ARKADYAN have built a reputation for merging live instrumentation with club-focused rhythms, drawing on jazz, reggae, salsa, and Afro-house influences. Their performances at Tomorrowland, Beachouse Ibiza, and Surf Club Dubai reflect this approach, balancing structured grooves with an improvisational feel. Their collaborations, including Leleley with Bob Sinclar, place them at the intersection of organic and electronic sounds, shaping a style that is both intricate and direct. On one of their latest tracks, "Forever We Young", they team up with Yana Mann and Africanism for a track that blends warm, percussive house with ethereal melodic elements.

Rather than a revival, "Forever We Young" extends this tradition, offering a sophisticated fusion of rhythm, melody, and history.

ARKADYAN discusses with 6AM their diverse musical influences, the creative process behind Forever We Young, and the impact of major DJs playing their tracks, all while gearing up for their debut album release.

Hi ARKADYAN! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us at 6AM Group. How’s life treating you all right now?

Thank you for having us! What a coincidence—we’re finishing an India tour and literally replying to you at 6 AM sharp. We're doing great. March is a busy travel month for us after being stuck in the studio working on many new productions. So we're happy to finally be "on the road again."

 

Your sound is built on live instrumentation blended with electronic music, drawing from jazz, reggae, salsa, and Afro-house. How did you all decide to bring in these diverse elements together? 

The three of us have different musical backgrounds… this is a unique aspect of ARKADYAN. When we're in the studio working on new projects, things come easily—almost naturally. The music we grew up with is incredibly diverse, from jazz to classical, African to electronic music. Like a painter with an extensive palette of colors, we don’t hesitate to use every idea we have inside, no matter the style of music that inspires us.

 

When you’re crafting a track, how do you decide which instruments to bring into the mix? Do certain cultures or rhythms naturally call for specific elements, or do you let the process be more instinctual?

When we explore specific styles, it feels like a tribute to us, so we try to stay as close as possible to the original vibe. For example, we have a few tracks inspired by Balkan folklore, where we use a lot of horns to capture the specific color we're looking for. Of course, we also experiment with new ideas, and not everything works every time! Music is a big laboratory, and that’s what we love about it. There's also a spontaneous element to our productions—we’ve had friends and family shout or speak in our tracks if it felt right in the moment!

 

You’ve performed at major venues like Tomorrowland, Beachouse Ibiza, and Surf Club Dubai. Each of these places has its own energy— How does performing in these different settings push you to adapt, and is there a moment from one of these shows that really stands out?

We love all the places you mentioned. Tomorrowland is a legendary festival, so we go for a punchy, summer flow. Surf Club is the biggest beach party in Dubai, so we usually play a happier, groovier set. Beachouse has a more organic flow, but still carries a good energy vibe.

 

 

You have an upcoming track, "Forever We Young" which fuses Africanism’s rhythmic foundation with Yana Mann’s classical-meets-electronic vocals. Classical training and Afro-house exist in two very different musical worlds—was there a moment in the studio where those differences clashed? And how did you find a way to make them speak the same language? Why was it important to work with these two other artists on this track?

It was actually very easy and natural to combine ARKADYAN’s afro-house beats and melodies with the elegant and powerful opera voice of Yana Mann. Africanism, with the help of Bob Sinclar himself, really liked this mix and did a fantastic job on sound design and synth elements. The collaboration between the three of us resulted in a really elegant, catchy song that the crowd immediately vibes with and sings along to on first listen. We're very happy with the result—and even happier to finally release it, as it has been part of our live sets for two years now.

 

Is there a significant meaning behind the name “Forever We Young” and why it’s “We” instead of using “We’re”?

"FOREVER WE YOUNG"—because we all are, right? We wanted this song to feel nostalgic yet full of hope. When we asked Yana Mann (our friend, an opera singer and mezzo-soprano) to bring emotion to our instrumental, we asked her to explore the meaning of being young and dreaming for a lifetime—something that saves us from everyday problems. She found these lyrics, which fit perfectly and really define who we are. We chose to say "we young" instead of "we're young" to match the flow and melody better—it’s as simple as that ;-)

 

 

Having artists like Black Coffee, Diplo, and Bedouin play your music on massive stages introduces your sound to completely different audiences around the world. Do you notice a shift in how your tracks connect with listeners after they’ve been played by these heavyweights? Have there been any unexpected places or communities where your music suddenly gained traction because of their support?

At this level of popularity, when a famous DJ plays any track, the crowd screams, dances, and applauds their "hero" of the night. So, sometimes we perform in front of a small audience where people just vibe, but when big DJs play the same songs, suddenly we get a huge crowd reaction. And if you catch these moments on social media, you gain more recognition than from two years of playing it in smaller venues—hahaha!

But honestly, what a pleasure it is to see the crowds at Tomorrowland, Hï Ibiza, or Burning Man vibing to your productions—reacting to ideas you had in the shower and then produced in your little home studio :-)

 

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us. Is there anything else you’d like to share before signing off?

You're welcome! Yes, we’re finishing our first album right now, and we have big support from Hugel on our new collaboration with Grossomoddo, "Iag Bari," which will be released soon on his label MakeTheGirlsDance.

 

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