This month we’ve got an interview from a new artist from Iceland name Karar. His first release with us was back in February and he’s currently working on a brand-new EP for (hopefully) later this year. Here’s a little bit about him and then we’ll jump into the interview.
About Karar
Kjartan, originally performing as KjarTMaN, built his reputation in Reykjavík’s club scene with sets at venues like Jacobsen, Faktory, and Park, exploring techno, house, deep house, tech-house, and percussion-driven sounds, and went on to co-found the “Addicted to Drums (A.2.D)” event series and podcast, launch the minimal project No Artificial Sugar with his wife around 2014-2015, and host the radio show “Elements Iceland” as Brem. After stepping away from performing between 2016 and 2023 to focus on sobriety and recovery, he returned with a harder, analog-driven techno sound under the alias Plexcore, performing again in Reykjavík and currently working on a full release. In summer 2025, he combined his musical background with his Christian faith to create Karar, a bongo-driven, spiritually rooted Tech-House project built on organic percussion and uplifting grooves, with its debut 4-track EP released on February 27, 2026, marking the start of this new artistic identity.
And now… Karar…
You’ve created music under several aliases over the years — what made the timing feel right for launching Karar?
It just felt natural. I think 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for Bongo Tech-House, and launching Karar now gives me the space to grow into that direction creatively. It felt like the right moment to shift my focus, explore new grooves, and prepare for what’s coming. Karar is basically my way of stepping into that next wave with a clean mindset and a clear vision.
How would you describe the sound and feeling behind Karar to someone hearing it for the first time?
I’d describe Karar as a modern take on that classic 2008-2012 tech-house energy, the kind of sound that originally pulled me into the genre back then. It has that groovy, rolling vibe from that era, but with more vocals. It’s familiar but refreshed, nostalgic but forward-leaning.
Your journey began in Reykjavík’s club scene. How has Iceland’s musical environment shaped your creativity?
Reykjavík’s club scene taught me to think about energy first. I learned early on to blend sounds and keep the dancefloor in mind.
Percussion has always been central to your work — what keeps you drawn to rhythm-driven music?
I’ve always loved melodic music, that old Deadmau5 era (07-09) is a huge inspiration for me, but there’s something about rhythm-driven music that just hits me on a deeper level. When a track has a strong groove with bongos or toms locking everything together, it’s like my body reacts before my mind does, and that feeling is what keeps pulling me back to rhythm-driven sounds.
After several years away from DJing, what was it like stepping back on stage again?
Getting back on stage after so many years was amazing. A few of us were playing together, switching every hour and doing some back-to-back sets, and the whole night just flew by, six or seven hours felt like nothing. I was completely sober, so walking out of the club at five in the morning and seeing the chaos of Reykjavík nightlife was a pretty surreal reminder of how wild the scene still is. Anyone who’s been out in Reykjavík at that hour knows exactly what I’m talking about. But being behind the decks again felt right.
You’ve explored everything from deep house to hard techno. How did those experiences influence the uplifting, organic sound of Karar?
Karar is really me drawing from my own history, especially the tech-house and house I was playing when I first started around 2009. I went back and listened to a lot of my old mixes from that period, and there was this uplifting, organic groove in them that I’d almost forgotten about. All the years of exploring deeper sounds and harder techno helped me understand rhythm and energy differently, but returning to those roots gave Karar its warm, feel-good vibe. It’s like reconnecting with the part of myself that first fell in love with dance music.
How does your faith inform the themes, rhythms, or emotions in your Karar project?
My faith is a big part of why Karar exists. I’ve always loved EDM and dance music, and I wanted to create something I could dance to in worship, something dedicated to God and Jesus, the same way David danced before the Lord with all his heart. There isn’t much electronic Christian music that really connects with my own taste, so Karar is my response to that gap. The rhythms, the energy, the uplift, they’re all meant to reflect joy, freedom, and devotion. It’s my way of bringing my faith into the music I love most.
What role did recovery and personal transformation play in shaping this new artistic identity?
Recovery played a huge role in shaping who I am today, not just as a person, but as an artist. It’s incredibly hard to stay on the “right” path when you’re using. The journey forces you to rebuild yourself from the ground up. Stepping away from the scene for a while and focusing on getting clean gave me clarity, discipline, and a completely different understanding of why I make music. Karar comes from that transformation. It’s a project rooted in growth, honesty, and choosing Jesus. Without recovery, this new artistic identity simply wouldn’t exist.
How did collaborating with your wife in earlier projects influence the artist you are today?
Working with my wife on earlier projects had a huge impact on my approach as an artist. We explored a lot of minimal sounds, and that really taught me about space, tension, and subtlety in music. I started to shift more from bongos into 808 and 909 tom grooves. That collaboration gave me a foundation in both restraint and groove, which is a big part of what Karar sounds like today.
With your debut Karar EP on the way, what are you most excited for listeners to discover?
Ultimately, I hope listeners discover Jesus through the music. Beyond the beats, grooves, and melodies, Karar is about creating a space for worship and connection. For example, in the track “AMEN,” I sampled a service from my own church, capturing my pastor preaching. Moments like that bring the spiritual core into the music, letting people experience joy, devotion, and faith on the dancefloor. Sharing something both musically moving and spiritually uplifting.
