Formula Indie Sessions – Interview with Zarenco
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Unfortunately, I don’t remember when I first discovered music… apparently I was 3 years old. I’ve been told that I received my first instrument then, and that I immediately spent most of my days playing it. My earliest fragments of memory, however, date back to when I was 5 or 6, I think, and I was playing my little synthesizer from back then, discovering chords and how they flow together, and playing by ear whatever I could. I didn’t learn to read music until much later.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Similarly, I don’t know when I started composing, but as far back as I can remember, I was doing it… it was part of my process of discovering music and how it works. My multi-track synthesizer, which could mimic other instruments, also helped me get familiar with orchestration: I loved reproducing the soundtracks from movies or TV shows I watched by ear to build my skills, and then experimenting on my own with my own orchestral compositions. That’s how I truly made everything I discovered my own.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Zarenco is a duo I have with my wife, so it’s the story of how we met (mentioned in “Lovely Day”) and our shared love of music. She sings and writes the lyrics; I compose and handle the instrumentation. Besides that, we also sing in a choir, and sometimes we cover songs we enjoy… music is a very precious bond for us. The lyrics, written in a poetic and narrative style, are inspired by real-life events and a variety of themes, such as grief, love, mental health, and psychological parasitism.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
We draw from a wide variety of musical styles (progressive rock, pop, classical, jazz, and electronic), but what defines our unique sound is, on the one hand, my wife’s crystal-clear, powerful voice, the result of her classical vocal training; and, on the other, my style, which is primarily influenced by progressive rock bands like “King Crimson,” “Genesis,” and “Emerson, Lake & Palmer,” as well as my classical training.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I don’t know if I could pick just one, because several things have shaped my relationship with music. For example, during my professional training, my harmony and counterpoint classes taught me not to always seek out the most complicated approach, but rather the most effective way of composing. Even though I’m still deeply drawn to complexity, I enjoy perceiving music in its many other dimensions. My discovery of atonal or even microtonal music also had a profound impact on me. Whether it’s the tortured atonality of Berg’s Violin Concerto, To the Memory of an Angel or deliberately eccentric pieces like Chick Corea’s “The Trial,” I find music to be an inexhaustible and fascinating source of inspiration.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
On one hand, there’s my piano and the Røde microphone my wife uses, as well as my computer (and, of course, the audio interface). For writing sheet music, I use MuseScore… While as a child I discovered music exclusively by ear, I no longer compose anything without writing it down today, it greatly helps me organize my ideas. Equally indispensable for computer-aided music production is Logic Pro, my main DAW, which I use to control my Kontakt, Modo Drum, and EastWest virtual instruments. Whether for my more electronic creations or, on the contrary, my fully orchestral pieces, I find these to be the most comprehensive software programs available.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I really like The Residents, Black Midi, Black Country New Road, and dEUS. Outside of indie, I’m also drawn to musical oddities… like Genesis’s “The Brazilian” or Blur’s “Intermission,” for example, pretty regularly.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I don’t know if there are any specific experiences that have shaped my artistic vision, but I think my “obsessive” side has always been at the core of everything: I’m incapable of doing things halfway. I’m never satisfied with what I have… I always need to push further, to try new methods and new sounds. Music is an infinite universe waiting to be discovered; you can always go further.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Rather than a message, it’s above all a sensibility that my wife and I try to convey, usually through a sense of strangeness. A sense of dissonance that varies from one track to the next: while “The Seven Skies” conveys the raw emotion of grief, “Balance of Shadows” aims to make you feel the fear of the madness all around us… though that doesn’t stop us from having fun with “Frustration,” a zany track.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Despite the current trend that seems to make every artist feel compelled to have a message to convey to their audience, I believe the most beautiful thing we have to share is a sensibility, and I believe that’s what music has given me. It seems to me much more subtle and less pompous than what I used to jokingly call the “messenger syndrome.” That’s what I wish for every artist (not just musicians): to forge connections.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Rather than a specific venue or festival, my dream would be a conceptual project (I’m currently working on one), in venues where the decor, the offbeat music, and the story being told would transport the audience to another world, allowing them to momentarily forget reality… just as I’ve experienced myself as a spectator: These immersive experiences are unforgettable, and I’d love to share that experience with others.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Instantly, I think of the band The Residents. Precisely because they gave me that kind of timeless sensation. Their world is so offbeat that you don’t even try to understand it anymore, you just want to experience it… it’s a memory that really stuck with me. Plus, their music is very interesting, and despite the differences between our styles, I’d especially love to discover their creative process.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Website: www.zarenco.ch
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/artist/4OVqXGXwhmDzQR5wPFz8Lj
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zarenco
Apple: https://music.apple.com/ch/artist/zarenco/1698995224
Mx3: https://mx3.ch/zarenco
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
My dream would be to earn enough from my compositions so that touring would take up a larger part of my life.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Even though Zarenco doesn’t yet have a very extensive repertoire, I hope these songs will resonate with some of those who listen to them and that they’ll find something in them that speaks to them.
If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂
Alone, a track that shifts from blues ballad to progressive rock, to electronic, and then to a combination of it all:
