Naji Arun: The Elegance of ‘Elangeni‘

From The Netherlands to the rest of the world, Naji Arun’s eclectic take on electronic dance music is transcending borders with every beat, as he expertly combines sheer technological prowess with our most guttural feelings for a primal experience.

Elangeni, Arun’s first outing for New York / Berlin-based imprint ICONYC, is a testament to the producer’s sonic quest, with African singer Soul Star delivering two rousing vocal performances that elevate the EP to a class of its own.

Join Type < / 01 Magazine as we dive inside the elegance of Naji Arun to learn more about the release of his new Elangeni EP for ICONYC, his inspirations, views on AI, the closure of ASLICE, his hopes for the future, and more.

Hi, Naji! How are you doing? How have you been? Thank you for joining us today.

Hey! I’m doing great, and I hope you are too. Thanks for having me.

Congratulations on the release of your ICONYC EP, Elangeni. We can imagine the excitement must be high! So, how are you feeling about this one?

Thanks a lot. I’m very excited for this EP. It’s a very special EP for me, and I couldn’t have wished for a better label than ICONYC to have it released on.

Speaking about the record, Elangeni features two new original tracks, yet they do feel as if cut from a similar thread while managing to sound really unique. Was that your intention from the offset, to seemingly explore different faces of a similar “headspace”?

My concept for this EP was to experiment with Afro influences in my music. So you can hear a blend of my style with a new spin to it. I wanted to create something unique and with a deeper feeling to it. Nowadays, you hear a lot of the same music and you have to stand out bringing something new.

The lead track, “Elangeni”, as a single, has a very ethnic-laced feel combined with a modern sense of production and direction. Is that what you were going for? Do you tend to find inspiration in the music of other cultures/scenes?

Yes, I definitely find inspiration in other cultures/scenes. As I’m normally more of a “Melodic Techno” artist, this EP is my first Afro-styled EP. I always want to experiment with new styles, and I’m a fan of Afro House, but I do like the faster bpm and energy from Melodic Techno, which this EP also has.

By the way, Elangeni sees you linking up with African singer Soul Star on both tracks. How did the connection with Soul Star happen? How did the idea for this EP come about?

As my concept for this EP was to experiment with Afro, what’s better than to have some original African vocals on it?

I first heard Soul Star from his track with Soulroots, “Sala Papa Ye”, being played at a festival I attended. The vibe of the track and his vocals are just amazing, so I reached out to him via Instagram and send him the instrumental version of “Elangeni”. He loved it and started working on the vocals and that’s how the track came to be.

In the second cut, “Mane” sounds a bit darker, but also feels like it's brimming with life at every turn. What was the process for “Mane” like?

After we created the track “Elangeni”, which was signed to ICONYC, we needed a second track for the EP. So I reached out to Soul Star again, because I thought the concept of having a full EP with us together would be great. For the second track, I wanted to go for a darker more club vibe. I already had this hypnotic instrumental with a lot of focus on the bass lying around, which I then sent to him. This is how we created “Mane”.

With releases on ICONYC, Black Rose Recordings, and more…are you making the music that you thought you’d be making when you first started? If not, what do you think of the voice you have found as an artist?

This release on ICONYC, and now seeing all the great artists that are releasing on it, is definitely a milestone in my career again. This was always my vision and it’s amazing to see it working out after a lot of years of late nights in the studio.

And where do you usually go to for inspiration? Do you have a set of “routines” that you know are bound to get you in the right mind frame?

I personally get a lot of inspiration from just making music itself. I just start something from scratch and do not have too many references about which direction the track should to go. I just make what I feel like making in that moment.

By the way, in the past weeks, we’ve seen the closure of ASLICE, which was intended to bring some balance to the DJ/producer dynamic. What do you think of its closure? Should big-name DJs be sharing their fees with the producers who create the tracks they are playing?

It’s a shame it didn’t work out. I love the concept. I do think more can be done in different ways. Give upcoming artists more chances to perform at shows. Now it’s almost always the same big names that are on the line-up.

And with AI? What is your relationship with that like? Have you implemented any form of AI in recent releases? Do you think this is one of those things that will drive the scene forward?

I’m not a fan of AI, I love creating something that comes out of my heart, so I don’t see myself using it in the future. Maybe some kind of AI mix plug-in, but not something that would create music on my behalf. I think it could set the scene back because in the future everyone could make music via AI without having musical knowledge.

Finally, having gone over the recent past and the present, what’s next for Naji Arun? What new milestones are you looking forward to now?

I’ve ended the year on a big high, and I intend to set this forward in 2025. You always have to set new goals if you want to make progress.

Thank you for your time, Naji! Best of luck with Elangeni. Catch you soon!

Thanks for having me. See ya!

Naji Arun’s new Elangeni EP is out now via ICONYC. Find your copy here.