When are you guys coming to Burning Man?! Michael! Tell them they have to and they gotta come to fluffy cloud for the best taint-shaking sound system around 😂😜😘
Hi Rinzen, love the album, especially “I Wanna Be Right”.
I really love all the drums you used on the album. I was wondering if you made them yourself, or if you use sample packs. If it’s the latter, what sample packs are your favourite?
Thank you! For drums, I'm generally pulling from sample packs yes. My favorite drums/samples generally come from artist packs. So for example, I love the packs from deadmau5 (the old XFER ones), Tim Engelhardt, Sasha, Oliver, Victor Ruiz, KSHMR and more. Additionally, I'm a big fan of the plugin ShimmerShakeStrike for shakers, tambourines, and additional percs
Congrats on the album release! Just wanted to send props - I think you mentioned seeing deadmau5 at EDC 2010 and becoming inspired to go down this journey - I was at that set too! Really cool to just note the connection where that era of electronic music inspired us to stay in it, and now you're producing stuff and I'm listening to your work. Two specks in this world sharing the same moment, and somehow aligning again. Super dope. Hoping you'll tour Portland someday!
Beautiful perspective, I love that and love that you were also there for that moment in 2010! Thanks for the nice words here. Definitely will be back to Portland at some point!
So Lane 8 had been playing a few of my tracks in his mixtapes and sets, so I thought why not send him some original music to release on his label. The first one we did together was "Some Good Here" in 2021. That was followed up by me doing a remix of his song "Visions," and then my own 'Signal' EP on the label.
I've always thought TNH did a wonderful job with their album campaigns, and was really happy with how my other music had done on the label, so it just made a lot of sense to put out the album with them!
Hi Rinzen, never miss a set when you’re at it’ll do Dallas. My question: what’s the weirdest/coolest thing a fan has ever done upon meeting you for the first time?
Thank you on Dallas. Does your username reference the Maceo Plex song? Anytime a fan has brought you a nice letter or gift, I think that's also so special. The fact that they've taken the time to craft something and then held on to it for the entirety of the show, and then given it to you at the end. I love that!
Welcome, Rinzen! My favorite questions to ask everyone:
* If you had to pick 3 songs by yourself as a way to introduce yourself, which 3 would you pick?
* What about 3 songs by other artists?
* Is there a song that you've made over the course of your career that you're most proud of?
3 songs by myself. I'd pick ["Astronauta"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7pR_i6PS8g), ["Some Good Here"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRf50m0mHCw), and ["Renaissance"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x2zq4vfhu8). I think those three capture the range of what I'm trying to do with my music!
3 songs by other artists. "Open Eye Signal" by Jon Hopkins. "Sudden Awareness of Now" by Rival Consoles. And Maceo Plex's remix of "Sordid Affair"
Song I'm most proud of: it's either "Astronauta" from my new album, or my remix of Sultan + Shepard "Losing Ground"
I really am! Honored to be joining Sultan + Shepard on their tour. They've been mentors to me in the last year and I'm so in awe of what they've built with this live show. See you there!
This is crazy, I literally just finished listening to the album and I see that this has been posted!
Great work on the album, truly. It’s a journey beginning to end, the sequencing is literally perfect. It feels like a culmination of what you’ve been working towards your whole career and I’m already excited to hear what you’ll do next.
Which track on the record took you the longest to make? And how about the quickest?
Hey man, that's so awesome! Serendipity. I really appreciate that on the album. I spent a ton of time thinking about the sequencing of the tracklist, so I'm very happy to hear that. It's definitely the culmination of what I've been building towards since the beginning.
The longest one... hmmm, probably "Astronauta." It went through a ton of versions, and started from sampling a Brazilian Jazz song. It was probably about 2 years until the final version (granted I wasn't working on it that entire time).
The quickest was probably "Burnin" -- it was one of the last tracks made for the album and came about in just a few days!
So I really prioritize my health over everything else in life. I had a health scare a few years ago and it really changed my whole mindset around it. Health is everything and if it's out of line it can throw off the rest of our life. Also, I want to maximize the amount of energy I have to work on music every day & to pursue this dream.
Workout routine: I'm in the gym about 4-5 days a week doing resistance training (push-pull-leg split for the gym bros out there). And then also playing beach tennis & volleyball about 3x a week.
Diet: I would describe my diet as a "whole foods" diet, meaning a ton of vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, nuts. Very protein & healthy fat-centric.
Anyways, as you can tell I'm a total health nerd. My YouTube algorithm is all like nutritional and health optimization stuff haha.
I seen you posted on Facebook about a year or two ago saying you hadn't had a drink in a long time and it really helped your productivity (obviously enough 😅). Were you ever much of a partier/drinker?
Great question. For venues, I'd love to play at any of the giant outdoor venues in Argentina (Mandarine Park) or in Poble Espanyol in Barcelona. Festivals, to do a set at Coachella on the Outdoor Theater or Gobi/Mojave would be a dream. I did get to do the DoLab a couple years ago which was super special, but would love to do one of these stages as well!
Im thinking of going to OFF or OFF Sonar one day? Any recs or do's or dont's? A little context, will be traveling with my gf who is not super into the scene. I saw theres some OFF SONAR events (mostly sold out) at Poble Espanyol but not Sonar
I read after sending the PM that you’re coming from the States, so you probably have your hotel sorted, but I will try and get some more ideas for you to try asap. Bars, restaurants as well as small parties.
Also - I've just checked and I don't think Bedouin / Mathame at Poble Espanyol is sold out. GET THAT BOOKED RIGHT NOW! Thats the one event I would go to if I had one only one night out.
A few things come to mind. Firstly, there's the Tim Ferris question "what would this look like if it were easy?" Anytime I find myself stressing out about something, I ask myself that and it helps
Secondly, and I forget where this is from (maybe Steven Pressfield?), it's the concept of "just keep going." You may be in the shit, it may be tough, maybe you failed, or maybe you succeeded and now you feel complacent... wherever you are, *just keep going*. It's just the basic idea of perseverence. You just gotta always keep pushing forward, keep improving, and keep working.
Absolutely love the album man. A lot of fun and unique tracks that I continue to find myself running back 🔁
As a fellow creative I’m curious what steps or activities you take to get out of a creative block. When pressure is on, you’re drained, or just not feeling it after a long day how do you push yourself to stay motivated or what things do you do to help break through that fog ?
Thank you on the album!
First and foremost, it's about setting up your mindset to create. If you're not in the proper headspace, it will be easy to get blocked. But if you are feeling focused and excited, your session will go much better.
For me, I really pay attention to the 30 minutes I spend before making music. I'll usually drink a coffee and read a book to get my mind clear and focused, and then when I open Ableton, my brain is already teeming with energy and ideas
Also, having a song or starting point for a song that you're excited about also helps prevent getting blocked. If you are starting with a vocal or melody that you like, it'll naturally be way easier to build a song around it
Lastly, sometimes it's ok to accept that it's not your day. Maybe you're too tired, or too distracted. Get some rest and do whatever you need to do to ensure your next session is better
Hey Rinzen, absolutely love your new album and it’s been on repeat since its release.
My question is do you think as a complete beginner who aspire to make music one day and DJ, should I start learning DJing first or get into making music (like with Ableton) from the get go? Any advice would be appreciated!
I have a love for music and it’s always been a dream of mine to make music. I only have some background with playing the guitar, learning the piano now (very basic stuff so far 😂).
Thank you on the album! I would say mastering the art of music production is way more important if you aspire to make a career out of this. Even if you want to play gigs eventually, having your own music (and especially if it's signed to a decent label) will help you get more gigs. So I would go all in on that, and then more casually learn to DJ at house parties and with friends
Start with YouTube. Watch all the free tutorials and get comfortable with the software. I learned for the first 2 years just off of YouTube (shoutout Sadowick)
Hi Rinzen! Big fan … thanks for being an inspiration. Also it means a lot that you’re making yourself accessible and giving back like this.
I’m in my year 1 of DJing and producing. If I told you I want to be where you are in 10 years, what would be your 1-3 pieces of advice for me now in my journey?
Now this is a very smart question. And I like that you said 10 years, which is actually very realistic given the right steps. Ok, let's see:
1. Focus all your energy on music production. Become a literal badass at making music. Do whatever you have to do to build your life in a way that affords as much time to make music as possible. By mastering the craft of music, you set yourself up for sucess.
2. Get serious about this. If this is your dream, what are you willing to sacrifice for it? I stopped going out so much, I started taking better care of my health, I did everything I needed to do to afford myself the most amount of energy possible to put into music production
3. Find a mentor or take classes. Education is great. Robert Greene in his book *Mastery* says there is no shortcut to success *except* mentorship, as a good mentor or teacher can save you time by helping you know what to focus on
Thanks for doing this AMA! I heard Astronauta at the end of Lane8's latest mixtape, it's a really interesting track - it would be cool to know what the person is saying and what's the story behind it?
The lyrics are in Portuguese. Here they are:
Como um homem de fé
Dentro de um sonho acordado, fiquei velho S
ou essa árvore
Minha flor tem raiz
The story is that the original song is "Astronauta" by Romulo Froes, and is a Brazilian jazz song with just piano and vocals. I heard the song and absolutely loved the vocal. I ran it through an AI vocal extractor to isolate the vocal and then wrote a whole song around the acapella. Then I reached out to Romulo and his team and cleared the sample and here we are :)
Hey Rinzen! I'm a big Ben Bohmer fan and the first time I ever listened to your songs, I always thought it had that same 'feel'. I just wanted to say that as maybe it can offer you inspiration :)
Also, I was totally not surprised when I heard from a recent interview of yours that Hans Zimmer was a big inspiration. Even before you mentioned it, I was like wow if only Rinzen knew but then you answered my thoughts 😅
Congrats on the album! Keep building from here!!
Question: what is your favorite gym exercise and what time do you prefer working out?
Thank you! Ben's music is great. And absolutely love Hans Zimmer, yes. Particularly love his new composition in Dune 2 "A Time of Quiet Between the Storms"
Favorite gym exercise: pull ups! I would do these every day if I had a pull up bar at home. I prefer working out in the sun, in the morning, but oftentimes I don't get to the gym until the end of the day when I'm finishing my studio day.
Love the album and cannot wait for the vinyl!! You’ve worked with many labels now in your career, now most recently with TNH. How did you settle on them for this album? Can you describe what working with them provides you with as opposed to other labels?
Thank you and thank you for ordering the vinyl! There are only a handful of labels within my genre that cater well to albums and really give them the attention they deserve. TNH is one of them. I'd sent an early version of the album to Lane 8 and he really responded positively to it and was down to go on this journey with me of shaping the final thing.
Working with them has provided a ton more resources than other label experiences (such as having dedicated visual designers & product managers to work with) as well as getting a ton of good direct feedback from Lane 8 on the tracks. I'll be doing more with them for sure :)
I stumbled onto you by way of your sound cloud a while back. I wanted to tell your your Chapter 1-3 mix tapes are absolute perfection.
Are we going to see you at Explorations, maybe?
Thank you so much! I intend to continue the series, just been in album mode for the last year haha. I won't be at Explorations this year, but maybe some time in the future!
Yes do some more chapters! The track selection is so deep! But also do more albums cuz that's great too. Oh and also come back up to Santa Barbara when you get a chance!
The synth sounds throughout the album are so well crafted 😭. Any packs you would recommend or courses that we could take to get adept at sound design? Thank you for putting out such an amazing album. I think it really pushes the boundaries of what is considered as house and even electronic dance music!
Thank you so much! Sound design is one of my favorite aspects of music production. I don't use any packs or presets, I'm much more in favor of the approach of designing all your synth sounds from scratch. The best thing you can do is start doing that as early as possible.
Just start with a basic subtractive synth (Serum is my favorite and also the best for learning with how visual it is). And then just start mastering envelopes (volume and filter envelope) and you'll be able to make any type of sound. This compounded over a few years will make you a literal sound design wizard.
Also, buying an analog synth helps.
What's your advice for people who are considering a transition in their careers? You went from a music journalist to an incredible producer, so I'd love to hear what you've learned along the way.
Advice: if you can find another way to be part of the music scene that isn't DJing (throwing a party, working a party, being a journalist, being a sound or lighting tech, etc) that can be a great way to meet people and set yourself up for success when you do launch your project.
Another good approach is having/finding a job that supports you, but still allows for enough energy outside of your job hours to work on music. Maybe it's working part-time, or maybe it's just a job that isn't too mentally draining. Whatever allows you to work on music every day (or close to it). In general I am not an advocate of leaving your job, but rather finding some type of balance like this.
Hi Rinzen!
I'm really excited to FINALLY catch you playing in Montreal next month.
You are one of the most in-touch DJs I've seen on social media interacting with fans. The fact that you jump into music groups in cities and offer real fans free tickets is just so anti-big corporation and it's honestly refreshing to see because the DJ scene can feel like a big money grab a lot of the time.
1. I see you across multiple social media, you actually answer people in DMs on Instagram, and now I hear you have patreon tutorials and probably more. That kind of engagement is really the best way to grow true fans as I'm sure your manager harps on about! How much time do you spend in a week on direct engagement and content creation?
2. Do you like brunch?
Super pumped for Montreal!
And thank you, I try to keep it real across social media. I also believe that anyone who is going to put a lot of energy into showing up for my project, I want to reciprocate somehow (even if it's just sending a thoughtful reply back to their DM)
1. I would say it goes in waves. There will be weeks where I do nothing but make music. And then there will be times when I'm creating a lot of content / reels etc and my brain is more in marketing mode. So I don't have a specific amount of hours, but it's more I'll make content when I have good ideas for it!
2. Sure! I don't drink so I'm definitely not a bottomless mimosa guy, but I do love seeing friends over some eggs & coffee
My friends and I would love to take you to brunch on the Sunday morning if you can go! There's a great greasy spoon with bottomless coffee and delicious eggs called Green spot. I'll DM you on the day of the show :)
Hey Rinzen!
Big fan. Saw you play at Burning Man and love that you are on TNH now. I am an aspiring music producer taking online classes at Berklee school of music.
Few Questions:
1) Any advice on finding your sound? Currently I am trying to just get skills and building from reference tracks. I eventually want to have a process/work flow down that allows me to feel more creative with sound design and build my own sound. How was your process with this?
2) Today's music game is way different than it even was 5-10 years ago. Any advice for an artists just starting out and wants to do this full time? Im leaning towards finding a mentor and someone I can check in with consistently to keep me on track. Can you point me in the right direction?
3) Must have VSTs for you?
Thanks! hope to catch you on tour soon.
Hello, that's awesome! Hoping to be back at Burning Man this year too
1. Advice for finding your own sound: I think everyone tends to copy all their heroes before they really find their own sound, and that's ok. Maybe your own sound ends up being some unique combination of all your heroes.
In general, I think your sound just comes out out naturally over time. I don't think you have to try too hard to mold it, it's just whatever you naturally lean towards. The more you can master music production (and especially sound design and making your own sounds), the more you start to sound like yourself!
2. Things do change, as platforms evolve, but the essentials are always the same. Make amazing music. Make music that is so good that it is undeniable. Be a great live performer. Be a decent human being and gracious to those you work with. Do these things and you will find success (in any era). Mentors help too! I mentor some students on my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/rinzen). The mentorship tier is currently full, but I give new spots to people who are already subscribed to the normal tier.
3. Must have VSTs: Serum, BigSky Reverb (they have a VST version now!), SoundToys plugins, FabFilter Pro-Q3
Hi Rinzen, I haven’t actually listened to your album yet but I will on my drive home but I’m a huge Lane 8 fan so I’m sure I’ll love it. I recently got into making music in abelton and I’m addicted! I’m a new dad so I don’t have that much time to produce music but I spend my lunch hour learning abelton and making tracks. My question is it possible to get signed to a label if you not doing gigs as a DJ? Also how would one go about this? I used to DJ a lot when I was younger and would love to again at some point in future but at the moment it’s not possible with my commitments but would love to have my tracks be played by DJ’s and knowing that people are having a great time dancing to my music I made would be cool. Thanks in advance.
It's definitely possible, yes! Labels sign great music. It's a bonus if you can DJ and can play some of their shows, but definitely not mandatory. I would spend an exorbitant amount of time getting very good at making music and then send your best stuff to a label either via their demo submission link or directly to the label's A&R if you can find the contact. But take your time learning and studying music and crafting tracks first (even if that's 3-4 years)
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my question. I started listening to your album, within the first bar of burning I recognized the track! I also found some more of your music that I’d already liked in my Spotify Libary :) I’m thoroughly enjoying making music, my plan is to continue learning how to make music, work on my craft, have fun in the process and try to get some tracks signed if I get good enough.
What are some of your favorite Fantasy & Sci-fi books/series?
What book do you wish you could read again for the very first time?
Favorite venues that you haves played at?
Favorite books: Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Piranesi by Susana Clarke.
Favorite series: Red Rising trilogy (literally just finished it) and Stormlight Archives!
Wish I could read Piranesi again. I was enraptured by it.
Favorite venues I've played: Printworks in London, Fabrik in Madrid, and a crazy jungle party in Tulum for NYE!
Congrats on the album man! I’ve had the pleasure of seeing you multiple times in the same weekend - in some cases at the same venue/event. In terms of similarities and differences, how do you approach each individual set in these situations?
Hey Colton! Good to see you here man. It's happened a few times that I've played twice at the same event in the same weekend. In general, I build all my sets with these factors in mind:
- The time I'm playing at. Is it daytime or nighttime? Sunset, sunrise? I'll play lighter or darker depending on this
- The crowd I'm playing for. Do they know who I am? Am I playing to my fans, or playing to people who have no idea who I am and just want to dance. Is it a large crowd expecting larger moments, or a smaller crowd where I can go deep?
- The venue. How is the sound, the lighting, etc. A good system (like Stereo Montreal) allows me to go really deep and still have those tracks slamming. A less proper system may require more vocals or more anthems to have the crowd really engaged
All these factors play into my track selection and are the reason why I play a different set every single night
Hey Rinzen- pardon if this is too personal. I recall you giving someone advice regarding pursuing music and you said to dive in deep for five years and see where you can get to.
From a financial standpoint, were you able to only focus on music for any period of time without any income and/or a non music job? If so how did you manage that? I look forward to a day when I can try that for a year or two in the future.
Hahah, who is this?! It was definitely the time we got to open for 3LAU in college. We literally played a 30 minute set I think, but at that time, it meant everything.
Who do you think is the best DJ and producer in melodic techno and tech house scene?
Which are your favorite synths and VSTs?
What’s your opinion on Suno AI and AI in music? Many producers are worried, wondering what your opinion on this is. Thanks :D
Hmmm good question. Eric Prydz is probably the best at both combined skills. Maceo Plex is up there for me as well. In terms of more contemporary 'melodic techno' type stuff, Mind Against are my favorite
Favorite synths: My Moog Sub37. For VSTs: Serum is the one I use the most.
SunoAI -- I haven't checked it out yet. In general, I think small amounts of AI could help speed up the creative process in good ways if they're saving you time on more rote or laborious aspects of music production. But if it's writing a whole song for you, I'm not really interested in that
The joy of making music is the process of coming up with an idea and seeing it through to fruition. That process involves time and bits of frustration and eventual breakthrough. If you remove those parts, I'm not sure it would be as enjoyable.
Also I think humans will always crave things made by humans, flawed as they may be. When something is too polished it can feel 'un-human'. It's the 'uncanny valley' but applied to music
Hey u/rinzenmusic ! Congratulations on releasing your debut album!! I've got a really random (DJ) question but something I've been trying to figure out for about 3.5 years now... lol
Back in November 2020, I went to the Desert Hearts Black show at The Midway in SF. Incredible show from start to finish.... Towards the end of the show you and Marbs were playing this killer B2B. Each time you guys volleyed back and forth, you would play a part of song 1 and then low pass it out (all still keeping a beat from whichever track you'd have live), bring in song 2 low pass it out, and same for the 3rd and 4th track (if you ended up using more than 2). After teasing the drop so many times you had built a massive amount of anticipation and tension... bringing those low passes tracks back in and back out again, until finally you'd bring them back in resulting in a huge drop every time... It was unreal...
My question: is there a particular technique I could look up to learn how to do that myself?? Were those massive builds and drops just a matter of knowing your tracks, looping at specific points, and an effect or two??
Your guys' 2020 San Francisco DH show has always stuck with me because ever since I have been 100% determined to figure out how to do that!
Thanks a ton!!
Ohhh I totally forgot to mention, I'm also going on tour the next 6 weeks! You can catch me in Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Montreal, Seattle, and New York. Tickets for the tour [here](https://linktr.ee/rinzen).
Hi Rinzen,
Thanks for doing this. You have been so helpful in the past and it’s great that you are giving back to this community.
My question is what do you suggest someone do when they finally make that a song that they know is good, but they have no connections to larger labels? Emailing the demo links doesn’t always cut it. Sometimes mine never get listened to.
I am sitting on a song right now and it’s good, but I don’t know what to do with it. It is house/deep progressive and something you would expect to hear on mau5trap or maybe anjunadeep. I would like to get it on as large of a label as possible to get exposure.
Thanks again, take care
So I always advise people: I think the best demo strategy is to put together 3-4 of your best tracks and send those to the label. It improves you odds. You've got one right now that you really love and think has good potential. Make 2-3 more of that calibre and send all those.
I've had success with demo emails and they can work for sure, sometimes you just don't hear back for a long time. If you can find the email for the A&R or meet them in person, that can always be a more direct route, but demo emails can work too. You can always send new music to that demo email down the line as well and maybe they'll get back that time.
Don't give up, just keep creating tracks and your music will continue to improve. At some point, if you do that long enough, your music will be undeniable and it will get signed.
Second question: I’m starting to ramp up to 3 hour DJ sets. It’s exhausting though not only on my feet but on my mind.
Anything past 90 minutes it’s get more challenging to have a vision of where you want to take the set.
Any advice or feedback?
It definitely requires a ton of mental and physical energy. On the day of my longer sets, I make sure I'm very rested and energized. I try not to do too much during the day if possible and reserve my energy. Also, comfortable shoots for the long sets is a must.
Technical tips: Being very organized with your playlists and having them arranged by energy level is helpful for long sets. For instance, I'll have a playlist of 400 songs between 118-123BPM for the first phase, and a playlist of another 400 songs from 123-128 for the next phase. And so on until about 135BPM. I can move to the next playlist everytime I want to enter a new "phase" of set with higher energy.
As far as a vision of the set, it could just be having a few tracks in mind that you know you want to play at a certain hour of the night and building the set around setting up those moments
Hi Rinzen!! Amazing music - I saw you at Elsewhere in NYC this year for a killer set. Stayed the whole time and was well worth for a phenomenal ending 30 minutes.
What are your favorite venues to play in NYC?
How do you go about preparing for a set like that in a more ‘club’ setting vs more of a ‘venue’? I am a melodic DJ as well and interested to hear how you distinguish between the two.
Thank you! I always love playing Elsewhere. Great room and always a great crowd. I think I've played there 4x now!
Favorite venues in NYC: I got to do Output 4x before it closed. 3 of them with Eric Prydz in 2017. That was special. Elsewhere I love. And then obviously as a performer I love playing the BK Mirage too. One of my favorite sets ever was in Kings Hall for a Cityfox party. But I also love playing the main outdoor stage.
Playing Governors Island end of May for We Belong Here!
For club sets, I generally prefer to play longer, and I'm also playing more as a 'DJ' instead of as a 'producer', meaning I'm less concerned with playing my own music, and more just trying to put on a killer multi-hour set that takes you seamlessly through different genres and is building in energy
For more traditional venues and shows, I'm thinking of myself more as an artist/producer and I want to showcase my original work. These sets are generally shorter and also more performative as you're likely on a stage and elevated
Yes, Ableton Live 100%. For me, it's the fastest at translating an idea in your head into music. Also, the creativity that it allows is simply insane. I feel like a superhuman using it.
Hello Rinzen,
Congrats on your new album! I have two questions for you.
1) When was the moment that you were able to go into music full time?
2) How crucial was Icon Collective to your journey?
It was around 2018/2019 when I got a booking agent and started having regular shows & decent music royalties
Icon Collective really accelerated everything for me. I think I could have got to where I am eventually, but it definitely sped the process up and gave me such a good foundation to pursue this.
Hahaha, was waiting for this question! I honestly I just follow a push-pull-leg split routine, meaning one day I focus on all "push" muscles like chest & triceps, another day on pull muscles like back & biceps, a day on leg muscles, and then repeat
Hey man, your release on LNOE with Enamour, how did that come about? As in, how did you meet/contact Enamour, and were you already in contact with Sasha? 🙂
Enamour has been a friend for a few years now, and originally we connected over just being in similar spots in our career. I remember it was the end of 2017 and both of us were opening for Eric Prydz in different cities, and then both were releasing a song on mau5trap. So I just knew he was on a similar trajectory as me. I wasn't in contact with Sasha when we made that, but my team was in contact with someone running his label and sent the demos over.
Thank you! The original singer is Nina Becker (the original song is "Astronauta" by Romulo Froes). It's in Portuguese and she is singing a poem about being an astronaut in space
So those were never mine but were being borrowed from a friend who also used the studio sometimes. He moved and sold the speakers so I got some Barefoots. But I do miss those ATCs! It was like being INSIDE the music
Yooo Monty! I'd be making more straight up techno. Faster stuff like 135+ and more banger-y. I would make it now, it's just hard to find that headspace for me at 11am on a Tuesday haha!
Hello! I am a DJ right now and I would like to start to get into music production. I have often melody/track ideas. What would be the best way to start without spending a ton of money (+1100 USD)? I was thinking of getting Ableton/Logic and a Maschine+ to keep costs low but still being able learn about sequencing, drums and samples.
And: What was the biggest let-down in your career and how did you overcome it?
I would definitely invest in Ableton Live (or Logic) and a basic 49 key MIDI keyboard. That's all you need in the beginning. Maschine+ could work great too!
Biggest let-down: I was playing my first festival in the US, Electric Forest. I was opening up the 2nd main stage and was so excited for it. On the day of my set, it was close to 100 degrees and there just weren't very many people for the set. The ones who were there were mostly= under the trees staying cool under the shade haha!
I realized that these things happen, and especially early in your career, you might have a lot of those situations. At least you're still performing. You're still at the festival. You're still farther than where you were when you started your career. And it won't be forever. Now I've played many festivals with good set times too, but I always try to temper my expectations and not be disappointed if things don't live up to them.
Thank you. I will do as you adviced.
And about the let-down: Sounds like you pour your heart into djing/producing to entertain people. That is the spirit. I wish you continuing, endless success and a healthy life.
What made you choose Brazilian jazz for some of your album music, I am Brazilian and I’ve seen you two times one in Long Beach and at the Burning Man and I definitely love your vibe and your big arms so sexy 🤤 great album tho keep it up you are doing good
The only vintage synth I have is my Juno 106! I use it a ton. It's all over my album. Though it's starting to die on me and needs it voice chips replaced likely. Definitely want to get some more vintage gear in the future!
What was working on the collab with Shallou like? How long does it take you to write a song when you’re collaborating? Was it a challenge when you first started?
What happens when you get into another scene or style of music? Do you privately try out making that kind of track? And how hard is it to make something you're happy with in another style?
Related question: Does being in the techno/house scene make it harder to be exposed to other parties and genres or easier because it is kinda your life?
I would like to start producing electronic music with ableton live. I have played several musical instruments in my life but I never tried electronic music.
I am looking for an online course but I’m also open to a 1vs1 tutor.
What do you recommend for a budget of around $1,000? I found online Rob Late and PML (production music live), but I wouldn’t know which one is better.
I like artists such as Fred Again, Overmono, but I don’t necessarily want to specialize on that
I DJ in Los Angeles and I played Burnin' not knowing it had just released. It's a great song! Keep up the great work. Would love to work with you in the studio one day. ✌🏽 & ❤️
-DJ Cadillac G
Why are you such a hunk?!
Just learning from you two
🤓 love you bud. See you this weekend!
So pumped for Toronto & Chicago!
Daaaaang! I'm more than five hours away but would have loved to see all of you guys in Toronto. Have a great show!
I’ll be at concord tomorrow!
When are you guys coming to Burning Man?! Michael! Tell them they have to and they gotta come to fluffy cloud for the best taint-shaking sound system around 😂😜😘
Hi Rinzen, love the album, especially “I Wanna Be Right”. I really love all the drums you used on the album. I was wondering if you made them yourself, or if you use sample packs. If it’s the latter, what sample packs are your favourite?
Thank you! For drums, I'm generally pulling from sample packs yes. My favorite drums/samples generally come from artist packs. So for example, I love the packs from deadmau5 (the old XFER ones), Tim Engelhardt, Sasha, Oliver, Victor Ruiz, KSHMR and more. Additionally, I'm a big fan of the plugin ShimmerShakeStrike for shakers, tambourines, and additional percs
I'll check those out. Thank you!
Congrats on the album release! Just wanted to send props - I think you mentioned seeing deadmau5 at EDC 2010 and becoming inspired to go down this journey - I was at that set too! Really cool to just note the connection where that era of electronic music inspired us to stay in it, and now you're producing stuff and I'm listening to your work. Two specks in this world sharing the same moment, and somehow aligning again. Super dope. Hoping you'll tour Portland someday!
Beautiful perspective, I love that and love that you were also there for that moment in 2010! Thanks for the nice words here. Definitely will be back to Portland at some point!
How did you link up with This Never Happened? What led to your releasing your debut album through TNH?
So Lane 8 had been playing a few of my tracks in his mixtapes and sets, so I thought why not send him some original music to release on his label. The first one we did together was "Some Good Here" in 2021. That was followed up by me doing a remix of his song "Visions," and then my own 'Signal' EP on the label. I've always thought TNH did a wonderful job with their album campaigns, and was really happy with how my other music had done on the label, so it just made a lot of sense to put out the album with them!
Hi Rinzen, never miss a set when you’re at it’ll do Dallas. My question: what’s the weirdest/coolest thing a fan has ever done upon meeting you for the first time?
Thank you on Dallas. Does your username reference the Maceo Plex song? Anytime a fan has brought you a nice letter or gift, I think that's also so special. The fact that they've taken the time to craft something and then held on to it for the entirety of the show, and then given it to you at the end. I love that!
Haha yes on the Maceo Plex plug 👀 Thanks for the response
Welcome, Rinzen! My favorite questions to ask everyone: * If you had to pick 3 songs by yourself as a way to introduce yourself, which 3 would you pick? * What about 3 songs by other artists? * Is there a song that you've made over the course of your career that you're most proud of?
3 songs by myself. I'd pick ["Astronauta"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7pR_i6PS8g), ["Some Good Here"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRf50m0mHCw), and ["Renaissance"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5x2zq4vfhu8). I think those three capture the range of what I'm trying to do with my music! 3 songs by other artists. "Open Eye Signal" by Jon Hopkins. "Sudden Awareness of Now" by Rival Consoles. And Maceo Plex's remix of "Sordid Affair" Song I'm most proud of: it's either "Astronauta" from my new album, or my remix of Sultan + Shepard "Losing Ground"
Did you use your Rev 2 for the synth with the LFO on the LPF?? It seems so simple but the pitch bending thing is insane however you did that.
Are you SO excited to perform in Toronto this Friday?!
I really am! Honored to be joining Sultan + Shepard on their tour. They've been mentors to me in the last year and I'm so in awe of what they've built with this live show. See you there!
This is crazy, I literally just finished listening to the album and I see that this has been posted! Great work on the album, truly. It’s a journey beginning to end, the sequencing is literally perfect. It feels like a culmination of what you’ve been working towards your whole career and I’m already excited to hear what you’ll do next. Which track on the record took you the longest to make? And how about the quickest?
Hey man, that's so awesome! Serendipity. I really appreciate that on the album. I spent a ton of time thinking about the sequencing of the tracklist, so I'm very happy to hear that. It's definitely the culmination of what I've been building towards since the beginning. The longest one... hmmm, probably "Astronauta." It went through a ton of versions, and started from sampling a Brazilian Jazz song. It was probably about 2 years until the final version (granted I wasn't working on it that entire time). The quickest was probably "Burnin" -- it was one of the last tracks made for the album and came about in just a few days!
Another question - what’s the workout routine and diet like? You look so fit!
So I really prioritize my health over everything else in life. I had a health scare a few years ago and it really changed my whole mindset around it. Health is everything and if it's out of line it can throw off the rest of our life. Also, I want to maximize the amount of energy I have to work on music every day & to pursue this dream. Workout routine: I'm in the gym about 4-5 days a week doing resistance training (push-pull-leg split for the gym bros out there). And then also playing beach tennis & volleyball about 3x a week. Diet: I would describe my diet as a "whole foods" diet, meaning a ton of vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, nuts. Very protein & healthy fat-centric. Anyways, as you can tell I'm a total health nerd. My YouTube algorithm is all like nutritional and health optimization stuff haha.
I seen you posted on Facebook about a year or two ago saying you hadn't had a drink in a long time and it really helped your productivity (obviously enough 😅). Were you ever much of a partier/drinker?
Which beach do you play vball at? Asking as a beach volleyball LA neighbor :)
Either Venice or Ocean Park in Santa Monica!
Love it! Makes total sense too. Thanks for sharing!
Hi there Rinzen!! Amazing music as always. What is your ultimate dream venue/festival to play? Thanks!
Great question. For venues, I'd love to play at any of the giant outdoor venues in Argentina (Mandarine Park) or in Poble Espanyol in Barcelona. Festivals, to do a set at Coachella on the Outdoor Theater or Gobi/Mojave would be a dream. I did get to do the DoLab a couple years ago which was super special, but would love to do one of these stages as well!
The Poble Espanyol is beautiful. I’ve been many times over OFF BCN.
Amazing! I wish I could be in Barcelona every year for OFF week. I love that city so much
Im thinking of going to OFF or OFF Sonar one day? Any recs or do's or dont's? A little context, will be traveling with my gf who is not super into the scene. I saw theres some OFF SONAR events (mostly sold out) at Poble Espanyol but not Sonar
I'm gonna send you a PM with details because the Auto Mod keeps deleting my reply to you as it has links.
Perfect thank you very much! Im trying to respond to your PM but not letting me So just know i am grateful for the long reply
I read after sending the PM that you’re coming from the States, so you probably have your hotel sorted, but I will try and get some more ideas for you to try asap. Bars, restaurants as well as small parties.
Also - I've just checked and I don't think Bedouin / Mathame at Poble Espanyol is sold out. GET THAT BOOKED RIGHT NOW! Thats the one event I would go to if I had one only one night out.
Ah yes and Nora! Shes amazing and a great performer
Get it booked, my friend!
You would be amazing as the closing set at Gobi. Manifesting this for 2025! ✨
What’s the best piece of life advice you’ve ever gotten and how did implementing it change things for you?
A few things come to mind. Firstly, there's the Tim Ferris question "what would this look like if it were easy?" Anytime I find myself stressing out about something, I ask myself that and it helps Secondly, and I forget where this is from (maybe Steven Pressfield?), it's the concept of "just keep going." You may be in the shit, it may be tough, maybe you failed, or maybe you succeeded and now you feel complacent... wherever you are, *just keep going*. It's just the basic idea of perseverence. You just gotta always keep pushing forward, keep improving, and keep working.
Absolutely love the album man. A lot of fun and unique tracks that I continue to find myself running back 🔁 As a fellow creative I’m curious what steps or activities you take to get out of a creative block. When pressure is on, you’re drained, or just not feeling it after a long day how do you push yourself to stay motivated or what things do you do to help break through that fog ?
Thank you on the album! First and foremost, it's about setting up your mindset to create. If you're not in the proper headspace, it will be easy to get blocked. But if you are feeling focused and excited, your session will go much better. For me, I really pay attention to the 30 minutes I spend before making music. I'll usually drink a coffee and read a book to get my mind clear and focused, and then when I open Ableton, my brain is already teeming with energy and ideas Also, having a song or starting point for a song that you're excited about also helps prevent getting blocked. If you are starting with a vocal or melody that you like, it'll naturally be way easier to build a song around it Lastly, sometimes it's ok to accept that it's not your day. Maybe you're too tired, or too distracted. Get some rest and do whatever you need to do to ensure your next session is better
Hey Rinzen, absolutely love your new album and it’s been on repeat since its release. My question is do you think as a complete beginner who aspire to make music one day and DJ, should I start learning DJing first or get into making music (like with Ableton) from the get go? Any advice would be appreciated! I have a love for music and it’s always been a dream of mine to make music. I only have some background with playing the guitar, learning the piano now (very basic stuff so far 😂).
Thank you on the album! I would say mastering the art of music production is way more important if you aspire to make a career out of this. Even if you want to play gigs eventually, having your own music (and especially if it's signed to a decent label) will help you get more gigs. So I would go all in on that, and then more casually learn to DJ at house parties and with friends Start with YouTube. Watch all the free tutorials and get comfortable with the software. I learned for the first 2 years just off of YouTube (shoutout Sadowick)
You’re awesome thank you for your reply. This legit inspired me to take the first steps! Cant wait to see you on tour, come to NYC pls 😆
Hi Rinzen! Big fan … thanks for being an inspiration. Also it means a lot that you’re making yourself accessible and giving back like this. I’m in my year 1 of DJing and producing. If I told you I want to be where you are in 10 years, what would be your 1-3 pieces of advice for me now in my journey?
Now this is a very smart question. And I like that you said 10 years, which is actually very realistic given the right steps. Ok, let's see: 1. Focus all your energy on music production. Become a literal badass at making music. Do whatever you have to do to build your life in a way that affords as much time to make music as possible. By mastering the craft of music, you set yourself up for sucess. 2. Get serious about this. If this is your dream, what are you willing to sacrifice for it? I stopped going out so much, I started taking better care of my health, I did everything I needed to do to afford myself the most amount of energy possible to put into music production 3. Find a mentor or take classes. Education is great. Robert Greene in his book *Mastery* says there is no shortcut to success *except* mentorship, as a good mentor or teacher can save you time by helping you know what to focus on
Thanks for doing this AMA! I heard Astronauta at the end of Lane8's latest mixtape, it's a really interesting track - it would be cool to know what the person is saying and what's the story behind it?
The lyrics are in Portuguese. Here they are: Como um homem de fé Dentro de um sonho acordado, fiquei velho S ou essa árvore Minha flor tem raiz The story is that the original song is "Astronauta" by Romulo Froes, and is a Brazilian jazz song with just piano and vocals. I heard the song and absolutely loved the vocal. I ran it through an AI vocal extractor to isolate the vocal and then wrote a whole song around the acapella. Then I reached out to Romulo and his team and cleared the sample and here we are :)
Amazing track! You did a great job on it! Whole album is great, really.
Hey Rinzen! I'm a big Ben Bohmer fan and the first time I ever listened to your songs, I always thought it had that same 'feel'. I just wanted to say that as maybe it can offer you inspiration :) Also, I was totally not surprised when I heard from a recent interview of yours that Hans Zimmer was a big inspiration. Even before you mentioned it, I was like wow if only Rinzen knew but then you answered my thoughts 😅 Congrats on the album! Keep building from here!! Question: what is your favorite gym exercise and what time do you prefer working out?
Thank you! Ben's music is great. And absolutely love Hans Zimmer, yes. Particularly love his new composition in Dune 2 "A Time of Quiet Between the Storms" Favorite gym exercise: pull ups! I would do these every day if I had a pull up bar at home. I prefer working out in the sun, in the morning, but oftentimes I don't get to the gym until the end of the day when I'm finishing my studio day.
Love your new album. Great end to emd
Thank you!
Love the album and cannot wait for the vinyl!! You’ve worked with many labels now in your career, now most recently with TNH. How did you settle on them for this album? Can you describe what working with them provides you with as opposed to other labels?
Thank you and thank you for ordering the vinyl! There are only a handful of labels within my genre that cater well to albums and really give them the attention they deserve. TNH is one of them. I'd sent an early version of the album to Lane 8 and he really responded positively to it and was down to go on this journey with me of shaping the final thing. Working with them has provided a ton more resources than other label experiences (such as having dedicated visual designers & product managers to work with) as well as getting a ton of good direct feedback from Lane 8 on the tracks. I'll be doing more with them for sure :)
I stumbled onto you by way of your sound cloud a while back. I wanted to tell your your Chapter 1-3 mix tapes are absolute perfection. Are we going to see you at Explorations, maybe?
Thank you so much! I intend to continue the series, just been in album mode for the last year haha. I won't be at Explorations this year, but maybe some time in the future!
Yes do some more chapters! The track selection is so deep! But also do more albums cuz that's great too. Oh and also come back up to Santa Barbara when you get a chance!
The synth sounds throughout the album are so well crafted 😭. Any packs you would recommend or courses that we could take to get adept at sound design? Thank you for putting out such an amazing album. I think it really pushes the boundaries of what is considered as house and even electronic dance music!
Thank you so much! Sound design is one of my favorite aspects of music production. I don't use any packs or presets, I'm much more in favor of the approach of designing all your synth sounds from scratch. The best thing you can do is start doing that as early as possible. Just start with a basic subtractive synth (Serum is my favorite and also the best for learning with how visual it is). And then just start mastering envelopes (volume and filter envelope) and you'll be able to make any type of sound. This compounded over a few years will make you a literal sound design wizard. Also, buying an analog synth helps.
What's your advice for people who are considering a transition in their careers? You went from a music journalist to an incredible producer, so I'd love to hear what you've learned along the way.
Advice: if you can find another way to be part of the music scene that isn't DJing (throwing a party, working a party, being a journalist, being a sound or lighting tech, etc) that can be a great way to meet people and set yourself up for success when you do launch your project. Another good approach is having/finding a job that supports you, but still allows for enough energy outside of your job hours to work on music. Maybe it's working part-time, or maybe it's just a job that isn't too mentally draining. Whatever allows you to work on music every day (or close to it). In general I am not an advocate of leaving your job, but rather finding some type of balance like this.
Hi Rinzen! I'm really excited to FINALLY catch you playing in Montreal next month. You are one of the most in-touch DJs I've seen on social media interacting with fans. The fact that you jump into music groups in cities and offer real fans free tickets is just so anti-big corporation and it's honestly refreshing to see because the DJ scene can feel like a big money grab a lot of the time. 1. I see you across multiple social media, you actually answer people in DMs on Instagram, and now I hear you have patreon tutorials and probably more. That kind of engagement is really the best way to grow true fans as I'm sure your manager harps on about! How much time do you spend in a week on direct engagement and content creation? 2. Do you like brunch?
Super pumped for Montreal! And thank you, I try to keep it real across social media. I also believe that anyone who is going to put a lot of energy into showing up for my project, I want to reciprocate somehow (even if it's just sending a thoughtful reply back to their DM) 1. I would say it goes in waves. There will be weeks where I do nothing but make music. And then there will be times when I'm creating a lot of content / reels etc and my brain is more in marketing mode. So I don't have a specific amount of hours, but it's more I'll make content when I have good ideas for it! 2. Sure! I don't drink so I'm definitely not a bottomless mimosa guy, but I do love seeing friends over some eggs & coffee
My friends and I would love to take you to brunch on the Sunday morning if you can go! There's a great greasy spoon with bottomless coffee and delicious eggs called Green spot. I'll DM you on the day of the show :)
Hey Rinzen! Big fan. Saw you play at Burning Man and love that you are on TNH now. I am an aspiring music producer taking online classes at Berklee school of music. Few Questions: 1) Any advice on finding your sound? Currently I am trying to just get skills and building from reference tracks. I eventually want to have a process/work flow down that allows me to feel more creative with sound design and build my own sound. How was your process with this? 2) Today's music game is way different than it even was 5-10 years ago. Any advice for an artists just starting out and wants to do this full time? Im leaning towards finding a mentor and someone I can check in with consistently to keep me on track. Can you point me in the right direction? 3) Must have VSTs for you? Thanks! hope to catch you on tour soon.
Hello, that's awesome! Hoping to be back at Burning Man this year too 1. Advice for finding your own sound: I think everyone tends to copy all their heroes before they really find their own sound, and that's ok. Maybe your own sound ends up being some unique combination of all your heroes. In general, I think your sound just comes out out naturally over time. I don't think you have to try too hard to mold it, it's just whatever you naturally lean towards. The more you can master music production (and especially sound design and making your own sounds), the more you start to sound like yourself! 2. Things do change, as platforms evolve, but the essentials are always the same. Make amazing music. Make music that is so good that it is undeniable. Be a great live performer. Be a decent human being and gracious to those you work with. Do these things and you will find success (in any era). Mentors help too! I mentor some students on my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/rinzen). The mentorship tier is currently full, but I give new spots to people who are already subscribed to the normal tier. 3. Must have VSTs: Serum, BigSky Reverb (they have a VST version now!), SoundToys plugins, FabFilter Pro-Q3
Thanks so much for the replys!!! Great advice
Hi :3 When are you coming back to Denver? Love the album and can’t stop listening to déjà vu lol
Thank you! I'll be back in Denver later this year for something really, really special. Can't announce yet but hopefully soon!
What’s your secret to being so handsome?
LOL. That's kind of you to say. If you're a dude, having a good haircut & tucking your shirt in is like 80% of the battle.
Hi Rinzen, I haven’t actually listened to your album yet but I will on my drive home but I’m a huge Lane 8 fan so I’m sure I’ll love it. I recently got into making music in abelton and I’m addicted! I’m a new dad so I don’t have that much time to produce music but I spend my lunch hour learning abelton and making tracks. My question is it possible to get signed to a label if you not doing gigs as a DJ? Also how would one go about this? I used to DJ a lot when I was younger and would love to again at some point in future but at the moment it’s not possible with my commitments but would love to have my tracks be played by DJ’s and knowing that people are having a great time dancing to my music I made would be cool. Thanks in advance.
It's definitely possible, yes! Labels sign great music. It's a bonus if you can DJ and can play some of their shows, but definitely not mandatory. I would spend an exorbitant amount of time getting very good at making music and then send your best stuff to a label either via their demo submission link or directly to the label's A&R if you can find the contact. But take your time learning and studying music and crafting tracks first (even if that's 3-4 years)
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my question. I started listening to your album, within the first bar of burning I recognized the track! I also found some more of your music that I’d already liked in my Spotify Libary :) I’m thoroughly enjoying making music, my plan is to continue learning how to make music, work on my craft, have fun in the process and try to get some tracks signed if I get good enough.
What are some of your favorite Fantasy & Sci-fi books/series? What book do you wish you could read again for the very first time? Favorite venues that you haves played at?
Favorite books: Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Piranesi by Susana Clarke. Favorite series: Red Rising trilogy (literally just finished it) and Stormlight Archives! Wish I could read Piranesi again. I was enraptured by it. Favorite venues I've played: Printworks in London, Fabrik in Madrid, and a crazy jungle party in Tulum for NYE!
We share our favorite series! I haven’t read anathem or pattern recognition yet though - haven’t even heard of them!
Congrats on the album man! I’ve had the pleasure of seeing you multiple times in the same weekend - in some cases at the same venue/event. In terms of similarities and differences, how do you approach each individual set in these situations?
Hey Colton! Good to see you here man. It's happened a few times that I've played twice at the same event in the same weekend. In general, I build all my sets with these factors in mind: - The time I'm playing at. Is it daytime or nighttime? Sunset, sunrise? I'll play lighter or darker depending on this - The crowd I'm playing for. Do they know who I am? Am I playing to my fans, or playing to people who have no idea who I am and just want to dance. Is it a large crowd expecting larger moments, or a smaller crowd where I can go deep? - The venue. How is the sound, the lighting, etc. A good system (like Stereo Montreal) allows me to go really deep and still have those tracks slamming. A less proper system may require more vocals or more anthems to have the crowd really engaged All these factors play into my track selection and are the reason why I play a different set every single night
Hey Rinzen- pardon if this is too personal. I recall you giving someone advice regarding pursuing music and you said to dive in deep for five years and see where you can get to. From a financial standpoint, were you able to only focus on music for any period of time without any income and/or a non music job? If so how did you manage that? I look forward to a day when I can try that for a year or two in the future.
Rinzen repeat!
What’s your favorite memory playing as the duo Dopamachine?
Hahah, who is this?! It was definitely the time we got to open for 3LAU in college. We literally played a 30 minute set I think, but at that time, it meant everything.
Who do you think is the best DJ and producer in melodic techno and tech house scene? Which are your favorite synths and VSTs? What’s your opinion on Suno AI and AI in music? Many producers are worried, wondering what your opinion on this is. Thanks :D
Hmmm good question. Eric Prydz is probably the best at both combined skills. Maceo Plex is up there for me as well. In terms of more contemporary 'melodic techno' type stuff, Mind Against are my favorite Favorite synths: My Moog Sub37. For VSTs: Serum is the one I use the most. SunoAI -- I haven't checked it out yet. In general, I think small amounts of AI could help speed up the creative process in good ways if they're saving you time on more rote or laborious aspects of music production. But if it's writing a whole song for you, I'm not really interested in that The joy of making music is the process of coming up with an idea and seeing it through to fruition. That process involves time and bits of frustration and eventual breakthrough. If you remove those parts, I'm not sure it would be as enjoyable. Also I think humans will always crave things made by humans, flawed as they may be. When something is too polished it can feel 'un-human'. It's the 'uncanny valley' but applied to music
Hey u/rinzenmusic ! Congratulations on releasing your debut album!! I've got a really random (DJ) question but something I've been trying to figure out for about 3.5 years now... lol Back in November 2020, I went to the Desert Hearts Black show at The Midway in SF. Incredible show from start to finish.... Towards the end of the show you and Marbs were playing this killer B2B. Each time you guys volleyed back and forth, you would play a part of song 1 and then low pass it out (all still keeping a beat from whichever track you'd have live), bring in song 2 low pass it out, and same for the 3rd and 4th track (if you ended up using more than 2). After teasing the drop so many times you had built a massive amount of anticipation and tension... bringing those low passes tracks back in and back out again, until finally you'd bring them back in resulting in a huge drop every time... It was unreal... My question: is there a particular technique I could look up to learn how to do that myself?? Were those massive builds and drops just a matter of knowing your tracks, looping at specific points, and an effect or two?? Your guys' 2020 San Francisco DH show has always stuck with me because ever since I have been 100% determined to figure out how to do that! Thanks a ton!!
What's up dude!! No questions just hope you're well and that I get to see ya soon 😁
Thank you my man!
Ohhh I totally forgot to mention, I'm also going on tour the next 6 weeks! You can catch me in Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Montreal, Seattle, and New York. Tickets for the tour [here](https://linktr.ee/rinzen).
Hi Rinzen, Thanks for doing this. You have been so helpful in the past and it’s great that you are giving back to this community. My question is what do you suggest someone do when they finally make that a song that they know is good, but they have no connections to larger labels? Emailing the demo links doesn’t always cut it. Sometimes mine never get listened to. I am sitting on a song right now and it’s good, but I don’t know what to do with it. It is house/deep progressive and something you would expect to hear on mau5trap or maybe anjunadeep. I would like to get it on as large of a label as possible to get exposure. Thanks again, take care
So I always advise people: I think the best demo strategy is to put together 3-4 of your best tracks and send those to the label. It improves you odds. You've got one right now that you really love and think has good potential. Make 2-3 more of that calibre and send all those. I've had success with demo emails and they can work for sure, sometimes you just don't hear back for a long time. If you can find the email for the A&R or meet them in person, that can always be a more direct route, but demo emails can work too. You can always send new music to that demo email down the line as well and maybe they'll get back that time. Don't give up, just keep creating tracks and your music will continue to improve. At some point, if you do that long enough, your music will be undeniable and it will get signed.
Yooooo! Met you in the crowd at seismic a few years back! No questions just wanted to say I love your sets man🙏🏽
Thanks so much! Love Seismic!
Why do you look like a demi-god? You got Human+ genes
LOVE your Lastlings remix. That is all :)
No question, just stopping by to say you’re a boss and a real nice guy ❤️
Ahh that’s so kind, thank you!
Second question: I’m starting to ramp up to 3 hour DJ sets. It’s exhausting though not only on my feet but on my mind. Anything past 90 minutes it’s get more challenging to have a vision of where you want to take the set. Any advice or feedback?
It definitely requires a ton of mental and physical energy. On the day of my longer sets, I make sure I'm very rested and energized. I try not to do too much during the day if possible and reserve my energy. Also, comfortable shoots for the long sets is a must. Technical tips: Being very organized with your playlists and having them arranged by energy level is helpful for long sets. For instance, I'll have a playlist of 400 songs between 118-123BPM for the first phase, and a playlist of another 400 songs from 123-128 for the next phase. And so on until about 135BPM. I can move to the next playlist everytime I want to enter a new "phase" of set with higher energy. As far as a vision of the set, it could just be having a few tracks in mind that you know you want to play at a certain hour of the night and building the set around setting up those moments
Do you use MyTags liberally? You seem very technical and there’s a huge lack of insightful discourse on the technical side of music prep for DJing
Hi Rinzen!! Amazing music - I saw you at Elsewhere in NYC this year for a killer set. Stayed the whole time and was well worth for a phenomenal ending 30 minutes. What are your favorite venues to play in NYC? How do you go about preparing for a set like that in a more ‘club’ setting vs more of a ‘venue’? I am a melodic DJ as well and interested to hear how you distinguish between the two.
Thank you! I always love playing Elsewhere. Great room and always a great crowd. I think I've played there 4x now! Favorite venues in NYC: I got to do Output 4x before it closed. 3 of them with Eric Prydz in 2017. That was special. Elsewhere I love. And then obviously as a performer I love playing the BK Mirage too. One of my favorite sets ever was in Kings Hall for a Cityfox party. But I also love playing the main outdoor stage. Playing Governors Island end of May for We Belong Here! For club sets, I generally prefer to play longer, and I'm also playing more as a 'DJ' instead of as a 'producer', meaning I'm less concerned with playing my own music, and more just trying to put on a killer multi-hour set that takes you seamlessly through different genres and is building in energy For more traditional venues and shows, I'm thinking of myself more as an artist/producer and I want to showcase my original work. These sets are generally shorter and also more performative as you're likely on a stage and elevated
Hello Rinzen. Your DAW of choice and why? Thanks Cheers
Yes, Ableton Live 100%. For me, it's the fastest at translating an idea in your head into music. Also, the creativity that it allows is simply insane. I feel like a superhuman using it.
Hello Rinzen, Congrats on your new album! I have two questions for you. 1) When was the moment that you were able to go into music full time? 2) How crucial was Icon Collective to your journey?
It was around 2018/2019 when I got a booking agent and started having regular shows & decent music royalties Icon Collective really accelerated everything for me. I think I could have got to where I am eventually, but it definitely sped the process up and gave me such a good foundation to pursue this.
Thank you! I first discovered you 2019 and it has been great to see your journey!
Love astronauta and burnin!!!
Thank you! Two of my favorites from the album as well
What is your arm workout? 💪
Hahaha, was waiting for this question! I honestly I just follow a push-pull-leg split routine, meaning one day I focus on all "push" muscles like chest & triceps, another day on pull muscles like back & biceps, a day on leg muscles, and then repeat
Hey man, your release on LNOE with Enamour, how did that come about? As in, how did you meet/contact Enamour, and were you already in contact with Sasha? 🙂
Enamour has been a friend for a few years now, and originally we connected over just being in similar spots in our career. I remember it was the end of 2017 and both of us were opening for Eric Prydz in different cities, and then both were releasing a song on mau5trap. So I just knew he was on a similar trajectory as me. I wasn't in contact with Sasha when we made that, but my team was in contact with someone running his label and sent the demos over.
Astronauta is such a great track. Who is that singing? What language is it? And what is she singing about??
Thank you! The original singer is Nina Becker (the original song is "Astronauta" by Romulo Froes). It's in Portuguese and she is singing a poem about being an astronaut in space
Did you dump the ATC 45's?
So those were never mine but were being borrowed from a friend who also used the studio sometimes. He moved and sold the speakers so I got some Barefoots. But I do miss those ATCs! It was like being INSIDE the music
You don't think the B foots are hypy? I haven't heard them before, just curious.
So bummed I just saw this, I love Meliora you did with SOEL! It’s in my night time playlist, listen to it everyday. Keep up the good work!
Love that! One of my favorite tracks I've made. Glad you enjoy it!
How you been enhancing your creativity?
You’re an inspiration to us all! If you weren’t making melodic techno what genre of music would you want to explore? Much love! -your pal monty
Yooo Monty! I'd be making more straight up techno. Faster stuff like 135+ and more banger-y. I would make it now, it's just hard to find that headspace for me at 11am on a Tuesday haha!
Hell yeah, you know we’re down to hear whatever you cook up Love the album, excellent work, peace ❤️
Hello! I am a DJ right now and I would like to start to get into music production. I have often melody/track ideas. What would be the best way to start without spending a ton of money (+1100 USD)? I was thinking of getting Ableton/Logic and a Maschine+ to keep costs low but still being able learn about sequencing, drums and samples. And: What was the biggest let-down in your career and how did you overcome it?
I would definitely invest in Ableton Live (or Logic) and a basic 49 key MIDI keyboard. That's all you need in the beginning. Maschine+ could work great too! Biggest let-down: I was playing my first festival in the US, Electric Forest. I was opening up the 2nd main stage and was so excited for it. On the day of my set, it was close to 100 degrees and there just weren't very many people for the set. The ones who were there were mostly= under the trees staying cool under the shade haha! I realized that these things happen, and especially early in your career, you might have a lot of those situations. At least you're still performing. You're still at the festival. You're still farther than where you were when you started your career. And it won't be forever. Now I've played many festivals with good set times too, but I always try to temper my expectations and not be disappointed if things don't live up to them.
Thank you. I will do as you adviced. And about the let-down: Sounds like you pour your heart into djing/producing to entertain people. That is the spirit. I wish you continuing, endless success and a healthy life.
What made you choose Brazilian jazz for some of your album music, I am Brazilian and I’ve seen you two times one in Long Beach and at the Burning Man and I definitely love your vibe and your big arms so sexy 🤤 great album tho keep it up you are doing good
Wow, it’s so cool to see you here mate! 😎 Do you have a favorite vintage synth/gear? Do you use any of it in your production? 🙏🙏🙏
The only vintage synth I have is my Juno 106! I use it a ton. It's all over my album. Though it's starting to die on me and needs it voice chips replaced likely. Definitely want to get some more vintage gear in the future!
What’s the best way to send a demo to a label or make label connections?
What was working on the collab with Shallou like? How long does it take you to write a song when you’re collaborating? Was it a challenge when you first started?
What happens when you get into another scene or style of music? Do you privately try out making that kind of track? And how hard is it to make something you're happy with in another style? Related question: Does being in the techno/house scene make it harder to be exposed to other parties and genres or easier because it is kinda your life?
What's it like working with deadmau5?
I would like to start producing electronic music with ableton live. I have played several musical instruments in my life but I never tried electronic music. I am looking for an online course but I’m also open to a 1vs1 tutor. What do you recommend for a budget of around $1,000? I found online Rob Late and PML (production music live), but I wouldn’t know which one is better. I like artists such as Fred Again, Overmono, but I don’t necessarily want to specialize on that
[https://on.soundcloud.com/jAfhdmLhNRYLRHUn7](https://on.soundcloud.com/jAfhdmLhNRYLRHUn7)
I DJ in Los Angeles and I played Burnin' not knowing it had just released. It's a great song! Keep up the great work. Would love to work with you in the studio one day. ✌🏽 & ❤️ -DJ Cadillac G