Who is MRAK?

Who is MRAK, the other half of Tale of Us?

Anyone who follows the electronic dance community has undoubtedly been exposed to the concept, production, and/or music of Afterlife. Analogous to Elrow during the 2010s, Afterlife is a disruptive force in contemporary EDM, mesmerizing audiences with futuristic visuals and chilling electronic sets that are often steeped in classical music (a sweet and salty combination that somehow meshes). Afterlife isn’t a singular DJ, but rather a collection of producers and visionaries that travel the world, performing in a unanimous, definitive style. Some of the groups to perform with Afterlife include Tale of Us, Maceo Plex, Argy, Chris Avantgarde, Mind Against, Camelphat, Methame, and so many more. These artists are mainly known for their techno-trance style, sometimes leaning into minimalist/ambient trance. 

As a core group within the collective project Afterlife, Tale of Us has received ample attention from fans around the world. From playing the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam to Tomorrowland in Belgium to Théâtre antique d’Orange in France to the Avant Gardner in Brooklyn, Tale of Us has toured around the world and then some with Afterlife. The DJ duo – comprised Carmine Conte, whose solo project/alias is MRAK, and Matteo Milleri, whose solo project/alias is Anyma – regularly headline these major tour pitstops. The two DJs are both Italian but currently reside in Berlin, Germany, a hotspot for electronic music innovation, particularly concerning techno.

Although Anyma, one half of the duo, became widely known via Afterlife, MRAK is his mysterious counterpart. MRAK, the funky backward spelling of Carmine’s nickname Carm, has released two EPs titled ‘One EP’ and ‘Manifesto,’ along with a single “Speranza.” The majority of MRAK’s work remains unreleased – fans need to attend an Afterlife show to get a taste of the artist’s melodic style. When combing through MRAK’s body of online work, his classical background becomes a salient theme for his music – MRAK is a pianist and guitarist in addition to an incredibly talented electronic producer. 

Before his current project MRAK, Carmine used to go by the alias Karm. Although raised in Millan, Karm spent most Although Anyma, one half of the duo, became widely known via Afterlife, MRAK is his mysterious counterpart. Karm spent much of his professional life as a producer in Toronto and Ibiza. During this epoch, he DJed at venues such as Magazzini Generali, Amnesia, and the legendary Space, which closed in 2016 but is set to reopen in the spring of 2024 in Italy. 

MRAK, although the more enigmatic half of Tale of Us, has spent more than two decades in the music industry, with a compressive body of work focused on the evolution of house music. Notoriety might have come from Afterlife, but a rich history of hard work stretches beyond this most recent success.