Q&A with Etnik / Carmen Varner // Food, Lifestyle, and Travel Writer

Etnik. Fun fact: Etink is both his stage name & real name. It's kind of like getting to know him & his music on a personal level. "Oh hey! Etnik is playing at HARD Summer." I mean, it sounds pretty casual. My interview with Etnik (also seen ETИIK) was short. The German native is a man of few words. Brief. Concise. To the point. Instead he lets his music do the talking. He even described his music as simply Etnik, a man twisting knobs on stage. Well, let's see what he had to say.

Name: Etnik Zarari

Age: 22

Hometown: Hamburg, Germany

Current Location: Hamburg

What is a typical day like for you? Having breakfast when others have dinner.

Where do you gather inspiration? It depends on the mood actually, but I'd say mostly from clubbing.

What do you do right before you go on stage? I take a quick look at the crowd & then I decide what the opening track should be.

How would you describe your music style? It's hard for me to describe my own music. It's just me being me while twisting the knobs.

What are you most excited about for HARD Summer? It's my first time playing in L.A., gonna be cool to play there, and I'm really looking forward to hang out with my good pals from Owsla & Pilo.

Photo by Björn Jonas

What did you have for breakfast this morning? Kellogg's Toppas. One of the top 10 on my cereal list.

Where's the coolest spot to hang out in Hamburg? Maybe it's just me, but I think Hamburg's coolest spots are changing weekly - so you are basically always kinda busy finding them.

Can you dance? Haha. Yes. Back in the days before I even started making music, I used to be in a dance school locking & popping.

It looks like you have your logo/branding tattooed on your chest, kind of like a superhero. How many tattoos do you have & who is your favorite superhero? It's my first and only tattoo. There's no superhero I can identify with.

What do you do when you're not making music? Listen to my favorite music or read books on how to improve my sound.

In case you were wondering or didn't know (like me), Kellogg's Toppas are the American equivalent of Kellogg's Frosted Mini Wheats. Mind blown! But at least we know one of his top favorite cereals. Etnik is a dapper young gentleman with cool hair & a unique style. His modern twist on techno will be a hit at HARD Summer. Check out one of his music videos here: