Artists Asking Artists: Carv & Farrago

Celebrated Belgian DJ/Producer and label head Farrago remains one of Techno’s next-generation frontrunners, blazing a trail with his unique sonic arsenal. Pushing an unprecedented sound both in the studio and behind the decks, Farrago’s devotion to pushing the limits of the more brutal techno sound has seen him align with some of the genre’s most respected brands, including A R T S, EXHALE, and Lenske among others. More recently, his Vermillion Trax imprint has become a base for Farrago to amplify not only his work but of other exemplary talents, including enigmatic German artist CARV, whom he links up with for an incredible four-track EP titled ‘Radical Love Club.’ 

Below, the two artists sit down for an exclusive chat to discuss the process of their collab and beyond. 

Farrago asks CARV

Professionally, if you weren’t a DJ/Producer what would you be doing right now?

I would probably still be an IT engineer like before. I worked for a pharmaceutical company as an IT Engineer for a long time. It was a very flexible job with good working conditions.

People have many different reasons to hide their identity, what was the idea behind the mask for you?

The idea of wearing the mask came from wanting to let the music be the main thing. There shouldn’t be a person behind it, so people should concentrate purely on the music. In times of social media, too often people focus on what someone looks like, etc. It’s also quite pleasant because you can separate your private life from the public better.

Are you self-taught, or did you follow some kind of course or class to learn music production?

I played musical instruments in my childhood, so I already had a basic musical understanding. Everything else I taught myself. Because there was so much interest in producing music myself, I spent my youth producing day and night.

What country do you most look forward to visiting, on tour or vacation or both?

There are many, but I’m really looking forward to the USA as I’ve never been there before. However, countries like Japan are also very interesting. It’s hard to decide on just one.

Can I wear a mask too whenever we decide to do a B2B in the future?

Of course you can! That would make it even more special!

CARV asks Farrago

What is the story behind your alias name Farrago?

If I had to do it all again, I would ask the help of my good friend ChatGPT but back then you had to go look for ideas yourself and I used search engines to find cool sounding (and looking) words with interesting meaning that fit me. There’s no real story but I knew when I read about Farrago that this name was a good match for my style of DJing as it means ‘a confusing mix of different things’.

I do believe it has somewhat of a negative connotation and use but that didn’t bother me, I was done looking!

Have you made other music in the past or has it always been techno?

I started with House and later Hip Hop. After a short phase of DnB, I then got into Electro house and even produced a few Linkin Park-esque Alternative Rock records haha. I basically went through all the stages as I started very young, around 16 or so.

I didn’t really have an endgame with my music production. I was just doing it for fun and making what I was listening to at the time.

What was the best experience of your entire career till now?

There have been many amazing weekends but by far my favourite part of the job is the summer festival season. There’s one gig I will always remember, and it was my first time Awakenings Festival. I was playing rather early, and it had been raining all day so I was super stressed that my stage wouldn’t be crowded. On top of that I was running late due to a flight delay, so I rushed to the festival and then ran to my stage and when I arrived in the DJ booth, I was so stressed to prepare my setup quickly without losing time and then I looked up and saw that my tent was fully packed, and it gave me so much confidence. Because at a festival like this there’s amazing DJs playing om every stage and it’s super competitive. That day I really felt like I had made it.

Your favourite activity besides music?

It’s a close call between gaming and sports. Both have been a major part of my life since I was a young boy. I played football from 5 to 17 and got my first gaming console age 6. I still make time in my busy life to keep invest time in both hobbies. Gaming less actively but I started learning a software to program and develop digital environments that can be used for gaming or film/animation. It’s my new passion.

To what kind of music are you listening to besides electronic music, and maybe a favourite band or artist?

I listened to a lot punk rock and alternative rock when I was in my skateboarding phase. I still have some playlists with this kind of music and love to listen to it in the car or in the gym. Some of my favourite bands from back then are Dead Kennedys, Goldfinger, AFI, Millencolin