Exploring Life & Business with Robert Garabet of Desert Runners

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Garabet.

Hi Robert, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I would like to say that my story begins late in the summer of 2018, but that would be overlooking the earlier events which lead me to join the Synthwave scene. In 2011 I saw the movie Drive by Nicolas Winding Refn in theaters. I expected something of a Fast & Furious knockoff, yet what I and my friends got was this retro noir, hyper-violent, romantic, and dreamy LA gangster movie, with Cars. Part of that aesthetic was the ingenious music choice, both as insert songs, and background music. At the time, and for the next 6 years, I just considered it modern Retro music, and kept listening to the soundtrack and the associated acts, without much thought. During this time I was also a raver in the Phoenix electronic scene. In January 2017, I saw an interesting movie on Netflix, Kung Fury. A ridiculous parody of 80s movies, it featured an amazing theme song, in the style of the Drive soundtrack, sung by none other than David Hasselhoff himself! I had to listen to that song a few more times, so I searched for it on Youtube. As I listened, I went to read comments, and found a name for this genre: SYNTHWAVE! I immediately put the term into the Youtube search bar and found a Prime Thanatos mix. From that moment forward my fate was sealed. A fascinating music genre, blending Electro & French house roots, with heavy retrofuturistic elements, all in a modern production environment, and solid 80s nostalgic vibes. Described by some at the time, as the future that never was. I was absolutely hooked!

At a later point in time around 2017, after a wild techno rave, I was sitting in the car with my friend & DJ Sam, discussing the finer points of life, when in a fit of inspiration I declared: If I ever join the music scene, I wouldn’t do Techno, or Tech House, or Dubstep. I would do Synthwave, it’s my favorite genre! Sam let me know that he could help me out, and he enjoys it too, and I promised that if I ever want to do it seriously I would reach out to him. Fast forward to early August 2018, where my journey began in earnest. I was going through a rough time in my life, had quit my modern-day sweatshop IT Service Desk job, and was aimless and hopeless. Events in my personal life, gaining unwanted weight, turning 30, they all conspired to create a perfect storm of a midlife crisis. Earlier in the year I had went to my first Synthwave show with Sam and other friends. We had fun, and it was a special experience for me. It was called Neon Nights, at The Rogue bar in Scottsdale, late May 2018. In June, we went to another Synthwave show there, hosted by a slightly different promoter, Rad Dude, also fun.

Aimless as I was, I saw the Neon Nights crew had moved their Synthwave show to the Rebel Lounge in Phoenix, and went there by myself, as Sam had moved to San Diego, in mid-August. It was again fun and felt great to be there. I also noticed that now the two crews united into one bigger crew. After I decided to take a road trip, a break from the city, and visit my friend Sam in California. We had fun around San Diego, beaches, and clubs where he and his business partner played some shows, watching them produce music in their studio, etc. One night, perhaps with just me and Sam in the studio, he decided to start a new track from scratch. I watched curiously as he worked in Ableton, a digital audio workstation (DAW), and a little fire started burning inside me. This was easy! Sure the music theory I lacked, and the actual finer points of the software were lost on me, but for an IT guy who grew up trying various 3D modeling programs, video editing, Photoshop, coding and just about everything computers, this made SENSE to me!

It was nothing more than another program, that I could learn, like anything else. The sense of wonderment that I felt as a teen when I first tried out Maya, the 3D modeling and animation program, came back all at once, and with it an idea. If this is all it takes, I can do this! It will take years, sure, but it’s not just the realm of the musically inclined, as a computer person I can figure it out, and as a superfan in the local electronic music scene, I have connections and built in networking. Remembering my oath from 2017, and my love for Synthwave, I declared to Sam that I am going to do Synthwave! My life suddenly had meaning and I had a burning desire to spread out the genre across the world, as much as I can. I decided to call myself Heretic G, after my gaming & online nickname since my early teenage hood.

Back in Pheonix, I realized before I could play my Synthwave to audiences, I would need bookings, since online marketing of your brand is a joke nowadays, with the entire industry fighting for scraps. I would need to be booked, and for that I needed to become a DJ. This was fine by me, as while I’m working on increasing my brand visibility as a DJ, I could learn music theory and production in the background. Before I could be booked as a DJ, I needed to pay my dues in the scene, and work for the established crews. No one will put up a random who comes asking, without at least something to their name. As such I needed to get involved. The next steps flew by quickly, and for the sake of brevity I will list them in rapid fire mode. I went to the Neon Nights September 2018 show and volunteered to do street promo for them (this also includes social media promo). I did that diligently & passionately until Summer of 2019 when the Neon Nights crew dispersed. In parallel I bought a DJ controller and learned mixing from many greats in the local scene, the chief being Sam (Sincerely, Sam – Techno), Eric (Dykotomi – Dubstep), Ivan (Ivan Purple – Techno), Marcel (Hydra-Tech House/Techno), and too many others to list here. I practiced at home and at their after, after parties, when there were only 2-3 other persons around, learning to play on club standard CDJs too. In early June 2019 Bit Mortis, a fellow Synthwave artist invited me to play at The Grid in Mesa with him, as an opener. I took the gig, stressed out, and did decent in the end. Mortis had some logistical issues, so my simple 1 hr set, turned into 2 hrs and 30 min. It worked though! He then played for a while, then let me go back up if I wanted. I did, and played for another 1 hr and 30 mins… My first official gig as Heretic G, and I played a total of 4 hours! My first fan emerged that night, a man who wrote on a napkin how much he loved my set. I still have the napkin somewhere in the house. I even got paid a very decent sum! It felt incredible! Later on, discussing with a fellow DJ, much more experienced than me, he was shocked that I was paid at my first gig, as he had been playing for years with very little pay in general.

This sparked a side quest in me, to find out how well people are being treated in the industry, locally and perhaps globally. Not very good it turns out. Many have to play just for “exposure”, plus a whole bag of other shady practices. I didn’t know it at the time, but this would influence my later actions. I wanted to change the scene, for the better. Meanwhile, after my first gig at the Grid, one of the Neon Drive (formerly Nights, the name changed due to legal issues) DJs, Is.a.robot, was sick and called on me to replace him last minute, after testing my mixing ability. I did, and as such it all came full circle, about 1 year after attending their first show, I player their last, at a reputable venue as Rebel Lounge. A few days later, a DJ friend invited me to play at her giant house party, full of local scene insiders. I played, and even saved the party when the equipment was lacking by driving to Walmart to buy what was needed, late at night. It was a great experience to be viewed by those I saw as my seniors. At the beginning of July 2019, I was called upon by Bit Mortis again at the Grid. I played that show too, another success. I then looked back and realized that I played 4 shows in under 30 days, as a complete beginner! I knew I could do it, nothing would stop me!

I also met Jak Syn from LA that last weekend at the Grid, as he and Street Cleaner from San Diego, two Synthwave heavy hitters, had a show the night after me, and I helped with word-of-mouth promo. Following, I learned of a lively Synthwave Scene in LA, for a show called San Junipero, hosted by the Night.Wav crew, of which Jak was a member. I started going to their shows ever since, and can say I haven’t missed one! Every two months, lockdown restrictions notwithstanding, I go to LA for their Synthwave show! I learned a lot from them, on how to throw a successful show, and how to build up an audience. Their crowds and shows are amazing, always worth the travel time and cost. I even ended up playing for them at their post-pandemic return show in July 2021, on a sunset boat party! Synthwave. At sunset. On a boat. In Los Angeles. Retro perfection!

Returning to 2019, in September Rad Dude, formerly of Neon Drive crew, invited me to play his new show Tekknoir at the Lunchbox in Phoenix. It was a great show and a great venue. In October, Rad Dude approached me to take over the show completely as showrunner. It was surprising to me, and both an honor and a scare to deal with all that. I took it on, regardless. This was my moment, and this was the moment I would start to change the scene for the better, by throwing these shows myself, making sure it was done to a higher standard of quality from what I learned in LA, and trying to pay everyone reasonably. I invited NMX from LA, whom I met through Neon Drive to play, as well as a host of local Synthwave and similar artists. Our Halloween show, Tekknoir: Cyber Nightmares performed decently. The audience loved the costume contest. I worked in this endeavor with Gren – Rad Dude alongside me, as well as that earlier friend who first invited me to her house party during summer. The beginnings of a new Synthwave crew were being formed. I named it: Desert Runners, from where we originated, in the Arizona desert, and with runners being a reference to both NetRunners of Cyberpunk fiction, and Outrun, the 80s videogame.

We then had our Blade Runner celebration in November 2019 at the Lunchbox. An even stronger show than the last. We were on a roll! Took some winter break, as I was in Europe, visiting my Romanian friends and family, and when I came back, we threw an incredible Valentine’s day party at The Grid in February 2020. All went well. In March 2020, we even had our first double feature, two shows in the same week, at different venues, with different genres, with some Synthwave in both. We were on a snowball of success! In such a short time, I’ve gone from having my first show as a DJ, to showrunning, to founding and leading a crew of like-minded individuals, to running shows at multiple venues! That’s when the lockdowns first hit… People moved to other states, relationships soured, and others retired. Our crew and our scene were dead.

I switched to online for a bit, did some Twitch DJ livestreams, but it wasn’t the same. Joined the biggest Synthwave group on Facebook, where I eventually became a mod and the main driving force for expansion and content creation, in the online medium. It would seem my entrepreneurial ways were starting to emerge, no matter the medium. I did that for about a year, up to July 2021, working of video interviews, art commisions, contests, and generally policing the wild world of Synthwave. It’s a very crowded scene, with many bedroom producers, and bedroom promoters, as I like to call them, who lack the necessary skills to work at a more professional level. Around May 2021, just as the lockdown restrictins were being lifted, I started to realize the online Synthwave scene was treacherous, and a dead end. There was no growth to be found within the echo chambers, only constant drama and infighting over petty Spotify plays. It was time to return to the real-life scene. It was time… to resurrect the Desert Runners!

In May 2021, I threw my Synthwave birthday party, with live acts and DJs at The Grid. It was a success and felt good to be back. I rebuilt the Desert Runners, with some new members, some I met during quarantine, some old, and some who had always been there, but just now joining officially. We rose back from our ashes, like the Phoenix! In July we threw the best Synthwave show yet at the Grid, with double headliners from out of state, Jak Syn and DreamReaper. In August, we moved to a new venue, Endgame in Mesa, where we threw our biggest show yet, and really dug into a more Cyberpunk Synthwave sound & aesthetic. All this time, our production value has been consistent and consistently increasing. Currently as Desert Runners, we have two upcoming shows at Endgame, a Halloween one on October 29th, and a Cyberpunk one on December 11th. Individually as Heretic G, I’m also playing at the Grid, for their Halloween show on October 30th. In 2022, the Desert Runners will be playing in Los Angeles, as a crew takeover, as well as opening another Synthwave stage for our show series at Endgame. Our first batch of merchandise just arrived a few days ago.

We are officially back, kicking ass and taking names as the saying goes! In 2022 Dykotomi and myself as Heretic G will be releasing a collaboration Cyberpunk EP, my first original tracks. I also plan to open up an internet music label Desert Runner Records. I will not stop until the whole world knows of Synthwave. Today Phoenix, tomorrow the Southwest, next week the World!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a stellar road, with great growth at a rapid pace, however not without its hiccups. From the perennial money problems that everyone encounters, to hyper specific ones, such as artist egos and demands, differences in audience and market appeal between the premier market for Synthwave, Los Angeles, and a much smaller one such as Phoenix; the pandemic and all it brought, both to us as a business and to us as individuals, as I suffered from Covid twice, and am still dealing with long term effects; and even to the disappointment that is the online Synthwave scene, versus the real life scene.

The real life scene is much warmer, less superficial, and more passionate. Online artists and fans alike argue and fight over scraps like rabid dogs, waging Twitter wars, and other such unproductive activities. It is therefore difficult to promote a growing, niche genre, when social media is the main way to get your brand out there, and the Synthwave social media is rather… lacking. Luckily we have started building a solid regular audience in Phoenix, using excellent production value for our shows, and consistency in our scheduling.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Desert Runners?
I am Heretic G, Synthwave DJ and promoter in Arizona. I lead the Desert Runners, a Synthwave, Cyberpunk, Vaporwave crew operating in Arizona, and soon more locations. We organize live music events, DJs and live acts, at various venues in the Valley, such as Endgame, The Grid, The Lunchbox (RIP) and others. We offer the highest quality Synthwave shows in town, using lights, visuals and music, all themed to a certain aesthetic for the night.

A few examples: Future Club is a Cyberpunk night. Cyber Nightmares is an annual Darksynth Halloween Party.

Retro Valentine’s is our romantic & dreamy Valentine’s party. We are adamant about throwing a professional show and carrying ourselves in a professional manner. We do not want to be underground, we want Synthwave to rise to the mainstream, and work towards that goal. We have had great growth pre-pandemic, a period of silence, and now again, superb growth.

Personally, I DJ Synthwave and all its subgenres, and a few adjacent ones, such as EBSM (Electro Body Synth Music). My favorite would have to be Cyberpunk and Outrun. I am working on originals for next year, a Cyberpunk adventure themed around a certain villain from a popular Cyberpunk video game. I am proud of all the out of state and local artist we were able to bring out to Phoenix, and all the more we have in waiting, ready for the right time.

We are excited to open a second, Tech house stage at our main venue, Endgame in December, with our allies in the Tech 805 crew, and then, in 2022, to open a second Synthwave stage proper, for a total of 3 stages for our shows. I love hearing back from our fans after a show, how great or rad (a favored Synthwave jargon term) it was, and how soon is the next one. Our fans come for a great time, where they can be themselves, dance wildly, dress up, even if it isn’t Halloween (Synthwave fans are big on cosplay or just retro/cyberpunk costumes), and hang out with like-minded people.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Yes, I learned that the online medium is nothing but a crutch. The real-world market is much larger than some overcrowded internet one. True engagement comes from human interaction. No amount of online networking will equal a face-to-face connection.

Get out there, and engage with your audience, whether you’re in event promotion, or homemade soap sales. Treating your fans right, and entertaining them is the most important thing. You can’t do that through the internet. The lockdowns were necessary, and acceptable, but I for one am glad to be back out there, in my natural environment!

Pricing:

• Future Club II, December 11th, Endgame – $10
• Cyber Nightmares 2 – October 29th, Endgame – $15
• Grid Halloween Bash 2021 – October 30th, The Grid – $10

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heretic_g/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDesertRunners

Image Credits
Horacio Zubieta, Tony Aguilera, and Urban Adventures