Worakls - Live Sunset Set

On July 31, Gray Area presents a rare opportunity to catch a Woarkls intimate headlining set in NYC before embarking on his 2022 Orchestra Tour in Europe. Presenting a unique and enthralling live set, it is the perfect soundtrack for a sunset inside Superior Ingredients’ climate-controlled rooftop against the panoramic backdrop of the NYC skyline.

Hailing from France, the DJ/producer Worakls (pronounced “warrackles”), né Kevin Rodrigues, was a piano prodigy beginning at three years old. With the backing of his equally musical family, his formal conservatory studies started at age six.

Fast forward to a life-changing set by Eric Prydz, which prompted an 18-year-old Woarkls to delve into electronic music rather than the traditional classical compositions in his background.

“I wanted to try electronic music when I discovered that the possibilities were infinite,” he says. Seeding inspiration from anything from the movie soundtracks of Hans Zimmer to dubstep dominator Skrillex, Billboard described Woarkls’ productions as “serious techno with a light touch.”

Worakls melds melodic progressive techno with the complexities of classical arrangements—he even toured with a full orchestra in 2019. The Sonate Records and Hungry Music imprints label boss describes his sound as “electronic orchestral” and that he thinks like a pianist when approaching producing.

Worakls Live

Freewheel Produciton

“Writing for guitars, basses, drums, et cetera, taught me a lot of things,” he tells Gray Area. “When I decided that I wanted to bring orchestral and classical instruments into my music, I had to learn again, how to do it. Some instruments are very specific. You can’t blow in a trumpet for hours, for example, the guy has to breathe – those are the details I had to learn.”