T.H.E Interview – Draeden

A true motto for the rapper, “Godspeed” reflects the patience Naya Ali has had to show to change her life in an instant.

Draeden put much work and passion into Godspeed Remix making lots of musical research to create the perfect balance between his signature sound and hers!

We caught up with Draeden to learn more about how the remix came about, the “Cinematic Bass” genre and loads more.

Aditya – Hey Draeden, Happy new year! Glad to have you for the interview. How was 2021 for you?

Draeden – Hey Aditya! I’m great. Thanks for asking and having me here. 2021 was a worldwide rollercoaster as we know. Since a lot of us couldn’t gather in real life, it felt good to connect via the internet and music.

I started the year with the release of my song “Clarity” on Epic Music World, which was heavily influenced by the cyberpunk genre and of course cinematic music. Later on, in March, I performed my first multi-instrumental show with the Creative Lab team which was presented by ÎleSoniq HERE in Montreal. A few months later, I released a new single “Monolith”, on Celldweller’s imprint FiXT Records. This one is a blend of bass, cinematic and bollywood music. Very special track. These past months I’ve been discovering a new passion for world music and I’ve done much musical research to bring new themes and soundscapes into my compositions. In December last year, my friend Garret Raff and I released our Circus Records debut “Warn You” with powerful vocals, cinematic soundscapes and cutting-edge sound design.

Aditya – I’ve just heard ‘Godspeed Remix’, and it’s mind blowing. Would you like to share the creative process of this remix?

Draeden – I’ve known Naya for a couple years now and I genuinely think she’s one of the best rappers at the moment. When we talked about doing a remix for a song from her album, I knew I had to come up with something very unique; something that would link our two worlds and hit differently.

That’s when I started digging this rabbit hole of sounds, themes and ideas. I eventually found some behind the scenes from Ludwig Göransson, the musical genius behind the Black Panther’s score. After hearing the vibe and colors that can produce African instruments such as the Talking Drum for example, I knew they would complement her voice perfectly. In the end we both love how it turned out and we’re stoked to finally release it.

Aditya – Are we seeing you along with Naya Ali on more tracks?

Draeden – We actually did start an original song together. Now it’s more about finding the right timing to finish the project. You can expect epic & cinematic that is for sure. I really look forward to this one.

Aditya – ‘Cinematic Bass’ is something we seldom hear. Could you share more info on that genre?

Draeden – Actually, this is something we came up with my manager when we were at the very beginning of the project. We were listening to my early demos and songs and we weren’t really sure how to name my music genre. I’ve always been a big fan of video game music and movie soundtracks and I still LOVE a lot of those scores. My sound has always been super cinematic and influenced by many sub-genre of Bass Music. That’s how we came with “Cinematic Bass”!

Aditya – Being a musician, how many instruments do you play and which is your favorite amongst all?

Draeden – I started playing the bass guitar in elementary school. It didn’t take much time before I started composing songs on a software. We also had the band practice at my place, so I had the luxury of practicing the guitar and drums. My parents were very indulgent 😅… Later on, I started producing Hip Hop before trying to compose electronic music. Today, I play the bass guitar, guitar, piano and I can perform some basic groove and percussive instruments like drum pads or djembes. Altough my favorite is probably the guitar, since it’s the instrument I’ve spent the most time practicing with.

Aditya – You’ve recently amassed over a 1 MILLION streams on Spotify, how do you feel about that achievement?

Draeden – It’s just INSANE. Sometimes I would love to thank anyone who listened to my songs and give them a hug. It really means the world to me.

Aditya – Could you share more info about your multi-instrumental performances?

Draeden – We were in discussions to book another big live performance in the spring, but with Covid restrictions we’re not sure yet if it’s going to happen or be rescheduled… but it will happen soon!

Aditya – What really caught my eye on your Instagram is the attire, what’s up with the jacket you’re seen wearing? It looks really cool.

Draeden – Thanks! I really want to give an experience to everyone who comes to see me live and that’s part of it. It also helps to create the visual branding I had in mind for the project.

We teamed up with our collaborator Eric Paré and his company XANGLE to create futuristic visual content. It’s fun and innovative and it brings to life very cool visuals that fit with the brand. We have more futuristic visual projects to come in 2022. It’s always a question of timing, but we have plans and cool ideas that we’re really looking forward to realizing and sharing with everyone.

Aditya – You’ve released a couple of NFTs, what do you think about crypto and blockchain technology?

Draeden – Yea, actually those NFTs loops have been made by Eric. We also work with a 3D genius with whom we have projects planned. We’re not selling any of those arts yet. I think the project is very early. At some point maybe we will sell some. We’ll see. For now they are really cool promo assets for the songs and also super cool show visual loops.

Aditya – Lastly, do you believe that humans will take over Mars by 2030?

Draeden – Yes… and I would be down to DJ there as well; Let me know, Elon!