Masked maestro Sickick has never been one to follow a conventional path. Fusing emotionally rich storytelling with genre-defying sound design, the Canadian producer, DJ and vocalist has spent years carving out a signature style that blurs the lines between EDM, R&B, trap and cinematic pop. With the release of Remnants: Dark Side, the electrifying second instalment of his two-part album series, Sickick pushes his vision into even darker, more visceral territory.
A bold reimagining of the original Remnants project, Dark Side trades smooth melodies for thunderous percussion, pulsing synths and industrial tension, all while preserving the emotional DNA that’s defined his sound. From primal club bangers to haunting slow burners, each track is a fully immersive experience. As the album unfolds, it becomes clear: this is Sickick at his most fearless and creatively liberated.
In this exclusive interview with EDM Nomad, Sickick delves into the making of Remnants: Dark Side, his artistic evolution, and the multimedia universe surrounding his most ambitious release to date.
1. Let’s start with the new album — ‘Remnants: Dark Side’ has a brooding, cinematic atmosphere. What headspace were you in while creating it, and what does the “Dark Side” represent for you personally and artistically?
I just had a nightmare the night before I thought of the idea of Darkside. It was a weird dream, where I was physically surrounded by dark music in like a 5th dimension. I could feel its thrill and its pain as it swirled around me, and in a twisted way I kind of fell in love with that place. When I woke up I wrote down my thoughts, and I decided to make an album that recreated that feeling I was in. I had just released a slow tempo hiphop album called “Remnants” and it was too early for me to distract my audience with a brand new project, so I thought what an interesting concept it would be if created the uptempo dark dance “evil twin” of that album. That’s exactly what I did : )
2. Sonically, the album feels like a fusion of trap, R&B, and cinematic bass — but also deeply emotional. How did you approach the production to balance vulnerability with intensity?
Exactly, like I explained it feels like a fusion of trap and RnB because the original songs were in that moody tempo range. Even the vocals, really struck a chord with me in a the realm of emotion because the thesis of the album was a sort of personal vendetta. It was easy to twist and turn tempos and keys around to blend them into something new and unique… oh and the best most fun part about this was that when I began remixing my own work, I didn’t have to worry about clearly any samples hahah.
3. You’ve always had a masked mystique. Did ‘Remnants: Dark Side’ feel like a way of revealing more of yourself, or diving deeper into the persona?
It’s always diving deeper. It’s funny to say, even though I’ve been wearing this “mask” for over 10 years, I still find new deeper ways to relate to it when I put it on for my performances and music videos. It’s a living thing that the fans helped make come alive. Maybe I’m overthinking here, but even though it doesn’t move, sometimes I can look into the mirror and see that it’s sad, or happy, or in pain. And by putting it on I get to embrace all those feelings and put it towards an energetic release in my performances.
4. One track that stands out is the Dark Side Mix of Beverly. Can you walk us through how that piece came together — from first idea to final mixdown?
As with most of my work, the “genius” ideas come to me in the shower. I feel most relaxed in the shower, and call me crazy but that’s the only place where these cosmic ideas come to me instead of me going out to look for them. And in this case, I heard this really cool violin line as the warm water was trickling down my back, and when I heard it I immediately grabbed by phone (which I always take into the shower with me) and recorded a small voice note of it. I ran downstairs after straight to the studio, and laid down a vocal representation of this violin melody and started to build drums around it. Naturally it lent itself to a UK garage type vibe for me, and it was a last minute decision to put the vocals of Beverly on it. I was honestly gonna make it an original song, but something told me to do that instead. It ended up turning into a really cool piece of work for me that sounds like the emotional ending of someone’s final kiss.
5. You’ve worked with icons like Madonna and Post Malone. What did you take away from those sessions, and how did they influence your direction on this new record, if at all?
My biggest take away from working with those particular A-LISTERS was how open they were to collaboration. Madonna was such a pleasure to be in the studio with. Even though she’s worked with every producer you can imagine, her passion for hearing new ideas and being open to try new things blew me away. I don’t know why before the session I had prepared myself to have a “relax kid, I’m Madonna, this is what we’re gonna do” type experience, but I can’t express enough what a complete opposite scenario it ended up being.
6. Your flip of Madonna’s “Frozen” became a massive global moment. What was it like reimagining such an iconic track — and then getting the co-sign from the Queen of Pop herself?
You know what, in the entire process, I didn’t once think that I’m doing this for Madonna, or damn will she post it, and oh my god what a legend with such a huge legacy hopefully I do it justice… none of that. No expectation. I didn’t want to fill my head with the stress to create or the pressure to produce. It was just purely about the love of music and nothing more. I heard that one simple hum from frozen and closed my eyes and let my fingers do the rest. When I broke out of my own spell, somehow there was a completed song waiting for me on my computer… score!!!
7. And with Post Malone — your remix work plays with emotion and space in a really uniqueway. How did that connection come about?
That was one so easy and organic! I remember him saying “return of the mack” in his original song’s lyrics, and from the tempo and key of it, I quickly discovered that maybeee he may have used that instrumental as inspiration for his original… they went together too perfectly not to be something there. So anyway, I just reverse engineered the idea I heard in my head and viola. The public really blew that one up so all credit goes to them.
8. You’re currently deep into your US tour — how are fans responding to the Remnants material live? Has performing these darker, more cinematic tracks shifted your stage energy?
Oh absolutely, it’s shifted the entire vibe from a slower set to something you can bounce your head to. Im so used to having songs that change the vibe completely to a slow moody place, but now having songs that are mine that keep the house engagement up… it’s so cool to watch!
9. We’ve seen some seriously immersive visuals on this tour — masks, lighting, even VR-like moments. How important is world-building to the Sickick experience?
It’s everything. If you don’t have a world to let your fans live in, all you are making is empty art. It’s cool, it might work, but I’m more interested in creating a place that gives my fans eternal dopamine rushes… the sidekick universe!!!
10. Your fanbase is fiercely loyal, especially online. What’s it like seeing that level of connection to your music, especially with tracks that dive into heavier emotional themes?
At the end of the day, my mission is to save lives with music. That’s it. I’m not here for the money, the fame, all the vices that seem to consume some of my fellow artists… I just want to make one person’s life better through my art. If I can do that, then common…that’s the highest honour for any artist.
11. You have a brand new edition of your series ‘Sickmix’ dropping this week. Please can you tell us more about this concept and what fans can expect from the latest instalment?
A pinch of high-energy Sickick dance tracks, a hint of bass for your face, a touch of people living in the moment, a trace of euphoria, and maybe some go karting in the background…
