Varien
| Varien | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nick Pittsinger |
| Also known as | Varien, Chrono Rabbit, Nick Kaelar, Halo Nova, Koinu |
| Born |
May 15, 1990 Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, producer |
| Instruments | |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Two Steps From Hell, Scandroid, Skrillex, |
| Website |
VarienOfficial |
Nick Kaelar (born Nick Pittsinger, May 15, 1990), better known by his current stage name Varien, is an American composer and producer.[1] While primarily an electronic music producer, Kaelar has incorporated or experimented with styles of metal, orchestral, and ambient music. He is known for his unconventional approach to electronic music, focusing on immersion and storytelling and including many live instruments not normally found on electronic tracks. Featured on a number of labels, mainly Monstercat, many of Kaelar's tracks under the Varien moniker (including "Cloak and Dagger", "Valkyrie" and "Gunmetal Black") have surpassed a million views on YouTube and made worldwide sales. His music has been featured in many mainstream films and television series such as Furious 7, The Walking Dead, 300: Rise of an Empire, The Purge: Anarchy, and The Real World, among others.
Kaelar has undertaken other non-composing accomplishments include helping develop multiple sample libraries for 8dio Productions, led by composer Troels Folmann and providing music production tutorials on YouTube, which have accumulated over 1,000,000 plays total. Other past aliases of his include Shamantis and Halo Nova.[2][3][4] As a side project, Kaelar also produces music for American television series and commercials under the alias Chrono Rabbit. In 2016, Varien announced his side project "Koinu", which he cites as "a mix of hard EDM and jpop/anime aesthetics."
History
Early life and success
Kaelar was born on May 15, 1990 in Tampa, Florida. He claims to have had a connection to music from a very young age, and his family supported his passions. At the age of 11, Varien began playing the guitar and attempting songwriting,[5] and joined a number of bands experimenting with genres of rock and jazz, but grew weary with both. He then decided to focus on composition and began producing in 2009, with music in video games serving as his most longtime influence to date. Kaelar considers himself a "storyteller" and seeks to avoid the "throwaway tune mentality" which he feels "pervades most of the electronic music industry today."[6]
In August 2010, Kaelar achieved internet virality with his slowed-down remix of Justin Bieber's "U Smile", titled "Justin Bieber 800% Slowed Down". He was interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, MTV, and had articles written about the track from all over the world.[7]
2011-2013
In July 2011, Kaelar released his first Monstercat single "The Force" under the alias Halo Nova. He subsequently released two more singles under the alias before abandoning it. In December 2011, Kaelar was hired by dubstep producer Skrillex to do an orchestral suite of his most popular songs. In the suite, the songs "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites", "All I Ask Of You", "Scatta", and "First Of The Year" were rearranged into an orchestral fashion. To date, the "Skrillex Orchestral Suite" has received over 4,000,000 views on YouTube.[8]
As Varien, Kaelar has remixed popular acts such as Gareth Emery, Rebecca & Fiona, and Celldweller, and to date remains a veteran member of Monstercat. He has had songs chart on the digital distribution website Beatport a number of times, including "Mirrors", "Valkyrie", and "Toothless Hawkins (And His Robot Jazz Band)" all of which hit #1 on their respective genre-based charts.
On February 26, 2013, Kaelar released Pick Your Poison Vol. 1, a compilation album of trailer cues that he had done strictly for the purpose of film, television, and video game licensing. Pick Your Poison Vol. 2 released a year later. Also in 2013, Kaelar and Klayton of Celldweller formed the cyberpunk/electronic music project Scandroid.[9]
2014-present
In 2014, Kaelar teamed up with Two Steps from Hell on a private trailer cue compilation entitled Open Conspiracy. 2014 saw an abundance of licenses for Varien. His music was used in trailers and promotional media for 300: Rise of an Empire, Bones, The Purge: Anarchy, Face Off, America's Next Top Model, PlanetSide 2, and Monsters: Dark Continent. Los Angeles-based singer Roniit's song "Runaway", produced by Varien, was used in multiple trailers and TV spots for the film The Loft.
During his time with Monstercat, Varien reached new levels of success with all his tracks nearing or surpassing a million views on YouTube and topping worldwide charts. His track "Gunmetal Black" was made in a record six hours[5]
In April 2015, it was announced that Kaelar contributed to the soundtrack of Furious 7, the seventh in The Fast and the Furious film series.
Kaelar has announced via Twitter and Facebook that he is working on a project called Ravenscore, in which he will release 2 tracks every week in 2016.
On February 9th 2016, Kaelar announced through Facebook a new side project known as Koinu, which he described as a mix of hard EDM and j-pop/anime aesthetics.
Debut album
On August 5, 2015, Kaelar released his first LP, titled The Ancient & Arcane, on Monstercat. Prior to this, he released two tracks, "Beyond the Surface" and "Aether and Light", both of which he claims have a sound that reflects his musical approach to the album. He has described The Ancient & Arcane's tracks as very "organic" and containing "lots of unique ideas that I'm very proud of."[10] In an interview with UKF, he elaborated on his songwriting process for the album, saying: "I make so many other types of music so I thought I’d sit down and write – no theme, no story. It’s a very Zen experience. Very spiritual. Wake up. Do yoga. Make music. No regard for the club. No regard for where it will be played or comparisons to my past music or anything else that’s going on. I’ve never gone to any of these places I’m exploring right now. I want people to listen to it and think ‘is this Varien?’ Psychedelic, worldly, ethnic, trippy… People have never seen me go there. Yet."[5] To further promote the album, Pittsinger did an AMA on Reddit, answering fan questions and elaborating on his musical process.[11]
The album contains collaborations with vocalists Veela (on "Supercell"), Laura Brehm (on "Ghost Spores"), Miyoki (on "Firefly" and "Kamisama") and Charlotte Haining (on "Hypnotique") - Kaelar stated that instead of hiring them for a specific role or part, he "invited them to write with [him], handing music to instrumentalists and telling them to do what they want. Or singers and asking them to sing what they want. There’s no pressure. No rules." Describing his collaboration with Miyoki, Kaelar added, "We were working on a track together and she sent something back that she felt worked… In fact it worked so incredibly well I rewrote the song around it. That’s a beautiful thing; I’m not hiring, these people are coming into this album and contributing. Which is pretty spiritual." Vocalist Aloma Steele provided her voice for sampling in the track "Snowlight".
The Ancient & Arcane was acclaimed upon release, with EDM website Dancing Astronaut calling it a "cinematic masterpiece", giving particular praise to "Ghost Spores" as "reinvigorat[ing] the soul with its harp-tinged melody and orchestral instruments that once again highlight Varien’s idiosyncratic musicianship."[12]
Discography
Main article: Nick Kaelar discography
Albums
- The Ancient & Arcane (2015)
Film/TV/Video Game
Kaelar also composes and licenses music for all forms of visual media. His music has appeared in the following:
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2016 | The Sin of Man |
| 2015 | Furious 7 |
| 2015 | Mars One |
| 2015 | The Walking Dead |
| 2014 | The Loft |
| 2014 | Bones |
| 2014 | Monsters: Dark Continent |
| 2014 | Face Off |
| 2014 | The Purge: Anarchy |
| 2014 | PlanetSide 2 |
| 2014 | 300: Rise of an Empire |
| 2014 | America's Next Top Model |
| 2013 | Runner Runner |
| 2013 | NASCAR Race Hub |
| 2013 | The Challenge: Rivals II |
| 2013 | The Tomorrow People |
| 2013 | Pain & Gain |
| 2013 | Breaking Amish: Los Angeles |
| 2012 | Intervention |
Koinu
Koinu, Vairen's "Side Project"[13] has become very popular with only three releases thus far;
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2016 | CL － Hello B*tches（KoinuRemix)[14] |
| 2016 | Koinu－ Milkshakes and Chill[15] |
| 2016 | Hyuna－Ice Ice（Koinu Remix)[16] |
References
- ↑ "Varien Official Soundcloud".
- ↑ "Halo Nova Soundcloud".
- ↑ "Kitsune Soundsystem Bandcamp".
- ↑ "Shamantis Bandcamp".
- 1 2 3 https://ukf.com/words/exclusive-varien-blow-minds-new-album
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPSZlkCLofM
- ↑ "Entertainment Weekly interview with Nick Pittsinger".
- ↑ "Skrillex Orchestral Suite Official YouTube video".
- ↑ "Salvation Code".
- ↑ http://prntscr.com/7t6nv0
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3f78gs/yo_varien_here_iama_multiinstrumentalist_composer/
- ↑ http://www.dancingastronaut.com/2015/08/variens-debut-album-ancient-arcane-cinematic-masterpiece/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7zIkMvAKgA&feature=youtu.be
- ↑ https://soundcloud.com/imkoinu/clhellobitcheskoinuremix
- ↑ https://soundcloud.com/imkoinu/milkshakes-and-chill
- ↑ https://soundcloud.com/imkoinu/hyunaiceicekoinuremix
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