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Nikki Kaelar (born May 15, 1990), better known by his stage name Varien, is an American composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Varien has incorporated or experimented with such styles as industrial,
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
,
orchestral An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...
,
neofolk Neofolk, also known as apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrume ...
, and
ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes Musical tone, tone and atmosphere over traditional Musical form, musical structure or rhythm. Often "peaceful" sounding and lacking Musical composition, composition, beat, and/or structured melod ...
. He is known for his work on film soundtracks, along with his unconventional approach to electronic music, including many live instruments not normally found on tracks within his genres.


Early life

Kaelar was born on May 15, 1990, in
Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
. He had a connection to music from a very young age, and his family supported his passion. At the age of 11, Varien began playing the guitar and attempting songwriting, and he joined a number of bands experimenting with genres of
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
,
grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, e ...
,
metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...
, and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
. Kaelar developed
perfect pitch Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection; completeness, and excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film and television * ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * ''Perfect'' (20 ...
when playing the keyboard at age fourteen. Kaelar was in multiple bands in high school, playing
grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, e ...
,
metalcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...
,
screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is a subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002 Access date: June 15, 2 ...
,
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
, and
power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...
before joining his school's
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
band for two years. He cites these years as pivotal to his artistic development, learning sheet music, jazz theory and improvisation. He also cites this as the time he developed a profound interest in
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...
,
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
, and
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
music. He decided to focus on solo composition and began producing in 2009, with music in video games serving as his most longtime influence to date. He cites ''
Shin Megami Tensei ''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji Okada, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed ...
'', ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'', and ''
Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the power of the parasitic M ...
'' as his biggest influences when it comes to games, as well as the works of
the Wachowskis Lana Wachowski (born Larry Wachowski, June 21, 1965) and Lilly Wachowski (born Andy Wachowski, December 29, 1967) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans women. Together known as the Wacho ...
.


Career


2010–13: Career beginnings

In August 2010, Kaelar achieved online virality with his slowed-down remix of
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...
's "
U Smile "U Smile" is a song performed by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was written by Jerry Duplessis, Arden Altino, and Dan August Rigo, and produced by Duplessis and Altino. The song was released as the second digital-only single from My World 2.0, ...
", titled "Justin Bieber 800% Slowed Down". He was interviewed by ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' and
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
about the track. In July 2011, Kaelar released his first
Monstercat Monstercat (formerly known as Monstercat Media) is a Canadian electronic music record label based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 2011 by Mike Darlington and Ari Paunonen, the label released regular compilation albums featuring music ...
single "The Force" under the alias Halo Nova. He subsequently released two more singles under the alias before abandoning it and continuing to make music under the alias Varien. One of the first subsequent releases as Varien was a remix of Ephixa's song "Division". On February 26, 2013, Kaelar released ''Pick Your Poison Vol. 1'', a compilation album of trailer cues that he wrote for the purpose of film, television, and video game licensing. He released a followup, ''Pick Your Poison Vol. 2'', a year later.


2014–16: ''The Ancient & Arcane'' and ''My Prayers Have Become Ghosts''

In 2014, Kaelar teamed up with
Two Steps from Hell Two Steps from Hell was an American production music company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 2006 by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix, a pair of composers born in Norway and England, respectively. They created the company to make tra ...
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 A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...
'', '' The Purge: Anarchy'', '' Face Off'', ''
America's Next Top Model ''America's Next Top Model'' (abbreviated ''ANTM'' and ''Top Model'') is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to b ...
'', ''
PlanetSide 2 ''PlanetSide 2'' is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS) game developed by Enad Global 7, Toadman Interactive. The game supports battles with thousands of players and incorporates modern first-person shooter m ...
'', 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''. On August 5, 2015, Kaelar released his first LP, titled ''The Ancient & Arcane'', on Monstercat. Prior to this, he had released two tracks, "Beyond the Surface" and "Aether and Light". 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 Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
. 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." ''The Ancient & Arcane'' met with critical acclaim upon release, with EDM website ''Dancing Astronaut'' calling it a "cinematic masterpiece", giving particular praise to "Ghost Spores" as "reinvigorat ngthe soul with its harp-tinged melody and orchestral instruments that once again highlight Varien's idiosyncratic musicianship." Kaelar's next EP, ''My Prayers Have Become Ghosts'', was released on October 31, 2016, via Monstercat.


2017–2018: Hiatus and return

In 2017, Kaelar announced a hiatus from the Varien alias and removed all of his social media accounts. Across two interviews with ''EDMSauce'', he cited the psychological impact of social media as his reason for going on a blackout, also saying he "needed a break from it.". In 2018, Kaelar announced via his YouTube channel that he would continue producing music under the Varien name, after his hiatus had allowed his to "take a deep breath from it all". As of 2018, Varien has released music on his own imprint, Kitsune Soundworks. In April 2018, Kaelar wrote, arranged, and produced K-Pop group
VIXX VIXX ( pronounced "vicks"; acronym for "voice, visual, value in excelsis") is a South Korean boy band formed by Jellyfish Entertainment through the 2012 reality show ''MyDOL''. Originally a sextet, the group is currently composed of four members: ...
's lead single for their album '' Eau de VIXX'', "Scentist". The track went on to hit #1 on the
Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
charts and was licensed for Korean television shows like '' The Return of Superman''. On October 2, 2018, Kaelar was quoted in RPGamer talking about his youth and which RPGs and video games inspired his career as a producer and composer. Kaeler comments that he always knew that he wanted to be a video game composer when he "grew up," and that if the opportunity came to his he would go for it. He explained in the article, "The thing is video game omposers themselves are and especially the JRPG community, revery much a Fort Knox. There's a limited amount of people and they’re the best." Alex Fuller from RPGamer commented on Varien's talent, "It's readily apparent how he has been able to utilize his gaming influences both in his electronic music and well as his soundtrack creations. It's easy to be able to see the sort of scenes or environments that one would expect from a JRPG while listening to those particular tracks." Varien's collaboration with Materia Collective was mentioned in the interview and the official remix with Undertale is featured. On October 26, 2018, Varien released his next EP, ''Death Asked a Question'', through Most Addictive Records. , In an interview with EDM Joy, he described the EP as being the physical manifestation of his struggles during his hiatus, in contrast to the "fantastical" narrative of ''The Ancient & Arcane''. On July 13, 2018, Kaelar is featured in an exclusive EDM Sauce interview talking about direct influences of his work, which includes Y2K Era, ''
Fight Club ''Fight Club'' is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter. It is based on the 1996 novel ''Fight Club (novel), Fight Club'' by Chuck Palahniuk. Norton plays The Narrator (F ...
'', ''
The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
'', BBs forums for ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'',
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
,
A Perfect Circle A Perfect Circle is an American Rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool (band), Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle released three of their ...
,
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
,
KoRn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...
, and "cool new electronic music like Drum n Bass, Trip Hop, etc," as what he declares as his "favorite era
f music F, or f, is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet and many modern alphabets influenced by it, including the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of all other modern western European languages. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounce ...
" The EDM Sauce article features Varien's statement about his 2017 hiatus, declaring that he was being "ground down" by the industry and needed a break from it all. Kaelar stated that he returned with a newly radically and positive mindset surrounded by a community of support and friends. The author, GLU 5 declares, "Varien is an enigma. Creative on levels I don't think we have yet to catch up to;
ikki Ikki may refer to: *''Ikki'', revolts against samurai rule in 15th and 16th century Japan **''Ikkō-ikki'', ''ikki'' revolts organized by Jōdo Shinshū Buddhists *** Kaga ''ikki'', an ''Ikkō-ikki'' break-away warrior and peasant confederacy base ...
has been building a fan base for years. The Floridian producer effortlessly dominates any genre he touches." On October 26, 2018, Kaelar released an EP, Death Asked A Question, premiered through EDM website Dancing Astronaut in which Kaelar describes the EP as soul-searching, expressive, personal, raw, and featuring numerous gaming influences. Kaelar also described it as having "so much
Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the power of the parasitic M ...
it's not even funny!" In the Dancing Astronaut premiere and interview the author, Robyn Dexter, quoted Varien and the newly released EP as "consistently urpassinggenre constructs and roving himselfa true mastermind of the electronic music realm." In January 2018, Varien played at
MAGfest MAGFest (Music and Gaming Festival, originally the Mid-Atlantic Gaming Festival) is a non-profit organization and video game, art, music, and culture festival. They hold multiple events throughout the year, with their flagship event being an an ...
, an organization dedicated to the appreciation of games and video game music. On January 1, 2019, featured in ''Big Shot Magazine'', Varien speaks of that performance and describes himself as being fully "back rom his hiatus and that he "felt that feeling of performing again for the first time in so long."


2019–present

On January 1, 2019, in Bigshot Magazine, Kaelar looks back on his 2018 musical highlights throughout the year and reflects,"I’d definitely say landing the VIXX track "Scentist"
n 2018 N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
which went to number one in Korea in April, and then number three in October in Japan. This marked my first official placement in the K-Pop realm of which there is so much more to come. I was credited as producer, songwriter, and arranger.” Kaelar's next full album release, "The Second Industrial Revolution" was on December 5, 2019. The album was renowned and extolled by critics, and was quoted as being uncompromising, daring and utterly raw. Broadway World Music reviewed the album, "At its essence the album is a celebration of this "imperfect", exalting the artistic beauty and freedom that lies in surrender to that. From the very start of the album, in titular single 'THE SECOND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION', there is a grainy, clipping quality to the production this is far removed from the polished normalcy of much of today's electronica, carried through as the album begins its descent into darkness." Referring to the album, Varien speaks about wanting to connect with his imperfect, marginalized and "weird" audience, saying, "Throw away the shrink wrap and throw yourself into the abyss with me." It was also stated that the album The Second Industrial Revolution was produced "in the pits of aelar'sdeepest depression," and " ifted himthrough the dark times" as well as resulted in a physical relocation of Kaelar to the Northern European country of Finland. The Broadway World Music article also states, "Adored by critics and followed with a feverish, almost cult-like manner by fans, elusive US electronic producer Varien ... continues to push the boundaries of his chosen genres from his position within the shadows of American musical counter culture. isis a unique space, flexing across countless areas within music but continually refusing to compromise or dilute his work." On December 23, 2019, Relentless Beats reviewed the album and stated it to be a complete masterpiece as well as one of their favorite albums of 2019. In the review they stated, "Overall, The Second Industrial Revolution truly blew me away. The transitions from grungy, distorted basses to soft, elegant melodies was effortless and the story lies in these musical parallels. On one hand, the world Varien created was dark and meaningless, yet on the other it was beautiful and full of life." And concluded, "Everything Varien touches seems to turn into gold, no matter the genre." In 2019, EDM.com described him as "
Trent Reznor Michael Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He came to prominence as the founder, lead singer, multi-instrumentalist, and primary songwriter of the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. T ...
dark lord of this generation in electronic music". As one of Varien's most prominent features, EDM.com states that Kaelar is "on the same playing field," as
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
frontman Trent Reznor. The articles states, "It's hard to place someone on the same wavelength as Reznor, but Kaelar's Varien moniker has achieved immense success and garnered an unprecedented vision for music, something Reznor accomplished just as flawlessly. Varien is now coming around and finding himself as musician and artist." On December 12, 2019, Raver Mag commented on Varien's prominent return to the industry, "After a well-documented ghosting of the music industry, he returned just over 12 months and since then has been on what can only be described as a production rampage, releasing not just electronica but also #1 K-Pop hit singles and soundtracks for movies like John Wick 3 and
Replicants A replicant is a fictional bioengineered humanoid featured in the 1982 film ''Blade Runner'' and the 2017 sequel ''Blade Runner 2049'' which is physically indistinguishable from an adult human and often possesses superhuman strength and intelli ...
." Kaelar stated in the interview that when writing The Second Industrial Revolution he drew a lot of his time from writing K-Pop because that's what taught him the mechanics of writing hooks and catchy rhythms. Kaelar states in the Raver Mag feature that he believes art, poetry, theory,
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
combined with razor sharp logic, rationality, reasoning, and critical thinking can assist in practical ways of dealing with the world. In the interview, he also states that if he had the choice to bring whoever he wanted to dinner dead or alive, he would choose Lana Wachowski,
David Foster Wallace David Foster Wallace (February 21, 1962 – September 12, 2008) was an American writer and professor who published novels, short stories, and essays. He is best known for his 1996 novel ''Infinite Jest'', which ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine ...
,
Chuck Palahniuk Charles Michael Palahniuk (;, , born February 21, 1962) is an American novelist of Ukrainian and French ancestry who describes his work as transgressional fiction. He has published 19 novels, three nonfiction books, two graphic novels, and two ad ...
,
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
, and
Brit Marling Brit Marling (born August 7, 1982) is an American actress and screenwriter. She rose to prominence after starring in several films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, including '' Sound of My Voice'' (2011), '' Another Earth'' (2011), a ...
. He concluded the interview by stating that if he had to be remembered for saying anything he would want it to be the statement,"That I lived life to its fullest and always dared to try."


Discography


References

{{Authority control 1990 births Living people Record producers from Florida 21st-century American composers 21st-century American male musicians Monstercat artists