Clarian

Former acclaimed electronic music producer Clarian was working alongside Felix daHouseCat on an ambitious AI-powered music application—an audio fingerprinting tool that fused cutting- edge technology with their deep musical expertise—when they hit a wall. Overcome by burnout and a mounting existential crisis, Clarian took a break from the project, temporarily shutting it down to regroup. But this pause became more than a break; it was a reckoning—a confrontation with their own fears of irrelevance in a world rapidly driven by automation and AI. Emerging from this break, Clarian returned to the studio not just as a producer, but as someone deeply questioning their place in both the future of art and their own identity. They were no longer just crafting music—they were facing the more unsettling question of who they were, what their music meant, and how they defined themselves in an age where the line between the human and the artificial is blurring. Their music became a way to explore these existential questions, as they fused AI technology with analog synths, creating a new form of existential synth pop that doesn’t just reflect their struggles, but actively challenges the very idea of self. This raw, unflinching focus delves into themes of burnout, identity crises, financial hardships, and the exploitation Clarian faced in the music industry. Through heavy satire, self-deprecation, and self described ‘slamming bass lines that need a safe word’ their music critiques the commodification of art, the hollow pursuit of small time success, and the compromises they made over the years to “make it” packaged into sparkling synth pop gems that packed with energy and punch. But these tracks are more than just critiques—they’re catharsis. Each one becomes a personal revelation, an introspective exploration of Clarian’s journey as a DJ and producer over the years. These songs come with AI-generated animations that bring their music to life, but in ways that feel warped, surreal, and at times absurd. In these visuals, Clarian is often portrayed as a cyber- trans goth girl, navigating a dilapidated apartment with a ketamine-addicted bear, working dead- end jobs while dreaming of becoming a synth pop star. In Clarian’s latest tracks, the AI sounds almost like a mockingly comforting voice, consoling and critiquing the producer’s failures at authenticity. In songs like “YouTube Techno,” where Clarian imagines working a zombie-infested night shift. Its tone is both reassuring and satirical, as in “AI Trash Empire,” where it comments on the absurdity of the artist's struggle: “They call me the Temu version of K-pop / I know you don’t want to lose all the years you invested into the sync button / Replaced by the push of a self-aware sync button.” This unsettling blend of humor and existential reflection highlights Clarian’s confrontation with obsolescence in an AI-dominated world. Clarian has always pushed boundaries, but this time, they’re doing so with a brutal, unflinching honesty. After two decades working in studios around the world with some of the most treasured names in electronic music, and recently completing a degree in computer science, Clarian is merging their musical past with a fascination for AI’s evolving role in art. This project isn’t just a personal evolution—it’s a statement, a rebellion against a future where creativity may one day be entirely outsourced to algorithms. Through this work, Clarian invites listeners into their inner world, exposing the cracks in their identity and confronting the terrifying possibility of becoming obsolete. But rather than retreating into despair, they are embracing the very tools that challenge their existence, using them to ask the hardest questions about identity, self-worth, and the nature of creativity itself—and inviting others to shine a light on them too in a refreshingly fun and danceable format.