Arno Faraji on touring with Kwame & his collab with Milan Ring, 'Scalin''
Every now and then there's a collaboration that comes about that you'd never really thought about before, but it just makes sense. That's exactly the case with ARNO FARAJI's new track. Milan Ring came on board for the production of his new track 'Scalin'', and the rest is history.
It's been a huge year for Arno Faraji. After winning the triple j Unearthed High competition (yes, he won the whole damn thing!) in 2017, he released a few tracks, went on tour with Kwame and is about to go back out on tour with Cosmo's Midnight for six dates in May.
'Scalin'' came about in the best way possible. Of the collaboration, Faraji said “It was dope from the start, before we really got into anything we got to know each other a little bit and talked influences, traded sounds and got a feel for what we were both listening to at the time. I showed Milan this bassline from a track called 'FUNGUS' and next thing I know, Milan is jamming and ends up creating her own dope bassline, almost in response to what I played.”
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And damn is it a funky track. Pairing Faraji's well-adjusted approach to songwriting with Milan Ring's ear for production, the sonic match is perfect.
We threw a couple of questions over to Faraji to see where his head's at. Take a read below!
In 2017, you won the triple j Unearthed competition! What was that experience like?
Unearthed was such a dope moment for me. A lot happened so fast and I remember feeling a little dazed by it all, one minute I’m a bedroom rapper in school thinking about ‘what’s after graduation?’, the next I’m getting ready to tour and collab with some of my inspirations… I went from watching the scene to being a part of it so fast. It's still wild to me, but overall I’m so grateful for how far my music reached and the support/love I received since the comp.
It’s been a hell of a year for you already and it’s only March. You’ve just finished up touring with Kwame, how was that? What did you learn from the tour?
The Kwame ‘Clouds.’ tour was so much fun! It was dope getting to tour with the bro again and even cooler seeing all the people who came out for the shows - The WHOLE THING SOLD OUT!
This time around I challenged myself by being my own DJ for a majority of the tour , which meant everything good or bad was on me (for my set) - that was a learning experience for sure but I’m so happy I did it, coz there’s a different kind of pressure to work with. Sometimes I had to do more and other times I had to do less which was the real struggle but I feel more empowered as a performer having done it, knowing I can hold my own if it had to come to it.
What was it like getting to take your show around the country again?
Man I enjoy performing quite a bit so I always feel boosted around the time of a tour, it feels like with every tour more and more people are familiar with my stuff & It shows with the energy the crowds bring. I’m usually the one trying to feed the crowd but I noticed they were pushing the energy right back to me, it’s exciting to see the supporting/ love getting bigger. Feel like we aced the first tour for the year
You’re set to head out on tour in May with Cosmo’s Midnight! What are you going to bring to your show on this tour that may be different from the last?
The vibes and pace of the show will be different for sure, I like switching it up in my own way depending on who I’m hanging with (in the complementary sense)… all I’m gonna say is next time around it’s gonna be extra WAVY.
You’ve got a new track 'Scalin' out now! Can you tell us a little bit about what it was like working on this one?
Yeah, I got to link up with the uber-talented Milan Ring on a new heater of a track… it sounds organic, it’s hip hop, and it took some time to perfect but it was also a lot of fun to make. Excited that it's out now!
We were very excited to name you one of our artists to watch for this year. What are you hoping to achieve this year?
WOW, thanks so much! I have a lot of dope music to release and expand on this year, It's coming!
ARNO FARAJI TOUR DATES
Fri 29 March- Hills Alive Festival, Victoria
Fri 3 May - Wickham w/ Cosmo's Midnight Tour, Brisbane
Sat 4 May - Metropolis w/ Cosmo's Midnight Tour, Fremantle
Thu 9 May - Forum Theatre w/ Cosmo's Midnight, Melbourne
Fri 10 May - HQ w/ Cosmo's Midnight, Adelaide
Sat 11 May - Odeon w/ Cosmo's Midnight, Hobart
Wed 15 May - Enmore Theatre - Cosmo's Midnight, Sydney
Interview by CAITLIN MEDCALF
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