We were lucky to catch up with Salar Rajabnik recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Salar, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Certainly my current focus, which is the music I’m putting out under the moniker/band name “Darker Lighter”. It’s the culmination of all of my artistic and musical experiences up until this point, but also in a way something of a return to my musical and aesthetic roots. In that way it’s something of a hybrid between evolution as an artist and still keeping a foot in your foundation, while not compromising on any level artistically.
Salar, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I came into the music industry before thinking of it as such; I began playing music as an escape from the troubles of life as a kid, teaching myself how to play multiple instruments and eventually how to write songs. This led to playing live, gaining touring experience, becoming quite good at the technical aspects of how to put a show together, and as a result also coming to be known as a guitar technician. All the while, however, my conscious focus was on creating music that inspired me the way that my favorite art has inspired me, and that comes from a similar place of motivation, beyond just producing music for consumption. I’m proud that despite many challenges over the years, I’ve done my best to stick to my guns in terms of my personal ethos, which in turn has come through in my work, hopefully. In the modern age there are more people saturating the music world than ever, and it feels too late for me to back out of creating. I also don’t want to. So I continue sticking to my principles, hoping that amidst the endless tidal wave of “content”, there are still people who want to experience music and art that’s been made with good intention.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I have logged many van (and eventually bus and plane) miles with many artists of very varied dispositions, socioeconomic standings, genre classifications, etc. A lot of the time, I was in a van pulling very long hours for very little money, if any. Looking back, I realize that as uncomfortable as a lot of those early touring experiences were, they taught me a lot about overcoming any number of unexpected setbacks, whether mechanical, technological/equipment failure related, personal or otherwise. I’m glad now for such a “school of hard knocks” foundation that I’ve continued to build more practical experience on.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me it’s not a single type of moment, so much as it’s the understanding that you’ve successfully created something that has resonated with someone deeply. That could be a well crafted moment of a live show, a heartfelt lyric delivered within a song, an unexpected arrangement choice, it could be any number of scenarios wherein the person experiencing the music is affected in a way that so often only music can move people. Maybe they feel a sense of commiseration, of catharsis, or just plain enjoyment. That general notion is most rewarding to me, because it can transcend the mundanity of everyday life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.darkerlightermusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darkerlightermusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salarrajabnikmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DarkerLighter
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/darkerlightermusic
- Other: Link to pre-order upcoming full length vinyl album: https://darkerlighter.myshopify.com
Image Credits
All photos by Joey Martinez https://www.instagram.com/joeymartinez