Worakls Discusses the Many Sides of his Art and Performance!

There is always magic in the air when classical knowledge meets electronic know-how and Worakls has delivered on all fronts with his latest releases and performances.

Every once in a while you stumble into amazing musical performances. This year’s surprise is Worakls – a French, classically trained, electronic music producer, who’s ready to rewire electronic music towards a new spectacle involving classical music motifs to shatter preconceptions. The young artist has been making a name in the greater reaches of Europe. Now he’s breaking out of the confines of our familiar and bringing his unique style to the world stage.

Born as Kevin Rodrigues, Worakls offers fresh air to an electronic music scene stymied without driving creativity at the moment. It’s the stylistic nature of his compositions effortlessly blending deep house, techno, and progressive house into atmospheric bliss that sets him above the mold. On top of his creative style, he invigorates live music performance through accompanying his pieces with an orchestra – something familiar to fans enjoying his recently released debut album Orchestra.

After stunning performances, we sat down with the wonder of Worakls to discuss fascinating subjects such as his creative group Hungry Music, the challenges of performing with live instruments, and the growing changes in electronic music. Check out his orchestral performance below and read on for the interview!

Watch Worakls Orchestra Live at Château La Coste for Cercle:

Thank you for taking the moment today to talk with us. For the unfamiliar, in your own words, who is Worakls?

Hi! My name is Kevin Rodrigues, aka Worakls. I’m 30 years old and I’m a French composer of electronic and orchestral music.

Your music features a heavy classical approach, likely stemming from the early age of playing the piano and your joy as a composer. When you sit down to compose a track, where do you typically start?

Usually I start by asking myself what kind of universe I’d like to explore – which emotion, what general direction, all that – in total silence. When I’ve got something, I then play the main theme on my piano. But actually, the creative process never really seems to end… Often I’ll end up starting this process in random situations even when I’m not in the studio.

Live instrumentation continues to become a growing trend in dance music performances. Do you feel this trend and style embraced by you and your comrades within Hungry Music is a positive influence on the genre as a whole? Does it help shatter the image that all electronic music is simple and constructed within a computer?

I try not to compare myself to other artists, so I really couldn’t say… I just want to make music that I love and that people enjoy. I’m doing my best to improve every day but I wouldn’t call myself an influencer. Saying that electronic music is simple is such a sweeping statement, it would be as inappropriate as saying all electronic music is complex. It all depends on the track on its simplicity or complexity, as it is with all genres of music.

Continuing on the performance aspect of your music: do you sense with the emergence of artists like yourself, FKJ, Odesza, Flight Facilities, and more that electronic music is poised to reinvent the stage it performs from?

Everything evolves when it’s ready to evolve. But on the other hand, I wouldn’t necessarily call it ‘evolving’. I think that there are some artists who are creating new branches of electronic music; something different, rather than an evolution per se. It stems from older genres, but house will always be house and techno will always be techno!

Worakls Orchestra 2019 - Credit Samy Ait Chikh — Photo Credit: Samy Ait Chikh

You’ve embarked on a small tour with the Worakls Orchestra project over the next few months in Europe. Where would be a dream location to perform and why?

I try not to dream about playing anywhere specific because then once you have it becomes ‘what next’? I think what I love the most with my job is that it gives me the chance to play everywhere, there isn’t one specific place I’d love to play… I think that actually, that’s my dream location – everywhere!

Cercle recently published a video performance of Worakls Orchestra. What was it like collaborating on the event and what challenges did the format offer over solo performances?

It was awesome, I love the venue where we played “Château La Coste” and everyone was very happy to be a part of this adventure. Having a live orchestra is always challenging for many reasons, one of them being that we needed nice weather conditions so as not to change the tune of the strings or brasses. There are also more chances of technical issues due to the number of microphones on stage and so on… I think that it’s my way to make and perform music, I chose it, so I have to deal with it all the issues that come with it, but honestly I don’t regret a thing. Having all these musicians playing my music with me on stage is something that makes me really proud and happy.

With electronic music ever expanding its market reach, what do you see you, as well as the team at Hungry Music, represent to the wide expanse of electronic music and how do you see your style influencing the music as it progresses?

I can’t speak for the other guys of the Hungry team but personally, I don’t pay attention to music genres. I just do whatever I feel to do at the moment. Also, I think I actually listen to more classical music and film scores than I do electronic. So I couldn’t say if I influence anyone or anything at all. But if I do, I’d be honored.

Worakls Orchestra 2019 — Photo Credit: Julie Bruhier

Provided the opportunity, who would you love to work with the most, even if it is outside of the electronic music?

I guess I’d love to work with Hans Zimmer, even though I don’t think he’d need me!

Something fun and all about you now! Where would be one place you’d love to vacation to and what would you for sure have to take along on the trip?

I guess I’d love to go back to Portugal soon, it’s been a long time and I miss it a lot. I’d take my headphones so I could enjoy some of the beautiful places there with a nice soundtrack.