically with the ease of a computer. When I was younger and playing guitar, I was always looking for bands to play with. You couldn’t fully complete a song without having all the other musicians with you. It felt so limiting. Now with electronic music, it let’s you rely less on others and create music the is meaningful to you. The same thing that I love about production is what also find to be the worst part. The ease of entry allows anyone and their dog to be a producer/DJ. It’s easy to get thrown into the sea of people doing it for fun but that’s why you just have to keep working harder to separate yourself from the pack.
How did you get into producing electronica music?
Music has been a part of my life since I was 12 so it was only natural that I would take an interest to production. The day I decided to really go for it with music was seeing Deadmau5 at contact festival 2012 at BC place. The whole environment there really inspired me to get into music production and be able to share my music on a big stage. From there it’s been me and the computer ever since.
Do you fall in a genre category? What is your style?
I don’t know exactly what category my sound falls into but I take influences from genres such as pop, hip hop and modern dance music to create something of my own. I like to keep my sounds familiar but present them in a way that is fresh for the listener.
Favourite venues to play in Vancouver?
I would definitely have to say Red Room. They have an awesome setup there and the combination of their lights and sounds really creates an experience that’s super enjoyable for the fans and myself and as a DJ.
What do you think of the Vancouver music scene?
I think that the scene is flooded with talent.The problem is that I see a lot of artists who are afraid to try new things. There is a lot of looking elsewhere to decide what to sound like. With my generation of Vancouverites, I hope to see innovator instead of followers. I want Vancouver to become the sound that is imitated by others.
Where do you see electronic music in 5 years?
I see electronic music taking a turn for the better. More producers are branching out with different collaborations and taking more risks production wise. With the internet things get pulled from the “underground” a lot quicker. In some ways that’s bad but that means that the mainstream has access to that music. Eventually I hope it will get to a point where the mainstream will be as credible as the underground.
Advice for aspiring music producers and DJ’s?
Stick to your own sound and don’t worry about what your peers are doing too much. Really learn your craft and collaborate a lot. You learn so much from others that no forum or tutorial can show you. There aren’t any secrets and the only thing that will get you where you need to go is hard work.
Interview by Amar Mirchandani @amarmirch
