The past few months I have spent lots of my free time going to local shows and attempting to make friends in the places that I frequent. One of the people this journey has welcomed into my life is my friend, Eric AKA Marakkas. An OC native, Marakkas is making a name for himself and the music collective, Synergy OC. I got the chance to get to know him on a deeper level, as well as the future direction of Synergy OC.
Marakkas opens up about body dysmorphia, getting back to the basics with music production, and how he and his buddies built Synergy OC from the ground up.
Check out our interview below:
MIC DROP: Tell me a brief intro about yourself. Where are you from? What’s your zodiac sign? (Yes, the zodiac sign is essential)
MARAKKAS: I was born and raised in Lake Forest, CA. And I guess I’m a Sagittarius? IDK what this really means, but everyone always says, “Yeah that makes sense” and I assume that’s a good thing!
MIC DROP: What about your hobbies other than music?
MARAKKAS: I grew up having a lot of different passions. The gym is definitely my number one. It gives me a place of solitude and really helps me feel good about myself. Growing up, body dysmorphia hit me pretty hard. I was always a small kid, so trying to play sports like football always made it hard. Plus, I was always so skinny so I wasn’t really comfortable with my body until I started to workout. Another thing I am extremely passionate about is surfing. It helps me release a lot of stress. Being out in the water is such a magical experience. Nothing else matters when you’re out there.
MIC DROP: How did you get into EDM music?
MARAKKAS: Really, it started with my older brother. I was heavy into rap and hip hop and he only listened to EDM. But, one day we went to work out and he put some on and it completely changed my perspective on the music. For a while, it was just good workout music to me, but when I finally turned 18 and went to Nocturnal [Nocturnal Wonderland] it became a part of me.
MIC DROP: What led you to produce music and become a DJ?
MARAKKAS: DJing came first. I had thrown my first event and realized how much it costs to pay DJs. So, I asked my partner Chase, “Why don’t we just learn?” and at first he wasn’t down. Now, it’s consumed our lives. Then, one day I was on Twitter and I can’t remember who it was but they said, “If you’re a DJ who never starts producing, your whole career is the same as a cover band’s”. That hit me pretty hard so I decided it was time to start.
MIC DROP: So, tell me what Synergy is? What do you guys represent and what inspired you to start it?
MARAKKAS: Synergy is a collective I started back in 2019 with one of my best friends, Chase. We came to the conclusion that Orange County didn’t have a lot of options for EDM events like Brownies and Lemonade. So we said, “If they can do it, why can’t we?” However, it wasn’t easy. By our third event, Chase had made a respectable decision to focus on school, so I asked him if I could keep the branding, and willingly agreed. So, from then on I was solely responsible for all of the financial costs. Meaning, it was built on server paychecks and tips with no investment from anyone else. What Synergy represents is hard work, persistence, and family – we wouldn’t be here without any of those.
MIC DROP: Are there any events/music coming out soon that we should look out for?
MARAKKAS: We have some big ones coming up. We update our socials very often. Give us a follow and turn on post notifications so you can always see what we’re up to!
https://www.instagram.com/synergyoc/
MIC DROP: What has been your favorite step in the process of your music production journey?
MARAKKAS: My favorite step is definitely learning the basics. I owe it all to Madison (MadRay), [who I own the label with] because he has such an awesome structure of producing music. It helped me elevate my production immensely.
Marakkas’ Audius link: https://audius.co/whoismarakkas
Synergia Record’s Audius link: https://audius.co/synergiarecs
MIC DROP: What is your favorite song that you’ve produced?
MARAKKAS: My favorite song I’ve produced is with one of my best friends, Dean Marks called, “Unexpected”. It will be coming out on my label next month!
MIC DROP: Out of each show you’ve played, what has been your favorite venue and your dream location/venue to play at?
MARAKKAS: My favorite venue to play at is definitely The Lexington in LA with Blind Tiger. They have given me such an awesome place to call home and have given me more opportunities than I could ever imagine.
MIC DROP: Are there any events you are personally looking forward to this year?
MARAKKAS: I’m really excited for EDC [Electric Daisy Carnival]. I’ve never gone, so this is going to be an insane experience for me.
Getting to know Marakkas has been such a joy. Seeing him enjoy doing what he loves is a beautiful sight. It’s so awesome to see people you know succeed and take the necessary steps to follow their dreams. Synergy will continue to thrive in So-Cal, and we’re so pumped to see where Marakkas takes it next. Thank you for allowing us to interview you, Eric, and get to know more about the Synergy OC collective. Keep showin’ out for the OC.
To stay connected with Marakkas and Synergy, here are their socials below!
Instagram: @whoismarakkas / @synergyoc
Twitter: @whoismarakkas / @Synergy_OC
Website: https://www.synergyoc.co/
