Varien

Nikki Kaelar (born May 15, 1990), known professionally as Varien, is an American producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist from Tampa, Florida. His work sits between drumstep and dubstep and leans heavily on cinematic electronic textures. Key releases include the LP The Ancient & Arcane (2015) on Monstercat and the album The Second Industrial Revolution (2019). Kaelar co-wrote and produced VIXX’s single “Scentist” (2018). Varien announced a public hiatus in 2017, returned in 2018, and relocated to Finland around 2019. His music has been licensed for film trailers and soundtracks.

Background details on Kaelar’s early life and entry into bass music are limited in public sources, but the recorded facts show a working identity as a composer-producer who combines electronic production with live instrumentation. He is credited as a multi-instrumentalist and composer on his releases, and his catalog—from Monstercat LP work to soundtrack placements—reflects an approach built around arranged, cinematic material rather than purely sample-based club tracks.

Musically, Varien’s productions marry orchestral and industrial/metal timbres to dubstep and drumstep rhythms. In practice that means half-time and syncopated drum patterns typical of drumstep under layered orchestral hits and processed percussive metal elements. Bass design in his tracks often uses a split approach: a low, sustained sub foundation with midrange distorted or growled synths for character. Atmosphere comes from long reverb tails, string and brass mock-ups, and processed field or metallic sounds folded into pads and stingers—techniques that give his tracks cinematic weight while keeping the low-end club-ready.

On a production level, listening across his Monstercat LP and later 2019 work shows consistent use of layered live and synthetic sources. Live-played or arranged orchestral lines are frequently run through saturation, filtering and dramatic automation so they behave like synth textures; industrial percussion and metallic hits are pitched and timestretched to sit rhythmically with half-time beats. The result is music that reads as composed soundtrack material yet translates into the heavier palette of dubstep/drumstep—clear sub energy, midrange grit, and large ambient swells.

Career highlights and concrete contributions: The Ancient & Arcane (2015) on Monstercat brought Varien to a wider electronic audience via a label known for bass-forward releases. In 2018 he co-wrote and produced “Scentist” for K-pop group VIXX, a credit that demonstrates cross-genre songwriting and production work beyond the bass scene. His 2019 album The Second Industrial Revolution continued his focus on industrial and orchestral textures. Separately, multiple sync placements have placed his music in film trailer and soundtrack contexts, underlining the cinematic aspect of his output.

Publicly documented influences are limited; what is verifiable is the stylistic through-line in his releases: orchestral arranging, industrial/metal sonics, and bass-oriented rhythmic structures. Those elements form the concrete signature of Varien’s work across his Monstercat LP, the 2019 album, soundtrack licenses, and his songwriting/production credit on VIXX’s 2018 single “Scentist.”