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Best of 2018 Interview with DJ & production duo Arkham Knights


There’s a new force in the electronic dance music world, their name is Arkham Knights. The brotherly duo have crafted their own unique sound to become one of the hottest artists on the circuit capturing the attention of clubbers & DJs the world over with their dark energetic productions. 

The duo caught the attention of their now mentor Markus Schulz back in 2015 and were signed shortly after to his record label Coldharbour Recordings & artist agency Schulz Music Group. With the guidance from Markus Schulz and the Coldharbour Team the brothers have flourished into an unstoppable force earning their place in the dance music industry. 2018 saw the duo crowned Schulz’s Breakthrough Artist in DJMag. 

Arkham Knights hail from Leeds in the United Kingdom, sharing the love and passion for music the brothers began their collaboration at an early age. Influenced by the sounds of legendary hero’s such as Sasha, Digweed, Schulz & Tiësto. Enamoured by their magical DJ sets and productions the brothers developed an insatiable drive to learning their craft. Their dedication was rewarded early with big anthems such as Knightfall which saw its way onto the prestigious Ministry Of Sound compilation. 

The talented brothers have grown from strength to strength playing their music to thousands of fans world wide at some of the biggest festivals & illustrious clubs on the planet, from the electric sky of EDC Las Vegas & Dreamstate California to the underground clubs of Montreal, Hollywood & Europe. One can only imagine what is next for Arkham Knights. 



Dimitris: Can you mention your biggest music career achievements in 2018?

Arkham Knights: Oh there’s been so much that we are proud of this year, from making our ASOT debut at A Sate Of Trance 850 to playing under the electric sky at EDC Las Vegas & Dreamstate California. Also being crowned Markus Schulz’s Breakthrough Artist In this years DJ Mag blew our minds, we’ve looked up to Markus for many many years so that meant a lot to us. It’s been a year for the books for sure!

Dimitris: Can you rate 2018 for you as a year with 1 being very bad until 10 that is perfect year!

Arkham Knights: 9 excellent year. We rated our at 9 because there’s always room for improvement, However it’s been an amazing year!

1) Best 3 Tracks from other artists in 2018, please give us a short comment for each track:

Arkham Knights: 1. “Pryda - Stay With Me” such an amazing track that we have hammered all year long! 



2. “John O’Callaghan - Behind The Silence” JOC’s driving tech sound built around beautiful vocals - perfection! 



3. “Adam Beyer & Bart Skils - Your Mind” This as been a must in our long sets, pure rabbit hole madness! 



2) Your 3 Best of 2018 personal productions, give us more background info about them(please provide the listening link for our readers):

Arkham Knights: 1. “Into The Fire”  When we received the word that this had been selected to feature on the new In Search Of Sunrise Compilation we were overwhelmed - following the ISOS compilations from the beginning back in the Tiësto days it was a dream come true to have one of our tracks selected.



2. “Something About You” We joined forces with our mentor and friend Markus Schulz on this project. I remember being on stage with Markus playing this at Luminosity, the sun was beating down on a packed out main stage - what special moment that we’ll always remember. 


3. “Existence” We actually wrote this back in the summer of 2017 - we’d had about of the dreaded writers block and this just came from the mist of that. The support and love for Existence was overwhelming. 



3) Best Artist in 2018(DJ & producer) please explain why you pick him/her up:

Arkham Knights: We have to go with our guy Markus Schulz, he’s had an amazing year. Having had the opportunity to tour with him a few times this year, we’ve seen how much hard work he puts in! Winning America’s Best DJ for the 3rd time reflects that. A true pioneer of our scene. 



4) Best electronic music compilation in 2018, please explain what exactly you liked about this compilation(the elements you appreciate):

Arkham Knights: In Search Of Sunrise 14. We’ve been fans of this iconic series since the beginning, amazing to see it brought back to life in 2018 by three legendary acts. A musical journey that breaks down the genre boundaries of Progressive, Techno & Trance.



5) Best electronic music label for 2018, please justify why you choose this label and what was so special in 2018 about it:

Arkham Knights: Coldharbour Recordings has been our home since 2015 - the label has helped us grow and gain traction in an ever expanding industry. 2018 saw the label branch out with the launch of Coldharbour Black which we are extremely excited about. It’s a great platform for artists such as our selves who like to delve into the deeper sounds of melodic techno and progressive. We helped launch the label featuring 2 collaborations with Markus Schulz & Jam El Mar.



6) Best online social media for 2018 and why you believe is the best particularly in 2018?:

Arkham Knights: We feel Instagram has totally blown up this year, specially with its latest stories features. As an artist who is always on the road it’s made life very easy in keeping up with the social media aspect. 

7) Best Twitter/Facebook/Instagram message you may have received about your music or your DJ performance in 2018:

Arkham Knights: We’ve received so many kind comments from people around the world about our music and gigs - they all mean a lot to us!



8) Best music composition software in 2018, please explain why you appreciate it so much:

Arkham Knights: The latest Ableton 10 as been a very welcomed addition. The work flow so much faster in our opinion, we can get our ideas down much quicker compared to its predecessor. 

9) Best Club event or Festival that you have performed there or you would love one day to perform there, please explain the reasons that influenced your choice of the event & festival:

Arkham Knights: EDC Las Vegas was out of this world, one of those pinch yourself moments. I remember looking out to sea of ravers going nuts - what a feeling! 



10) Your Best personal DJ Gig for 2018 (if you are active as DJ) and why you believe is the finest:

Arkham Knights: Our absolute favourite set that we played this year was at a small intimate venue in Montreal Canada. We played for 3hrs which gave us time to explore both progressive and techno as well as trance. The club had such a great vibe and the fans were so up for it - all the makings of a great night! 



11) Best DJ set from other fellow DJ in 2018 and why you believe his/her set was so fantastic?:

Arkham Knights: Niles Baxter - he was on warm up duties at my gig in Montreal, he built up the crowd up perfectly. He even had me on the dance floor. Being a warm up DJ is an art in its self, we commend him on a stellar performance. 



12) Best radio show/podcast or Vlog(video blog) in 2018, please explain why you think this is the best radio show or vlog?:

Arkham Knights: Lately we’ve being loving the Drumcode radio show hosted by Adam Beyer - perfect driving material! 



13) Best production or DJ equipment (a)software & (b) hardware) in 2018 particularly if they were released in 2018:

Arkham Knights: Ableton 10 

14) Best technical tips that you learnt in 2018 in relation to your DJing or music productions:

Arkham Knights: Less is more! 



Dimitris: In 2018 the electronic music talent AVICII died and this has alerted several artists to become more health conscious. Are there any lessons to learn as an artist out from this sad event?

Arkham Knights: For me it’s important to stay connected with loved ones when your out on the road. The business is highly stressful, spending hours travelling alone through different time zones, the isolation and sleep deprivation can be challenging. Tempered with adrenaline of being on stage playing to thousands to being isolated on your own in an hotel room thousands of miles away from home. It’s a roller-coaster of emotions - the highs & the lows. 



Dimitris: If you are DJ or producer who travels very often to perform Live in various countries can you give us your best Travel Tip for 2018 in order to survive the long travelling hours?

Arkham Knights: Travel light - I only take carry on luggage everywhere, avoid alcohol drink plenty of water and grab what ever sleep you can! 



Dimitris: In 2018 there was a big movement for revival of classic tracks and retro events have boomed with music policy of solely classic tracks. What is your opinion about events or stages only with classics and can you choose for us your absolute 3 favourite classics?

Arkham Knights: I think it’s great that events offer these stages to clubbers. If your like us and grew up on trance in the 90s and early 2000s you’ll love to hear those blasts from the past! I literally can’t choose 3 it wouldn’t be fair on all the others I love! 

Dimitris: Can you mention briefly your plans for your future releases, tracks, albums, collaborations, DJ gigs for 2019!

Arkham Knights: 2019 is going to be fire! At the moment we have a lot of original tracks that we are sat on for release 2019 that we’ve produced throughout the course of 2018, some we have played over the year and some are totally fresh and unheard. 

Gig wise our calendar is looking pretty full for 2019, can’t wait!



Dimitris: Finally, what is your biggest wish for 2019 and give us your wishes for our readers?

Arkham Knights: We hope to keep pushing our musical boundaries in 2019 and that everyone has a great year ahead! 

Thanks so much to Arkham Knights for their answers. 

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