Dubai-based trio ARKADYAN seamlessly blend traditional instruments with electronic production, crafting a unique sound that fuses Afro-Balkan rhythms with organic house. Their latest single, Forever We Young, set for release on March 14, features the operatic vocals of Yana Mann, adding a rich, classical layer to their dynamic composition.
Beyond the studio, ARKADYAN’s monthly residency, ARKADYAN Voyage, at Surf Club Dubai has become a cornerstone of the city’s nightlife, attracting thousands with its vibrant performances that transport audiences on a global musical journey. In this interview, they delve into their creative process, recent collaborations, and the evolution of their distinctive sound.
The fusion of live instrumentation with electronic production is a key part of your identity. How do you approach integrating organic elements into your music without losing the energy needed for a club setting?
Yes, it’s always our main concern—how to keep our organic touch with instruments while making it sound modern and without losing the punch.
A good bassline always helps create energy within our organic flow. Also, a good mix and sound design help blend organic and modern elements into a beautiful track. Very often, we get inspired by other producers and try to understand how they created specific sounds. And of course, we experiment with sounds using AI—it’s incredible what AI can offer.
Your sound pulls from jazz, reggae, salsa, and Afro-house. When you’re in the studio, how do you decide which elements to bring into a track, and how do you ensure they blend cohesively?
Ooh, it’s always a bit messy in the studio! Benjy, as a percussionist, wants a lot of percussion, while Gabsy, as a trumpeter, wants a lot of trumpet in the track. Then Mari comes in, does major cleaning, and minimizes most of the instruments—creating magic in the end. Otherwise, we’re pretty much aligned on how the final version of the track should sound.
Forever We Young has a refined yet layered feel. What was the production process like—did the track evolve naturally, or did you go through multiple versions to reach the final sound?
The track was definitely born very naturally, and it was an exciting process. Of course, it took some time to find the best ideas and sounds for such beautiful vocals—we’re not going to lie and say this track was finished in one day! We had multiple versions of Forever We Young, but over time, we found the best version, which is the one that will be released.
Yana Mann’s voice has a strong classical background, which brings a unique texture to the track. Did her vocal parts shape the instrumental arrangement, or did the production come first?
With the mix of Yana Mann’s classical voice and the surrounding textures, we quickly found a good balance. Her charismatic voice immediately showed the promise of an original texture—perfect for our universe. The instrumental was done first, and then Yana found the vocals and some basslines. From there, the elements fit together like magic to create this beautiful track!
Your collaboration with Africanism connects past and present within Afro-influenced house music. How did that influence the way you approached sound design and rhythmic structure in this track?
It’s true that Africanism is one of the reference labels in Afro-house. When working on this collaboration, the goal was also to bring our own signature while respecting its DNA. We exchanged a lot of ideas to ensure everyone could keep their own identity. When communication is optimal, the results are usually optimal too!
Your music has an improvisational quality, even in the studio. How much of your production process is planned versus spontaneous, and do you rely on jam sessions to develop ideas?
Improvisation is an integral part of our project. Our love for jazz and improvised music, along with our past as live musicians, makes it essential for us to give improvisation an important place. We even come up with ideas for future productions during live shows!
However, we also have to respect conventional track structures and maintain a level of planned rigor in our compositions.
You’ve worked with artists like Bob Sinclar, and now Africanism. What have these collaborations taught you about refining your production techniques or approaching a track differently?
We learned a lot, especially about transients and how to shape them to satisfy different listening environments—whether on the radio or in clubs. After collaborating with Bob Sinclar, we realized how crucial sound design is for producing “le son du moment”—the sound of today. Now, we spend more time defining our own “ARKADYAN sound.”
Percussion is a defining feature of your sound. How do you shape and layer your drum elements to create a sense of groove without overcomplicating the mix?
Yes, since Benjy is a percussionist, track ideas often start from a groovy percussion pattern. Many layers of percussion create what we call polyrhythm—for example, three different patterns from three different percussion textures can result in a completely new rhythm. Sometimes, it’s magic.
BUT (and there’s always a but, hahaha), in the mix, it can quickly become a nightmare to make everything sound good. So we usually clean up the mess by deleting a few notes from our recordings, allowing the track to breathe and making the mix clearer.
When working on a track, do you start with a rhythmic foundation, a melody, or does it depend on the project? How did Forever We Young come together in that sense?
We usually start with a rhythmic foundation. For Forever We Young, we began with Benjy’s octopus rhythm—his famous pattern where he literally looks like an octopus hitting the drums on every 16th note. Then, we wanted to give it a melodic techno touch in an organic house way. Finally, we wanted to bring some emotion and build-up, inspired by tracks like Eternity by Anyma & Chris Avantgarde.
We are very proud of the result.
Looking back at your catalog, how do you feel your production style has evolved, and where do you see it heading next?
We started producing downtempo music, full of beautiful melodies from ancient instruments—very chill. Then we moved into organic house, followed by Afro-house. Now, we blend Afro and organic elements with Balkan influences for a happy vibe, while also working on tech-house productions suited for proper clubs and dedicated festivals.
It’s nice to see the progression. One thing is certain—we always want to mix different genres, even incorporating vocals that add a pop touch to our tracks.