| The Ancient & Arcane | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 5, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2014-15 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 29:47 | |||
| Label | Monstercat | |||
| Producer | Nikki Kaelar | |||
| Varien chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Ancient & Arcane | ||||
| ||||
The Ancient & Arcane is the debut studio album by American electronic music producer Varien. [1] [2] The album was released on August 5, 2015, by independent electronic music label Monstercat. [3] [4]
On July 22, 2015, Monstercat released Supercell, the first single from Kaelar's upcoming album, The Ancient & Arcane. [5] [6] The song was released alongside a music video featuring, as Matthew Meadow of Your EDM states, "A woman behind a computer screen, writing code, as she realizes that her code is sentient, personified by Varien himself". [7]
In a Reddit AMA held on August 4, what happened to a psytrance song he was working on, in which Kaelar responded "That psy-trance thing ended up becoming the entire album idea for The Ancient & Arcane". [3] Ryan Middleton of Music Times questioned Kaelar about his influences surrounding the album, which Kaelar responded:
Well, my love for video games exposed me to all genres at a super early age; the scoring in video games is actually a huge reason I got into music. As I learned theory, I realized that the only major difference between genres was instrumentation and arrangement, and that melodies can be carried to any genre and still work.
So keeping that in mind, you have to look at this album as essentially an amalgamation of all of my influences, with none being more important than the other. [8]
When speaking about the album, Kaelar commented on the production process of The Ancient & Arcane, stating:
The Ancient & Arcane is really a free flowing amalgamation of influences and inspirations for me that I’ve held true for a long time. A lot of people will think this is a ‘reinvention of Varien’ when in reality, the genre-less nature of this album in whole is really what I’m all about. [1]
Matthew Meadow of Your EDM praised the single Supercell, stating "The beauty of this track is in the writing, production and arrangement, effortlessly conveying a deep message and dancey atmosphere" and described Kaelar's performance in the music video "blissfully enticing". [7] Sean Reis of EDM Sauce stated "Featuring the beautiful vocals of Veela, Supercell was already a massive release, but now accompanied by such an in depth music video? Supercell and the rest of The Ancient & Arcane album are truly works of art!" [5] Nick Pesavento of By The Waves stated "The entire song is dreamy and with the beautiful vocals, this track could weave a spell of calm over an audience with ease". [6]
Jordan Diaz of Dancing Astronaut stated "Incorporating elements of Latin jazz, electro swing and Japanese future bass, among others, Varien emblazons his sonic finesse for his premiere full-length body of work". [1] Alex Zimmerman of Only the Beat stated "Varien’s debut album The Ancient & Arcane takes it back to the days of meaningful, journey filled albums, mixing several genres, emotions and everything in between to create a one-of-a-kind album. Listen below and let your mind wander". [2]
Paige Endykiewicz praised the album, stating:
The entire production of this LP is spellbinding and captivating to say the least. So much heart, soul and creativity was involved with the making of this release. I am truly thankful that Nick Pittsinger, known to most as Varien, is in existence to bring us all something that wanders so far outside of the EDM realm. All of the vocalists chosen did an outstanding job as well, bringing such amazing feelings into these songs. Congratulations Varien on such a well thought out, and well felt through masterpiece. [4]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Ancient & Arcane" | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Snowlight" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Supercell" (featuring Veela) | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Transmissions from Lemuria" | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Hypnotique" (featuring Charlotte Haining) | 4:21 |
| 6. | "Firefly" (Intermission) | 2:11 |
| 7. | "Kamisama" (featuring Miyoki) | 4:09 |
| 8. | "Ghost Spores" (featuring Laura Brehm) | 5:09 |
| Total length: | 29:47 | |
Stanley Stevenson Byrne, better known by his stage name Fox Stevenson, is an English singer-songwriter, DJ and producer of bass music, mostly drum and bass and glitch hop. He has released eleven EPs under Fox Stevenson, one under Stan SB, and has been featured on two compilations under Stan SB and eighteen under the name of Fox Stevenson.
Monstercat is a Canadian independent electronic music record label based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Alex Vlastaras, commonly known by his stage name Aero Chord, is a Greek electronic trap producer. He is mostly known for his songs within the trap genre, but has also delved into other music genres.
James Leusink, better known by his alias Ephixa, is a Canadian electronic music producer who lives in Ontario, Canada. He is best known for his viral "Charlie Sheen Bi-Winning" dubstep remix, remixes of music from the Legend of Zelda franchise as well as various other remixes and original electronic music. Leusink peaked at #11 on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart in November 2011. Ephixa is also known for the first ever single released by Canadian record label Monstercat, "Dubstep Killed Rock 'n' Roll".
Nikki Kaelar, 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, orchestral, neofolk, and ambient music. 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.
Hayden Capuozzo, better known by his stage name Kayzo, is an American DJ based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for remixing songs and incorporating trap and hardstyle genres into his remixes. His collaboration with Riot "Wake Up" received more than 200,000 plays in less than 24 hours.
Nerds by Nature is the fifth extended play by electronic duo Pegboard Nerds. Nerds by Nature was released on 13 January 2017, by independent electronic music label Monstercat.
Two Fold Pt. 1 is the fifth studio album by Lafayette-based electronic producer Martin Vogt, commonly known as his stage name, Haywyre. The album was released by Canadian record label Monstercat on 31 March 2014.
Monstercat 5 Year Anniversary is a compilation album by the Independent record label Monstercat, released on 15 July 2016 and features ten songs from various artists. The album was announced to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Monstercat, which was founded on 1 July 2011.
This is the discography of electronic dance music producers and DJs Pegboard Nerds.
"Cold Hearted" is a song by American electronic producers Jeff Montalvo and Jacob Stanczak. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on October 25, 2017.
Mustafa Alobaidi, better known by his stage name Muzz, is an English drum and bass producer and DJ. He first gained attention with his release on UKF, "X No Way Out" in 2010 and continues to release music, most predominantly on Monstercat. He has also worked with other labels, such as UKF Music and Liquicity.
Carl Garsbo, better known by his stage name Kasbo, is an electronic record producer and DJ, originating from Gothenburg, Sweden. Starting his music career in 2013, he released multiple songs independently and through labels such as Monstercat, Foreign Family Collective and bitbird. He also released a couple songs on NoCopyrightSounds, those being "Steps", and "Horizon".
"Ready to Fly" is a song by Swedish electronic producer Didrick, featuring American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young of Owl City. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 9 January 2018. The song was released as the debut of Monstercat: Instinct and was the first song to be released as part of the compilation album Monstercat Instinct Vol. 1, released 15 June 2018.
Victory is the fourth extended play by Dutch electronic music record producer San Holo. Canadian independent electronic label Monstercat released the extended play on 25 May 2015. The extended play gathered generally positive reviews and was later accompanied by a remix extended play, released on 17 November 2015.
"FTW" is a song by electronic music duo Lets Be Friends, consisting of English DJ and producer John Ford and Israeli electronic music producer Oren Emanuel. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 3 February 2014. The song was originally released as part of the compilation album Monstercat 016 – Expedition, released 26 February 2014. It was later featured as part of Monstercat's Best of 2014 compilation album, released on 26 January 2015.
"Losing You" is a song by Canadian electronic music producer Ephixa and American singer-songwriter Laura Brehm. Canadian record label Monstercat released it on 1 February 2017. The song was originally released as part of the compilation album Monstercat 030 – Finale, released 22 February 2017. It was later featured as part of Monstercat's Best of 2017 compilation album, released on 18 December 2017.
Austin Collins, better known as Au5, is an American electronic musician from New Jersey. Au5's music encompasses a range of electronic genres such as dubstep, house, trance, drum and bass, drumstep and ambient, and he is known for fusing the characteristics of trance and dubstep in his music. Au5 is best known for his releases on Canadian label Monstercat, some of which have received millions of views on YouTube.
The discography of American composer, musician, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Varien. Genres have been cited as industrial, metal, orchestral, neofolk, and ambient music. This includes material that has been credited under their stage names Chrono Rabbit, Halo Nova, Koinu, as well as their names Nick Kaelar and Nikki Kaelar.
