K A R I M [Interview]

Inspired by artists such as Eric Prydz, Cristoph, Victor Ruiz, Charles D and more, K A R I M creates music between spiritual progressive house and powerful, driving techno. Incorporating elements from live instruments, synthesizers, and vintage samples, he gives his sound a gritty feel on the low end. Originally from Miami and now living in Chicago, K A R I M's sound borrows from everything including hip-hop, soul, and R&B to metal, punk, indie and more.

This week finds K A R I M making his debut on Early Origin with 'Vishnu', a track co-produced alongside Frank Bono and remixed by label boss Evgenii Rymd.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with K A R I M to learn more about the release of 'Vishnu', his background, nightlife in Chicago, DJing and much more. Enjoy

Hi Karim, thanks for talking to us today. How has the first half of your year been and please tell us something interesting about your day today?

Between corporate work and production, I’ve been busy… to say the least. I guess I’m grateful that we’re living in an era of peak TV. Especially now that the box office has been suffering, TV has more than picked up that slack, and none more so than animation. There’s so many tightly edited and well-crafted shows out right now like Scavengers Reign, JuJutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling, Mob Psycho 100, etc. that are all pushing the limits of what we thought possible. I think that animators and producers are kindred spirits as well… in an overworked and underpaid kinda way haha.

Let’s look back on the first half of the year, what gig of yours has stood out the most and why?

In June I was honored to open for the legend GRUM. The crowd at Spybar was amazing and I got to debut a couple edits and remixes. Getting that instant feedback from someone I’ve always looked up to makes the hours worth it. One of the edits I made was a mashup of Nero - Innocence with Clubbed to Death. Someone in the crowd stopped me and said Innocence was their favorite song and they never expected to hear it there. Even if it’s an obscure sample, being able to resonate with someone like that is a joy that’s hard to describe.

Now let’s look at tracks (not your own), what is a track or tracks which have come out this year that has impressed you the most and why?

I’m not sure about this year because I’m always in the process of discovering new tracks and old classics that I just never heard before, but I think what Victor Ruiz is doing lately is really pushing the industry forward. Tracks like New Generation, Sleeptalker, Pura Vida, and especially Confession and Love Story I just had on repeat.

How did growing up in the USA affect your music taste and direction into becoming a DJ and producer? Or did it all?

I went from listening to only classics, to only rap, to only rock, to only post-hardcore and metal, to dubstep and bass, to house and techno. I think having a secular music appreciation makes you a better producer (and certainly a better sampler). Even if I’m not in control of the music and just listening to the radio in an Uber or something, there’s always some characteristic like a hat or a pad that I have a newfound appreciation for.

What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?

Seeing Pryda at Space Miami in 2017 with Cristoph opening absolutely blew my mind. I’d been to dozens of shows before, but nothing quite like that. A whole new world of sounds and arrangements and crowd control was introduced to me and I’ll never be the same. I remember standing there, arms crossed, shaking my head in disbelief like “this is unreal… it’s unfair… how can music be this good?”

You lived in Miami for a while but now call Chicago home, how would you say the nightlife differs between the two cities and in terms of Chicago where you are now, what would be the clubs you’d take the people to see and what local DJs do they need to hear?

In my opinion, Miami is the Mecca of house music in the states right now. Of course there’s the main stage guys playing on south beach, but Brickell and Wynwood have changed drastically in recent years. Outside of Space, you have Do Not Sit, La Otra, 1-800-Lucky, and even newer places like Mode that are catering to all styles of House and Techno.

In Chicago, you have industry staples like Spybar and Smartbar which are guaranteed to have a great lineup any weekend. There’s also rising stars like Primary, NHIE, Smoke & Mirrors, and No.9 that have not just been friendly to me, but also curate the music that I choose to listen to.

As far as locals, there’s a surplus of talent in Chicago haha, so in no particular order I have to give respect to Inphinity, RJ Pickens, Samuel Sonder, Frank Bono, Vinicius Di, Jeff Ozmits, Engberg, if_name, Skye Gray, Ezra Jermale, Des Fine, Lucy In Sky, Nax, Danny Zeidan, Sam White, Side Project, Ladiesmann, Dan O’Connor, Frenky, Ian Thauer, Jaygee, Dj Amari, Ixto, Angelo Rizzo… I’m certain I’m forgetting more, but again, no shortage of great talent.

Take us through a typical day when you’re not travelling, what does a day in your life look like?

Work, because something has to pay for the black pit of money that is music production. If I have the energy, then gym or basketball (my gf Gabby has also been getting me into SoulCycle lately). Then cooking - and as a brown man I do take pride in being able to throw down in the kitchen. And lastly production or spending quality time with loved ones, for my own sanity.

You have a new single ‘Vishnu’ (co-produced with Frank Bono) which is out now via Early Origin. Tell us a bit about the track and what sort of vibe you guys were going for on the track.

We set out to make a dark, groovy, progressive house track. Frank outlined the bass line and as we were getting to the bridge, we were exploring vocal samples from different speeches. As soon as it was mentioned, we both immediately agreed that the J. Robert Oppenheimer's speech regarding the detonation of the atomic bomb “and now I am become death, destroyer of worlds” was a perfect fit. We had Cristoph come into the studio and review the track with us too which was huge for our arrangement, eq edits, and I think most importantly - what to cut.

I believe this is your first production with Frank, how did you guys initially meet and then decide to collaborate on a project together?

This is actually the 2nd release with Frank. The first was Relentless on Lamia Recordings which we made with another of our best friends, Samuel Sonder. Like many of my closest friends, we met at a Prydz show - the North Coast afterparty at The Mid in 2017 if I’m not mistaken. I fully take credit for teaching Frank how to DJ haha. And following in the footsteps of Sam, production was just the next natural evolution of that.

Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on your ‘Vishnu’ single?

For fast production, I try to be as in-the-box as possible. I heavily use ol’ reliables like Serum, FabFilter, Diva, Valhalla, Sausage, etc. Lately however, I’ve been recording some more from the Sub37 which has really elevated my low end game, and some of my instruments like the Ibanez RG4EXQM1 with the double humbuckers that just sounds dirty no matter what you do to it. I’ve also been adding more of my own vocals recently and just use industry standard SM7B and cloudlifter for those. Fairly simple setup, but I have good command over each of those which helps get ideas out faster.

This is your first release with Early Origin, please tell us how you discovered the label and why it was a good home for this project?

We were in the label shopping process and sending demos out to a few other producers. Erik Lukas liked the track and suggested Early Origin as a home. He gave me Ev Rymd’s contact and the rest is history! I’ve been a fan of Ev’s productions for a while - he really is a fantastic producer, so it was a natural fit right away.

There is also an excellent remix from Evgenii Rymd, how involved in the selection process were you? And why was Evgenii a good choice to re-interpret this track?

I really have to thank Ev for helping us refine the track. After hearing what he did with the remix, we took inspiration and changed some of the elements in the original to make it what it is today. Ev’s version has this great, wide open, sustained bass and a super catchy melody, whereas ours has more of a bouncy feel. I think both tracks are great interpretations and complement each other well. I’m really happy with how they both turned out.

Now let’s talk about DJing for a moment, you’re quite well known throughout Chicago’s nightlife, performing alongside Cristoph, Grum, Jeremy Olander, Hannes Bieger and more. How would you describe your approach to DJing? And how do you go about programming a set?

I’ve been lucky to play alongside some of the people I respect most in this industry. I also want to give credit to Charles D who really helped me advance my production ability. When DJing, I want to give people something that they can only hear live. Whether it’s a new track or just a private edit/mashup - it’s something that they won’t be able to find anywhere else. Personally, my style is heavy on the blends. There’s a place in the middle of a good transition where you’re almost crafting something new by layering songs together. DJing in Chicago will also teach you quite quickly that you have to be responsive to the crowd, so there’s always some wiggle room in my playlists.

Can you tell me a bit about how your work as a DJ has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?

It’s almost impossible for me to hear something new without subconsciously dissecting it. If I hear something I like, I’m immediately thinking “oh, this must be a square wave with a mod on the filter and ADSR set like…” or something like that haha. If music is on, I’m paying attention to it. What I didn’t realize at first is that half of becoming a good producer is that over the thousands of hours, your hearing gets better. You start noticing small things that you were oblivious to previously. I’m actually pretty proud of how far I’ve progressed in that regard.

How much prep do you put into the sets you play, or are they spontaneous for the most part?

Very rarely do I have a spontaneous set. For booked shows, I’ll spend a few hours curating a playlist that fits the vibe of the set. You wouldn’t want to play heavy techno for a day time beach party for instance. If there’s a 90 min set, then I’ll probably have a playlist that’s about 3-4 hours worth of tracks, and then I navigate the set between that. If time allows, I also try to make something new for each set and then select tracks that work well with it.

Current Top five tracks in your sets?

Jeremy Olander - Mary

Cristoph - Tha Music

Marc Romboy - I Am a Dancer (Skatman Remix)

Austin Pettit - Just a Feeling

Rychard - Marionette (Beaumont Stanford Remix)

If you are not DJing, producing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?

Most likely plopped on the couch, playing Mario Kart online. That or planning my next travel.

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists? (Do not include yourself)

I’ve already named a bunch of my favorites so I’ll narrow this down with people I haven’t seen yet but have great respect for:

8kays - 4-6

Eagles & Butterflies - 6-8

D-Nox - 8-10

Henry Saiz - 10-12

Thomas Schumacher - 12 - late

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life? (Something not music related)

I like to think I’d be a writer of some sort. I take a lot of inspiration from the cinema and have a huge admiration for the great auteurs of our time. I worked briefly in the TV industry, but it’s a tough, tough industry to make it in.

What’s something people do not know about you?

Hmm… I’ve been on stage with Drake before? That was fun haha.

What TV series have you been enjoying recently and what are some of your all time favourites?

Currently watching The Boys, House of the Dragon, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Delicious in Dungeon, catching up on One Piece…

I’m rewatching The Clone Wars with Gabby - a criminally underrated show.

And recommendations/must-sees:

The Wire

True Detective (first season)

Scavengers Reign (seriously, watch this now)

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Primal

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

When the Gators win in football, so I haven’t been happy in a while.

What can we look forward to from you for the rest of 2024? Any releases or gigs you are looking forward to?

 Really looking forward to opening for Cristoph with Frank at Spybar on Aug 4. I have another release on Early Origin coming later in September, and one more release in the pipeline that hasn’t been scheduled yet, but will be coming out on rising techno queen Shay De Castro’s label. I might also release some of the new remixes I’ve been playing… we’ll see.

'Vishnu' is available now via Early Origin: https://tinyurl.com/5ajea33e