From the dark, pulsating heart of the techno scene, emerges a name that has been steadily carving its own niche: HARDEN. A DJ and producer who has become synonymous with driving, hypnotic beats, HARDEN has been captivating audiences at some of the world’s most revered techno institutions, from the hallowed halls of Berghain to the industrial depths of Tresor. With a sound that is both meticulously crafted and viscerally raw, his recent releases have been met with critical acclaim, further cementing his position as a formidable force in electronic music. In this exclusive interview, we sit down with the enigmatic artist to discuss his creative process, his journey through the electronic music landscape, and the story behind his latest, bone-rattling productions.
Hi! Thanks for taking the time to speak to us. How are you and how has your day been. Walk us through a day in the life of HARDEN.
Ha!!! Best question ever. I wish I could tell you that there was some consistency to my day-to-day. Most days involve time with artists or friends. I generally like to take long lunches and have a drink or two in the late afternoon. Somedays I mix late into the evening or into the next day with artists I admire and enjoy playing with. Other times I’m catching up on rest and veg-out with pasta and a movie that will most certainly put me out. I’m often traveling to Vegas or Miami or elsewhere… Much of my day is on the phone or in the computer, which is all well and good because I’m talking to my friends about what’s next. It’s a wild ride, my day-to-day. What day is it???
Tell us about your route into dance music, where and when and why did you start, what were some key moments along the way?
I’ve always loved dance music. When I was in my teens, I used to go to a legendary Denver club called Rock Island, and later on I would go to the Church. But I was way more into rock music when I was young. I was into the harder side of indie rock as well as some lo-fi indie stuff that few cared about. I once thought I was a bass player and later became a guitar player because my dad convinced me that it was absurd to play bass without a band (he was right). Early on, while I listened to some dance music, I was really only recording rock music (I’m terrified to listen to those four-tracks) and didn’t start performing dance music until much later. As far as key moments, well, once I accidentally and drunkenly asked a well known and accomplished Denver resident-DJ what to buy for a great DJ set-up, even though I had never DJ’d. We had quite a few pints that day, and I was interested in what he was making with a well known Spanish dance music artist. When the gear came a few days later, after I had finally sobered up, I was like “fuck!!!.” Then I just started taking it all in (to avoid humiliation) and it was great because I didn’t need bandmates to enjoy playing like before… I was able to just “jam” (to nobody, I sucked). I then became quite obsessed and was wondering why I was screwing around with rock for so long. It was great and soon my guitars got quite dusty.
Has Denver always been a popping place for music? What’s the scene like compared to when you were younger?
In some ways, yes. I never really got into the jam-band scene, which is fairly big in Denver. The city has always had a decent dance music scene with some fairly well known club staples. BETA was founded by the fellas that started Beatport, and at one point, Rolling Stone even called it the best club in America, at least according to a sign that hanged off the side of the club. So there was something cooking in Denver on the dance floors, as far as I know. I would occasionally go to clubs in Denver but I was more focused on weird rock that nobody else cared about, so I’m not sure I have the best gauge on that. Denver has Red Rocks and many other very cool venues, and it’s always been an important place for music with many historic shows in a beautiful place. That said, when I was young, I hated the scene because we weren’t attracting the artists that I loved…. because we were in the middle of the country with no other big cities around us. Denver has always attracted the big acts and the jam band stuff, but now there’s more of an “indie” or “underground” vibe to it. I think the city has grown a lot when it comes to music vibe. There are so many folks working very hard to bring interesting artists to the city and they put them on well. It’s impressive, all that is going on in Denver. I love it.
What was the inspiration behind ‘Fugazi’ and how did the track come together?
Fugazi is my favorite band and they’d beat the fuck out of me if they heard me say that, hahaha. Truly, they changed my life. There was something about the constitution of that band, their integrity in their sound and in their spirit. I saw Fugazi when I was 16 and it changed my life. I was probably a bit cultish even, although nobody would know because they never sold a tee shirt or a bumper sticker (those that had them were immediately identified as posers). I admit that I wanted to wear a Fugazi tee-shirt sold at a store near my home, but I was also terrified that Ian McKaye would find out and drive out to Denver in a vegetable-oil-chugging Subaru and slap me. The bottom line is that I love this fucking band. Very few of my friends liked them, and I liked that. My brother and I share our love for Fugazi to this day and it connects me to a special time in my life. Loving Fugazi is undeniably the right thing, hahaha, but that’s not why I love them. I just fucking loved their music and there were so many moments during important person-shaping times in my life that they were there for me. I hope that I get to see them again some day.
The track is another that my musical hero and best friend Fergie wrote with me. It has elements that remind me of the best of Fugazi… big dramatic moments… huge sounds that shake your soul… it just reminded me so much of the elements of Fugazi that I love, that helped shape me as a person. I’m really happy with how it came out. Maybe others won’t like it, which would be just fine and the most Fugazi thing ever. It’s just a personal one for me, no other way to say it.
And your recent ‘Onyx Doe’ EP – What fueled that? Where do you draw inspiration from before getting in the studio?
Well, it’s hard to know what fuels this stuff, isn’t it? There’s a bit of a Fugazi-dischordy-angsty thing in that track too. Fuel comes from the soul when it comes to making music. I don’t know that you can put your finger on it. I think that when it comes to inspiration and fuel, it’s important to me that the music I’m involved in has bite, edge, and texture. It has to feel a bit dark and it has to feel like it would annoy your dad, which my music always has (I love you, dad). It can’t be too clean. It has to feel like a song that expresses that part of yourself that you can’t otherwise say. It isn’t music that can be played in a restaurant that is applying for a Michelin star, but it works at the skate park. I have always been drawn to music that has power and heart and I think it comes from my days in high school, being holed up in my room for hours with few friends and a tube amp, annoying the hell out of everybody in the house. I can feel those chords in the music. I can feel that angst of a young person trying to figure out what the fuck he’s supposed to do with his life. That’s the inspiration. My story, the story of how I’m even here answering these questions. It’s wild.
What is your current studio set up? What was used on the above? An favorite toys or equipment?
The set-up is ever-evolving. I’ve been developing a truly special artist inspiration/studio space in Denver. As a person that likes ripping guitars with the gain “turnt” up, I am naturally drawn to instruments as opposed to what a computer can provide. I have a variety of synths and compression gear. I own drum machines. I have a 201 Roland space echo that I find nifty. I like the ancient instruments of dance music, and of course, there is work that’s done “in the box.” As far as a favorite piece of gear, it’s probably the massive synth that I got from Fergie. It has special history and looks cool as fuck.
Your debut EP made serious waves on Beatport — Did you expect that kind of reception? Does it add pressure next time you get in the studio to do the same thing that worked before?
I think it’s fun to have a song recognized and it wasn’t something I experienced before when I made music early in my life (essentially to an audience of 1, me). It felt cool to get the accolades, but honestly, it doesn’t change how I feel about the track. I love it. I love what it means to me. I don’t feel any extra pressure. Most of the music that I have loved in my life, with the exception of a few artists, hasn’t charted anything. Doing well on Beatport is just fun, really cool, which is a lot.
What’s the vision behind the Casa Alta brand and how did it all start?
I want to meaningfully contribute to music culture. I want to share experience and sound that wouldn’t otherwise happen. The reason Casa Alta exists is because I was listening to a particular edit of a Beatles’ track (“Because”) which Bedouin played at Sundream. I thought, damn, it’s lame that Bedouin hasn’t been in Denver in a long while (I wasn’t even sure if they had been ever). It was just a silly thought but somebody heard my idea and I met some folks that helped make the show happen. The show came together quickly and sold out. It was amazing. I cried the next day on my way to the airport because I realized it was the first time in my life that I had done something for my community in that way. I knew that the show wouldn’t have happened without this silly thought that I manifested. It felt so amazing. I had been to a lot of amazing events and experienced music in very cool ways. This was different – I brought this to my home city and shared something that wouldn’t have otherwise happened. Many of the attendees would never have seen this duo. Folks that I had never met loved that show and have told me so, still to this day. There was probably a couple of people that met for the first time and who knows what else. It just overwhelmed me. From then on, I wanted to be involved in events that were special. Now we have an incredible studio/artist space, label, and are involved in very special events. It all started from just wanting to add to the culture – to share something with my community that I love.
How important is community and collaboration in what you’re building with the new Casa Alta studio?
I’ve been very lucky to work with some all stars that are helping shape an incredible facility with a soul that will far outlive me. We were able to attract some very talented artists in the construction of the studio and I’m blown away by the care that they have given this project. I really want this to be a special place for my city. It’s a private place for sure, but it’s one that I hope people are proud of knowing that we have it in our city. Denver deserves special places for special artists and many of them live in my city. It’s been amazing meeting many of the artists that have helped make this new space one of the most unique music-creation spaces on the planet. I couldn’t be happier with how well the project has come together from an energetic and artistic perspective, driven by the beautiful artists in my community.
Can you give us an insight into what we can expect with the new hub? Any specific features, hardware that makes it special?
I really want this facility to be a place that great art comes from. I know that the facility will help inspire the talented folks that come through. The music I’ve enjoyed has always been analog. It’s been driven by physics and not hard drives. I’ve collected some incredible pieces of machinery for artists to work with. Undoubtedly, the texture, character and depth of the music that can be made in this studio is different. I want that music to live forever – the sounds that come from sound waves and not computer programs. It sounds and feels different. It’s important that we keep that alive. The music that comes from analog equipment and compression sounds different. I prefer that sound – it rattles my bones and squeezes my heart. I want to offer that to the artists that are making this music that I love. The equipment is pristine and beautiful. The inspiration at the space is abundant and soulful. There is a performance area for artists that want to entertain their team/friends/family after they play a big show. There’s a hifi vinyl lounge with an analog rotary mixer and thousands of records to dig through and play. The space has incredible vibe and hopefully inspires beautiful art, and if not, it’s still going to be a hell of a place to kick it. I’m excited to see all the ways we can make this place work for the grater good of music-kind.
You’ve hosted some big names at your events — Is there one moment that stands out as a turning point?
I’m so grateful for all of the artists that have played for Casa Alta. I’ll never be able to tell them enough what it means to me that they said yes, I’ll trust you to put on a show for me. That requires a lot of trust. One of the first few shows that I put on was Fergie, the absolute legend. We bonded and I watched him play a set that blew my mind. Now I get to play with Fergie occasionally and he is a huge part of what Casa Alta does. That show changed my life forever and made my life immeasurably richer.
What three records never leave your bag?
– Arnaud Rebotini – Pagan Dance Move,
– Nick Curly – Mute Navigator (Black Circle Remix), and
– Fergie – Ireland.
What’s the craziest party you’ve ever played?
I recently played in a storage unit, which was pretty interesting. I mean, if I’m being honest, “craziest” is a dangerous question to ask me. I have to be careful here, haha. That said, I did play some afters at Spearmint Rhino in Las Vegas during EDC and it was surreal playing at one of the world’s best known gentlemen’s clubs while in full operation. I can’t say that the customers were too focused on the tunes, but it was a vibe.
What advice would you give to young producers looking to start a label or create a brand?
Check your ego and try to find folks that have been around. Some of the best producers and promoters in music are quiet. They don’t care about trends or afters and they work with the best folks in the industry. Be curious and be humble. Learn from those that came before you, many of whom are still actually doing important work. This isn’t novel. Music leaves scars. Go find the folks that have done something, that are quiet. Avoid “cool” people that have been around for a cup of coffee. If they’re killing it, they likely have something special you don’t have anyway. Be patient but don’t be waiting around for somebody to anoint you “the worthy DJ/producer” of whatever either. Nobody cares about you. It’s cutthroat. You have to be ambitious. You have to work with the best. You have to get your whatever out into the world with insight from people that actually know something. Friends are great but friends can be petty. Look at what they’ve actually done. Stay away from people that owe money. Stay away from haters. Get cozy with your heart and remember that you’re only going to matter if you provide something of interest to others. Be yourself, unless you’re a petty, hater, in which case, please quit. 🙂