18-year-old Karazey might be relatively a new face in the Malaysian music scene, but he’s been extremely busy tinkering in his bedroom studio, producing some truly refreshing sounds of late through his collaborations with fellow artistes.

Most recently, the young self-taught musician collaborated with Esty Richard to compose an EDM track, Through My Mind, in just a matter of five hours. What’s most astounding is that the entire collaboration took place via Zoom.

We decided to get in touch with Karazey to find out what are some tips he can share with budding musicians, specifically those who’re self-taught, to improve their music in a short amount of time.

Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.

Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.

Hey Karazey! You’ve been extremely busy in the recent 12 months based on what I see on your Spotify list. What is it about music-making that you enjoy so much?

The idea of experimenting and creating something from scratch excites me.

I feel that when you’re doing something creative and when you land the first stroke of your brush on the canvas and begin creating something that wasn’t there, that feeling is really liberating. You can paint anything on your canvas whether it’s how you’re feeling or trying to capture the moment, these are essentially the same principles that apply to me when I make music. The freedom of being creative and expressing myself.

How old were you when you released your first track and what was it about? 

Before I made Karazey my alias, I was releasing music under my childhood in-game name which was Ripper. There were about 12 songs that I made which only landed on Soundcloud but, I lost access to the account and the songs were gone. I was 15 when I released my first song as Karazey named Bright Days.

On New Year’s Eve going from 2017 to 2018, I had the opportunity to DJ for a party at my church. A small gathering of 50 people was there for the countdown. I had only 30 minutes to perform and I would love to say I did it differently than the other DJ as he was playing radio hits meanwhile I was playing underground EDM music that nobody heard of.

The party vibe was boosted and I wanted to live that moment as a reminder that I did perform and it was epic. The night felt so special because I got to do what I wanted, make people happy with my music.

I went back home and sketched the idea for Bright Days which has such an uplifting feel to it and always reminds me of that night. It is a special song for me until today.

You’re a self-taught musician. How did you improve yourself musically? 

There’s this subreddit called r/edmproduction that really helped me with a ton of tutorials and posts regarding music production. They had a discord server which I joined and I met my mentor Ken Seeker over there.

Ken coached me from the start and always pushed me to make my music better. I remember sending my music to him to ask for feedback. He is a really helpful and kind friend to me. I also learned a lot from YouTube channels such as Zen World, Oversampled, Alex Rome, Alex Moukala, and so on.

The hardest part for me was not knowing theory because picking up mixing and mastering was quick and I was focused on the wrong thing at the start. I didn’t pay much attention to my compositions and worried so much about making them sound like the industry standard.

Ken always told me, there’s no point mixing a bad song all the way to perfection if the composition isn’t good. I took a year break and wrote chords and melodies, trying to improve my theory. I still do not know any theory and I’m going in like a blind bat when trying to create them. One thing is for sure, it takes a long time before I make the melody/chords in my head but, when I do, it’s the best feeling in the world.

How many hours in a day did you dedicate to music to get to the level you’re at? And how many hours do you put in now to improve?

I could not dedicate many hours as I had school and homework to do most of the time but, whenever I had an hour to spare, I would work on music. This kind of forced me to be disciplined and give my full focus when making music. It also sped up my workflow as a producer. I can make full songs in about a day and they’re about 80% done.

My remix of IDGAD by An Honest Mistake was done in a day. There’s something Ira Glass said before that there’s this gap between our taste and the output we have.

I do not know exactly how many hours do I put in now to improve because it’s not fixed rather it’s random. I would wake up at 5 in the morning with a sudden burst of ideas or I would make something in the evening when it is raining, maybe something chill and lo-fi?

How supportive is your family in your endeavor to become a musician? Did you face resistance from anyone and if you did, how did you overcome them?

My family has always been supportive of my music as they always push me to do what makes me happy. They advised me to pursue a degree in something to ensure, I have a Plan B while I would be hustling for my Plan A which is music.

Most of my friends are very supportive too and they are very invested in the entire Team Karazey. There were some people who didn’t think my music was worth anything and that it was bad. They laughed and ridiculed me. This did affect me and I was worried so much but, I tried to ignore it as best as I could and I focused on making more music.

The funny thing is when I was featured on Hitz and so on, these people came back and started to act friendly. It’s a little suspicious but, okay I guess.

What do you hope to achieve musically?

I love seeing people create memories and cherishing moments with my music. The goal has always been to make music that I love and that makes me excited. I am entirely grateful for everything that I have been blessed with, I hope to continue my journey as an artist and leave an impact on the world. Here’s to many more collaborations and future endeavours.

What’s special about Through My Mind, a collaborative effort with Esty Richard apart from the other tracks you’ve released?

5 hours Zoom session and the track was done. Esty is a really talented singer/songwriter and it was an honour to work with her.

This song really challenged me in terms of the musicality and sonics as it was a little more difficult to mix it down and master it. I did it gladly though as I find it like a puzzle for me to solve.

There are two more versions of TMM that I’m working on, the acoustic version and club mix. This song just has so many different ways it could go and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.

TL/DR

Here’s a quick recap of some of the ideas that Karazey has shared for budding musicians to improve their talent in a short amount of time.
Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.

1. Have an interest and enjoy what you’re doing. This is super important because if you don’t have an interest in a creative form, you’re essentially wasting your time and effort. In fact, we’ll add that interest should trump the desire to make money or obtain fame. It’s the love for the art form that should keep you going and improving. For Karazey, he enjoys experimenting with his tracks as it excites him and this challenges him creatively.
   Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.
2. Get yourself out there. Had Karazey not taken up the offer to perform at his church, he wouldn’t have known that he has what it takes to be a musician. It’s okay to be make mistakes. The important thing is to boldly let the world know that you have a talent and continuously improve.
   Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.
3. Always be learning. Though Karazey doesn’t have a set amount of time to practice his craft on a daily basis, he allows his learning process to be absolutely organic and random. If you truly are passionate about something, always be figuring out ways to improve yourself theoretically and practically.
   Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.
4. Networking is key. Being a part of a group or forum is not enough. You need to be engaging with fellow creatives in your respective discipline. This will not only help build relationships but also open doors for collaborative opportunities. In Karazey’s case, he joined Reddit groups and made tons of musician friends online across the world.
   Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.
5. Find a mentor. While researching tutorials online is one of the most effective ways to improve, the next step is to identify someone within your artistic circle whom you respect to become your mentor. Having someone with experience to guide you in your creative process is essential because they can prevent you from making some of the mistakes they made. Figure out ways to turn the mentorship into a mutually benefits both parties. This is one of the reasons Karazey was able to quickly improve thanks to his mentor, Ken Seeker.
   Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.
6. Surround yourself with a support system. Karazey is blessed to have supportive family and friends. For some of us, we might need to rethink our circle of friends if they’re not as supportive as they should be. This doesn’t mean that you should break your ties with them. Perhaps finding like-minded, passionate individuals like you, and spending more time with them might help balance things out.
   Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.
7. Challenge yourself creatively. Composing music within 5 hours through Zoom is no easy feat but Karazey accepted the challenge, daunting as it was. The result is a unique EDM track. You’ll be surprised at your own self if you allow yourself to solve some creative challenges.

Ultimately, the combination of all the ideas above would certainly help you improve significantly so long as you practice them diligently on a daily basis.

All images in this feature were supplied by Karazey. 

Copied and pasted from Eksentrika.

Follow Karazey here. If you’re a creative who wants to be featured, get in touch with us here.