Music should be about creating feelings and imagination for the listener. A songwriter that has this goal in mind is able to truly connect with the listener and turn them into fans. One such artist is our recent discovery Wardach.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, the independent artist and producer creates a unique EDM based sound that seems to be inspired by Sci-Fi and other sonic exploration. There is a message and a journey in each track. Wardach shares his feelings of isolation with welcoming arms.
On April 30th, Wardach released his debut album Jovian. The 8 track record introduces his sonic journey to ears and minds everywhere. The title Jovian (meaning ‘of Jupiter’) was chosen to communicate his feeling of being out of place.
The 5-minute title track introduces Wardach perfectly with its spacy experimentation and exotic sound plate. The slow build to “Elsewhen” shows some diversity. There seem to be sounds coming from all angles to form a complete tapestry of noise that blends into a mind-altering backdrop. The vocals of Jasmine Watkins are added to give us guidance into the journey.
“Rapture” is an apt title for a track that wakes us up and chugs along with an ominous tone. Influence from techno artists of the pasts combine here with elements of the modern EDM scene but still stay squarely in Wardach’s unique style.
On “Brainsick” we see that chugging continue to push us deeper into the world this artist has created for us. Again we are swarmed by sound letting our mind choose its own adventure to follow. There does seem to be some dark elements here, in particular, a random scream for help popping in now and then. The album closes with “Clone,” a slightly more relaxing but still thoughtfully delivered song. It is an epic ending to the full sonic experience of Jovian.
We caught up with Wardach to let him give us his exclusive thoughts about how the album came together and how he connects with the listener through his music. Enjoy the interview here:
It may be a simple answer but where did the moniker Wardach come from?
Wardach is simply my last name. Unfortunately there isn’t more to it than that. I don’t even know what it means, but I wish I did. It’s Polish. That’s all I know.
How would you describe your sound?
I’d describe my sound as melodic bass mixed with a bunch of other styles, but I’m really bad with distinguishing sub-genres, so I could be way off. Sci-fi is sort of a big inspiration for me, so that consistently influences my sound. Half the time I’m writing music, I’m imagining some sort of otherworldly setting. I have this idea in my head that I come back to quite a bit, that I want to write music that feels like it’s not from earth… in order to reflect how alien or out of place I often feel, especially as an artist. That might seem a bit strange or hyperbolic since my music isn’t crazy experimental, but it works for me as an internal motivator/contextualizer.
How does a song come together for you? What is your songwriting process?
I don’t always start writing songs the same way, but most often I will start with a chord progression and a sample or a bass rhythm and some drums to get things going. After that I usually try to create something distinct to build the rest of the song around, maybe a lead or vocal. I like to think of my songs as stories, so I’ll often try to incorporate foreshadowing and have them build towards the end. Other than that, I kind of just go with how I’m feeling.
What do you hope the listener takes away from a Wardach song?
I’d like for my music to provide a unique energy that translates well in most settings. Hopefully, it can stoke the imaginations of listeners and relate to them emotionally in the same way that other art does that for me. Any time someone connects with of one of my songs it’s a huge encouragement. It might not seem like it, but I think and feel pretty deeply when writing music, so a line like “I just want to feel real with you” in Elsewhen might appear to be super simple, but it has a lot of implications. I don’t necessarily expect everyone to get that, but when someone does, it’s really rewarding to me.
Now that the new album Jovian is out, what does the future hold for you?
As an independent artist who just started releasing music, dropping a whole album probably wasn’t the best move from a marketing perspective, but it was great for my growth and gratifying from an artistic viewpoint. I’ll probably release some singles later in the year and really push those for a while before releasing another album. I’d also like to start playing shows. I want to be the best artist and performer I can possibly be, so I just want to keep moving forward even if it feels really slow sometimes.
Listen to Jovian by Wardach on your favorite player HERE and follow him on INSTAGRAM.