Authored by Alyssa Barnhill

With nearly a decade of considerable effort under his belt, the multifaceted producer Ian Mckenna recently announced the retirement of his storied Craftal moniker. As a musical entity, he’s an embedded Denver staple, and widely respected across a sea of contemporary acts and producers. Much to the surprise of his longtime fans and collaborators, McKenna recently publicized the resounding decision to seek out new musical horizons, and announced the closing chapter of the Craftal project. 

Craftal’s range stretches across a slew of tempos and rhythms under the permeable glitch music umbrella, and has maintained and massaged a particular appeal towards the audiophile scene. With the project at the height of its impact, a clear call to another slice of the musical pie has pushed McKenna to sunset the Craftal experiment indefinitely. To fans, Ian’s last release was suspiciously sweet, aptly named This Was All A Test. One can’t help but speculate if he had been mulling over the decision to change projects for a while. Was it all a test? And if so, for what? The framing raises a few poignant questions.

The grand farewell for Craftal is set for December 15th at The Black Box night club here in Denver. The highly anticipated show will feature other psychedelic favorites such as Base2, Sylph, and Wij. Accompanying a “most righteous” sonic lineup, the event will also feature a full A/V presentation through every performance, provided by the artistic anarcho-collectivist project neuro.studio, in order to amplify the immersive visual experience. In a statement provided to us by its members, neuro.studio stated that “2022 is our first year involving ourselves in this space as a collective since the launch of neuro.studio. We are incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished so far in such a short amount of time, and will be continuing to aim for setting the bar higher with each iteration of our involvement in the music scene. As for Craftal's last show at the Black Box on 12.15, we are simply ecstatic to be involved in celebrating Ian's last set as Craftal & will have a unique VJ pairing for each musical act.”

Consequently, The Rust publication team felt it as necessary as it is enticing to sit down with Ian Mckenna for an exclusive one on one discussion about the future of his music and what his Craftal project really was all about. 

Alyssa: What did the Craftal project mean to you?

Ian: To me, I mean, I made up the name and the whole project when I was 20. When I learned how to make digital music and was really getting into everything. I was falling in love with psychedelic bass music culture and the art scene and everything. Now, I am just kind of finding myself falling out of love with it. 

Alyssa: Any particular reason?

Ian: I am trying not to be jaded,  but I am definitely falling out of love. It also represents my 20’s in a weird way. I am going to be 30 in April. Not looking forward to it. 

Alyssa: So are you looking to find something more fitting of this time in your life?

Ian: Yeah, that and honestly I am just feeling like the bass music scene, at least from where I am sitting, is kind of like an overripe peach. I am just not having as much fun going to shows and honestly I don't fully understand the drug choices of everybody. People doing drugs isn't ruining my time, it's just one part of why I am just not as inspired by the scene anymore. 

Alyssa: I understand that. The music has always been a huge draw for me.

Ian: I really love the inherently abstract and fundamental nature of dance music. And what I mean is music without words in general, because music transcends language. Abstract expressions can be very beautiful. You don't want to preach to people, you don't want to commit to saying something that is outdated, but you want to reach people. 

Alyssa: Completely, where do you find yourself leaning now?

Ian: I find myself more interested and inspired by artists that are trying to say something. Trying to say things. Risking being preachy, and risking saying the wrong thing. And I don't know, I am finding that more interesting. I am still going to keep doing weird sounds, sound design, and electronic music because I love it…  I just want to try doing something different in my 30s. 

Alyssa: What is the name of the newest project? What are you going for?

Ian: I have been trying to brainstorm for a couple of months now, and nothing is really sticking.  A friend of mine told me that marketing is an art. The more you are overthinking it, the farther you are getting away from the relatability of your thing. I will probably end up using my real name, honestly. I don’t know yet, it’s all kinda meh. I don't mind sticking with my real name, that's fine.

Alyssa: So, I asked you about “This is all a test”, the last time we spoke for The Rust. Does that feel like a thread of truth from before? You used it as the title of the latest compilation you just put out.

Ian: I thought that it was kind of a funny coincidence that I named that song that, what, two years ago now?

Alyssa: Yeah something like that.

Ian: Yeah, I thought that was a funny way to tie it all up in a bow. 

Alyssa: I thought so too. Would you say making music as Craftal was like an incubation phase for you?

Ian: I sure hope so. Yeah, I hope that everything I make is the incubation for the next thing. 

Alyssa: Do you think similar elements of sound design will always be a theme in your music?

Ian: Probably always. I love music made with passion and heart, you know? I am hearing some really interesting stuff being made by, like, kids. You know, people born like 2000 and later, they are just like smashing everything together. It’s interesting. I would like to expand beyond the sonic palette that I have been comfortable with the past few years. But that's going to take some time. The new stuff will have me singing so that will be different.

Alyssa: That’s very exciting, I think a lot of people share that want for a little more passion, and I am excited to hear what it sounds like. When can we expect more from you?

Ian: I am a slow worker, so I don't have any dates. But definitely next year for sure. This was a good year, I played Tipper and Friends. 

Alyssa: I know, I missed that one entirely. How was it?

Ian: Oh, that was amazing. That was a bucket list item. The whole team there treats all their artists better than any event that I have ever been to in the last nine years, or played at in the last nine years. Yeah, that was just an amazing time. 

Alyssa: That's amazing. I am glad you are not going anywhere. I am sure I will still see you out. 

Ian: Yeah, I am not going anywhere. Just looking to do something different.

Where Ian goes from here is anyone’s guess; music reflects the most exploratory and inquisitive part of ourselves. When we feel something different that has a magnetic quality, it’s extraordinarily human to answer the call of that attraction. Ian’s adventurous ideas, conversations in creativity, and motifs within his music remind us that creativity and expression live and grow with us daily. It’s the kind of perspective that transcends scenes and subcultures, even if it often incubates within them. Regardless of what sonic landscape Ian’s journey takes him on, or where it takes him for that matter, we’ll be in lock-step right behind him for the curious resolution to this next transition.

GRAB TICKETS for the final Craftal performance on 12.15 HERE

FOLLOW Craftal: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify