From the depths of the carioca electronic music scene – specifically São Paulo – emerges a frank and authentic artist. The integrity and certainty when throwing down Victor Ruiz beats makes it easy to know that he’s landed in a DJ booth. They say that his techno sound has finally found it’s more seductive side. “From Brazil with love” read the title of that interview where he caught the attention with his qualities always supporting super fresh sounds, with fewer grooves. From then on he has been compared to artists like Maceo Plex. Over time Victor Ruiz has grown, not only his production skills but also in his sets, a breath of fresh air to the listener.

We had the chance to talk with Victor ahead of his upcoming Australian tour and recent release remixing Oliver Giacomotto on Noir Music.

Electronic Groove: Hi Victor, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. You’ve been involved in music production for quite some time. Can you share with us a little bit about your early days experimenting with electronic music?

Victor Ruiz: Hey! It’s my pleasure. I’ve been producing for 12 years now. When I started everything was more difficult than today. There were no tutorials on YouTube, actually there was no YouTube at all, and you had to either discover by yourself or a fellow producer would have to help you.

Fun fact: I started producing psychedelic trance in my first years, later on I moved to techno.

EG: How has this 2018 started for you?

Victor Ruiz: Pretty good actually. I had my first release of the year on Noir Music, and the track is already at Beatport’s techno top 3. Also, I’m heading to Australia for a 6-gigs tour. Excited about it!

EG: Could you tell us some of your aspirations and feelings for the New Year?

Victor Ruiz: I’m pretty excited about this year. My goal is to tour more around the world, and luckily visit to Asia for the first time.

EG: You finished 2017 with the ‘Brujeria’ pack on Elevate, worked with Thomas Schumacher, did your debut with EP on Oliver Huntemann’s Senso Sounds label, produced different mixes to Moby’s classic tunes… and now, time to remix another highly-respected name: Olivier Giacomotto. You must be proud that your music career grows supported by such names. How do you feel about it? Any other artist you are interested to remix?

Victor Ruiz: 2017 has been my golden year so far. It was an honor to work on these remixes for artists that are role models to me. I mean, man, to remix Moby, one of the biggest electronic artists… it’s still unreal to me. I’m grateful and feel so blessed. I think one of my favorite artists is Trent Reznor and his band Nine Inch Nails. They inspire me so much I can’t even tell.

“I had my first release of the year on Noir Music, and the track is already at
Beatport’s techno top 3″

EG: We do not want to miss your accurate tribute to another legend, the Italian Robert Miles, that sadly passed away last year. What did he and his sound mean to you? Did you ever meet him?

Victor Ruiz: Robert’s work has been an inspiration to many of us, producers and DJs. I came from a trance background so you can imagine the importance of his work for me. Unfortunately I’ve never met him, so I did this tribute to express my gratitude.

EG: Can you mention a few labels that you love but you haven’t released on yet?

Victor Ruiz: There are three labels that I really like and identify myself with: Drumcode, Kompakt and Afterlife. The three are very different from each other, but I love them.

EG: Can you mention one artist that you’ll be watching in 2018?

Victor Ruiz: Wehbba. He’s one of my favorite producers and he’s on fire lately. I’m sure 2018 will be a year he will kick some serious ass!

EG: You’re about to embark on a new trip to Australia. How do you feel before such an important tour?

Victor Ruiz: I always feel anxious and nervous before a tour like this one. I’m really excited to tour OZ and will be the first time I’ll spend more than 2 days there. Looking forward to seeing the nature of this beautiful country. Below tour dates:

Feb 16 – Brown Alley :: Melbourne
Feb 17 – Escape Ferocity :: Canberra
Feb 18 – Earth Frequency Festival :: Brisbane
Feb 22 – Byron Bay Brewery :: Byron Bay
Feb 23 – Monolith :: Sydney
Feb 24 – Babylon Festival :: Victoria

EG: It seems that techno sounds are going from strength to strength in Brazil in recent years. Can you describe the current situation of the electronic scene over there?

Victor Ruiz: You’re right. Techno has grown strong in Brazil. We have some really good parties and clubs that are popular for playing that genre, but if you compare the size of the country with its scene, the underground scene’s still pretty small.

EG: Can you describe a regular day of your life when you are home in São Paulo?

Victor Ruiz: I wake up around 10 am, have breakfast, relax a little bit and go to the gym. I do this 4 times a week because Fridays I’m always traveling. Also, I do boxing 3 times a week and I love it. After my workout I come back home, take a shower, have lunch and go to the studio. I’ve been very productive in the studio lately. I’ve been making a lot of new music. This is my routine. Of course, once in a while I change it and do something different…

“There’s no shortcut to success, only hard work”

EG: Musically and artistically speaking, what is exactly your connection with Any Mello?

Victor Ruiz: Any is my wife actually. We used to have a very successful AV project in Brazil where she used to be a VJ, but now she’s DJing and producing her own music. She’s a very determined woman and I’m sure she’ll rock the world shortly. Expect great deeds from her.

EG: What should be your advice to the new generations of DJs or techno producers?

Victor Ruiz: Work your ass off. There’s no shortcut to success, only hard work. Be patient. Be kind. What goes around comes around. Share your love and your passion. Be different from everyone, the world is already full of the same things.

Follow Victor Ruiz:

https://www.facebook.com/victorruizofficial
https://soundcloud.com/victorruiz
https://twitter.com/victorruizdj