Interview
Profetik Talks ‘The Waking,’ Roniit, and His Return After Five Years
Profetik Talks ‘The Waking’ as his five-year return opens a darker, cinematic chapter with Roniit
Profetik recently marked his return with ‘The Waking’ featuring Roniit, a release that introduces a darker, more cinematic direction after several years away from releasing music. During that time, he continued refining his sound and rebuilding his creative identity, moving toward a style that balances Melodic Techno with undertones of Melodic House. In this interview, Profetik talks about the process behind ‘The Waking’, the collaboration with Roniit, and the mindset behind this new chapter.
What’s the reception been like for ‘The Waking’ so far?
The response has been overwhelming, honestly. This is a different sound from what I was making five years ago, and it is something much darker, more cinematic, built for bigger stages. So, there was real uncertainty going into this. You never know how people are going to react when you come back sounding like a different artist. But the reception from listeners has been incredible and I love seeing their messages and responses. People are connecting with it in a way that tells me the evolution was the right call.
After stepping back for five years, what made you feel ready to return and why was ‘The Waking’ the right track to mark that moment?
I went five years without releasing a single track. Not because I stopped making music. I never stopped. I just wasn’t ready. The sound wasn’t there yet. And I’d rather disappear than put out something I don’t believe in. So, I kept writing, experimenting, evolving the sound without any pressure to put it out. At some point I realized the music had grown past where I left off and it deserved to be heard. Protoculture heard an early version, and his reaction was a turning point. When someone whose ear you trust that much tells you it’s ready, you listen. ‘The Waking’ felt right as the first release because it captures that transition. It is dark and atmospheric but there is an emotional depth to it that reflects where I am now as a producer. It felt like the most honest reintroduction I could make.
This release signals a shift in your direction. What elements of the track would you say define your renewed sound?
The biggest shift is in how I approach building a world inside a track. The foundation starts with a driving bassline. Not rolling, not bouncy. Driving. Something that locks you in and doesn’t let go. On top of that, the melodic elements come from unexpected places. I’m not just layering synths.
In ‘The Waking,’ the sitar carries a lot of the melodic weight, and it brings out this atmospheric quality that a standard synth lead never could. Then Roniit‘s vocals added another dimension entirely. Her voice is raw and ethereal at the same time, and it gave the track this haunting power that I couldn’t have created with production alone. And then underneath all of it, there are these atmospheric layers that pull you into the scene. That’s what I’m after now. I want the listener to feel like they’ve been transported somewhere. Not just hearing a track but being inside it.
Take us inside the studio for ‘The Waking,’ what was the starting point for the track?
The starting point was an image. Exiles wandering through the desert. Not a glamorous scene. It is a picture of struggle and resilience, people pushing forward through something vast and unforgiving. I built the track around that feeling. The sitar, the atmospheric layers, the driving bassline. Everything was in service of putting the listener in that landscape. When Roniit came in with her vocal, she brought this element of empowerment that I hadn’t planned for but immediately recognized as the missing piece. Her interpretation spoke to the resilience side of the story in a way that elevated the whole track. It turned it from something heavy and dark into something powerful and defiant.
The track carries a strong cinematic and atmospheric quality. How did you build that sense of narrative within the production?
I try to pull as much influence as I can from outside the genre I work in. Hans Zimmer and Howard Shore have occupied a lot of my headspace recently. What inspires me about their work is not the orchestral arrangements. It is the sound design. These shimmering, ethereal atmospheric elements that weave in and out of a scene and make you feel something before you even understand why. That is what I want to bring into electronic music. Take those kinds of textures and lay them over the foundations we already have. The driving rhythms, the bass, the structure. It helps that I live in Las Vegas now, surrounded by desert. You step outside and the landscape does half the work for you. There is something about that vastness and stillness that feeds directly into how I think about building atmosphere in a track.
What inspired the sonic direction of the track, and which influences shaped the final arrangement?
The biggest challenge with this track was balancing the atmosphere with the energy. I wanted it to feel cinematic and immersive, but at the end of the day, this was built for the dancefloor. It is not a sync project for a film. It needs to move a room. So, finding that balance was everything. One of the keys was layering the sitar underneath the big lead synth. If you listen closely, you can hear the sitar still weaving through even when the synth fully opens up. It gives the track this atmospheric depth without sacrificing any of the impact. That balance between cinematic world-building and dancefloor function has been the guiding principle across all of the new music, not just ‘The Waking.’
Tell us about your collaboration with Roniit. How did that process unfold?
I have to give credit to my girlfriend on this one. She heard the first instrumental version of ‘The Waking’ and immediately said I should reach out to Roniit. She’s been a fan of her voice for a while and thought it would be a perfect match for the track. So, I found Roniit online, reached out, sent her the instrumental, and honestly she just nailed it. There wasn’t a lot of back and forth. She understood the mood and the energy of the track right away and delivered something that elevated it beyond what I had imagined. Sometimes the best collaborations happen when someone just gets it instinctively.
From a production standpoint, what element took the most time to refine?
The whole track, honestly. I made the first version on headphones and something about it never felt right. So, I put it on ice for months. When I finally built out my studio properly, I pulled the project back up and remade the entire thing from scratch. The difference was immediate. The drums had more punch, the bass was stronger and more present, and all of those atmospheric details I was going for finally had room to breathe. It taught me a lot about trusting my instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, shelving it is not giving up. Sometimes you just need the right environment (and equipment) to bring it to life.
This release feels like a re-introduction, what do you want listeners to understand about you now?
I want people to understand that every track I make is built with intention. There is always something deeper running through the music. Themes, imagery, stories that I draw from personally and embed into the sound design, the vocal direction, the titles. I’m not going to spell it all out. That’s part of the experience. But for the listeners who dig a little deeper and start connecting the dots, there is a whole world underneath the surface. Beyond that, I just want people to know that this is not a side project or a phase. This is the work I was always supposed to be making. It just took time to get here.
How does ‘The Waking’ set the tone for what’s next, and what can listeners expect moving forward?
‘The Waking’ was the opening statement. What comes next is a full body of work. I’m launching my own label, Seraph Records, and the first release drops May 29th. It’s called ‘Ophanim,’ and it features a driving acid bass with relentless peak-time power. It was built to take the roof off a festival stage. That contrast is intentional. I want people to understand the range of what Profetik is now. From here, listeners can expect new music every single month through the end of the year. Some of it is dark and heavy. Some of it is vocal-driven and emotional. Some of it lives in a more melodic house space. Nine releases in total for 2026. Every one of them is built with the same cinematic intention, but no two of them sound alike. This is just the beginning.
With ‘The Waking’ now out, Profetik is using this release as the first point in a longer return. His next release, ‘Ophanim’, arrives on May 29 through his own label, Seraph Records, with monthly releases planned through the end of 2026. For listeners coming into this new chapter, ‘The Waking’ shows where his sound is heading: darker, more cinematic, and built with a clear focus on story, production detail, and club use.
Listen and Buy ‘The Waking’ Here.
Profetik Online
Roniit Online
