RSRRCT is an up and coming DJ and Producer, who has found his home base between Koh Phangan and Amsterdam. Born in Washington D.C., he discovered a love for electronic music early in life. At the age of 17, he made the leap and purchased Ableton and got to work learning the craft.
RSRRCT produced as a hobby for several years until, at the age of 23, he relocated to the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, where he discovered his love for techno, house, and electronica. Now he is a regular on the rave circuit in Amsterdam. On the club and festival circuit, RSRRCT is also no stranger. He has played at festivals alongside names such as John Digweed, Nic Fanciulli, Stephan Bodzin, Reinier Zonneveld, Oliver Weiter, Henry Saiz, Kobosil, and many more.
This producer and DJ -that specializes in techno music with a dark, driving, and melodic sound- has taken the decks in venues across the world and shows no signs of stopping with a promising career ahead.
We caught up with RSRRCT to talk about his new release, ‘Fear No More’ EP, on Say What? Records.
Electronic Groove: Hello and welcome to EG. How have your latest weeks been with everything that’s going on with the Virus?
RSRRCT: Thanks for having me! Well, for starters I was stuck in Thailand for a bit when my first couple of flights got canceled. I spend a few months each winter there to clear my head and give my ears a break, but I managed to get back to Amsterdam in late March and have been grinding away in the studio since then. In that sense my weeks have been the same as they would have been otherwise. I am missing festival season right about now though!
EG: What have you done to cope with the situation?
RSRRCT: I’ve mostly just thrown myself into my work. With no parties happening there isn’t a ton else to do. When I’m not working on music I’m busy with the launch of a medical cannabis operation in Detroit called Motor City Mary. Some friends that I met through music and I started the company some months back and we’re getting ready to roll everything out. Between that and my studio schedule, I’ve been keeping quite busy.
EG: Dance music has taken a strong hit. What positive outcome do you think can come of this? And how do you see the venues can adapt to future events?
RSRRCT: I think that this situation will give people a renewed appreciation of music and the scene. Before this whole mess I was at events pretty much every single weekend, and being able to spend time with large groups of friends and acquaintances was something that I think many people took for granted. Dance music is something that really brings people together and we find ourselves in a time where we are being told to do the opposite. I’m hoping that once a vaccine rolls out and the world returns to some semblance of normalcy, we will see renewed vigor in the dance music community at large. I can’t even imagine how insane the first parties are going to be once they’re allowed again. As far as clubs and venues adapting? I think that’s a hard question to answer, but if these sorts of pandemics were to become more common in the future I guess they’ll start having to do virtual reality raves? Who knows. Then people could party from the safety of their own homes.
EG: Moving into your latest production and debut on Say What?’s ‘Fear No More’, What can you tell us about the production process behind it? What was the inspiration? What were you trying to achieve?
RSRRCT: If I’m being completely honest these were just the tracks that Ramon (Tapia) picked out of the 15 or so that I had sent to him. He has become ultra picky with his selections for the label, but it shows how well it has been doing. He has been pushing me to up my game with my productions and the EP has been a culmination of that work.
“Dance music is something that really brings people together and we find ourselves in a time where we are
being told to do the opposite”
EG: How has the reception been so far?
RSRRCT: I’ve gotten a lot of good responses on the EP so far from the likes of Wehbba, Karotte, Joyhauser, The Yellowheads, and more. Quite a few DJs that I have always really liked so that has been quite awesome. ‘Fear No More’ and ‘Lycans’ are also both in the techno Hype Charts on Beatport after only a few days at #37 and #49 respectively. We’ll see how high they get, but overall I’m quite happy for a debut release.
EG: At the moment, what’s your favorite piece of equipment and why?
RSRRCT: I’m producing mostly in the box; however, one piece of equipment I recently got which I’m absolutely in love with is the Clarity M from TC Electronic. It’s an audio/loudness meter with a ton of cool features and surgical precision. It frees up screen space, helps me mix my tracks much better, and makes you feel like you’re in a spaceship. What’s not to love?
EG: How did you connect with the label?
RSRRCT: I got into contact with Ramon through a friend when we released under a different project on the label. Since then he has been a huge help to me developing as an artist, so I was happy to have my debut release on Say What?
EG: Do you have any personal favorites from the label’s catalog?
RSRRCT: Definitely ‘Last Step’. Ramon Tapia sent it to me while he was working on it. I was flying back to Amsterdam from Stuttgart and even on my terrible little earbuds I knew that track was going to be an absolute slammer.
EG: After this release what is next in the horizon?
RSRRCT: Well… I’m already at work on a follow-up EP for Say What?, and I have three other releases already confirmed with more soon to follow. I spent the last year or so making as much music as possible so there is definitely a lot to release. I’m just trying to find the right homes for each track.
EG: Many thanks and we wish you nothing but the best!
: Thanks for the opportunity! And to everyone reading, stay safe!
RSRRCT ‘s ‘Fear No More’ EP is out now via Say What? Records. Grab your copy here.
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