We spoke with the prolific artist about his early musical influences, the story behind his fascinating album “The Resonance of Time,” and more
When we discovered the album “The Resonance of Time” in 2021, we knew we were in front of one of the most prolific producers of the scene. A rich musical experimentation behind, led us to follow in his footsteps, until now.
With releases on labels such as Sound Avenue, Droid9, Balkan Connection or Proton Particles, we are pleased to share with you this interview we did with Rod V.
The productions of the talented Guatemala-based DJ and producer have been backed by prominent artists such as Eelke Kleijn, Sied van Riel, Jaytech, Bas Van Essen, to name a few.
In this interview, we talk to Rod about his early musical influences, the story behind his prodigious album “The Resonance of Time, the process of each new single, as well as details of his next steps in electronic music in 2023, and more.
It is always interesting to know the origins, and even go further back, what were those moments that made you connect with electronic music? How would you describe the beginnings of your career as a DJ and producer?
I would say maybe those first parties that were organized in a house in a forest where the DJs were, I was in the dancefloor and I heard some percussionists in the back playing to the rhythm of the music, in general, those years of the underground, other events like the Rave del Castillo that was a festival in a stone castle.
My beginnings were in some local clubs and bars like SUAE where they organized parties with different styles of electronic music from House to Drum & Bass, some others where I still play to this day like The Box Groove Lounge which are small clubs but with a very loyal audience to the style.
Sounds are clearly the basis of everything, what is Rod V’s process for creating, developing, organizing and implementing sounds to his creations?
I really like working with machines like keyboards and other instruments, rather than just sitting in front of a computer and I like to start testing sounds, recording them and then I’m trying to find the harmony between the sounds, and then I’m editing until I produce the song.
Melodies are almost always part of an artist’s musical identity, how do you define the direction of melodies in your songs? How do you find the structured unity of musical sense for productions?
I think they are variable, sometimes they can be more intense, sometimes melancholic, and sometimes dark, it depends a lot on the style of the song, I think the structure of the melody takes shape according to the progress of the song and the content of other elements that also shape it.
Let’s talk about emotions, what weight do emotions have in your creations? Do you consider them as a target in front of the public?
They are very important, I think that a track in a certain way has to tell a story or a small sonic journey, emotions are what connects with the public and what the listener identifies with. I consider that it is always an objective because when you play a track you need to read, understand and feel the audience and you can only give that response by matching it with the music you play.
With the experience, the trajectory and obviously the years, we explore and find the ideal tools to create music, what do you consider to be the programs, technologies and instruments essential for your productions?
I consider Ableton, many Plugins, my synthesizers like the Prophet, Moog, etc, samplers, drum machines, my mixer and my effects.
Overall, how would you describe your own music?
Variable, I have music from chill-out, deep house, vaporwave, synth-wave, progressive, to techno, and sometimes experimental stuff.
We like to talk about the musical process, but we do not forget that there is a human being behind it, is there a balance between your personal life and your musical career? What do you do to maintain that balance?
I think it’s hard to strike a balance, I’m always thinking about being able to produce, play or look at new things to create music and it’s hard to mentally get away from all that. Sometimes it even costs me time to spend with my family or share with friends.
We want to go back to the past and ask some questions about the fascinating album “The Resonance of Time”, how was its creation process? How long did you work on it and what were your sources of inspiration when creating it?
It was a long process, about a year and a half working on the songs, in different ways recording things with the devices or trying to capture some ideas, I wanted to make a more introspective album and to sit down and listen to it, that maybe would bring back different memories, a lot of the album was worked on during the time we were locked up because of the pandemic and that is reflected in the titles of the songs.
“The Resonance of Time” is a sensory and emotional journey due to its amalgam of rhythms and sounds, what do you consider to be the most complex tracks for its creation? Which ones had the greatest emotional impact on you?
I think maybe Safe Distance, Unmasked, and of the ones with more emotional impact maybe the Childs Path and Sundown Thoughts.
A few days ago you published “Reflections”. The piece has breaks and basses that border a line between the present and the golden age of the electronic scene of the early 2000s, what were your points of inspiration for its creation? How was the creative process of the track?
The sounds of the early 2000s with the breaks and the mix between progressive have returned in many productions and have been mixed in other genres such as future house. The creative process was quite artisanal, working the percussions with a drum machine, playing the bass and chords with my synthesizers, recording everything on a console, and then editing until the track was finished.
At the level of producer and DJ, what were the most transcendental moments that this 2022 has left you?
I could say that the release of my music on several labels, plus the premiere of a livestream that we recorded in a castle on a lake, among other events that I have participated in.
What is your TOP 5 releases of 2022? Between own tracks and others.
- Rod V – Angelus
- Rod V – Reinholder
- Adriatique Remix – On My Knees
- Rick Piera O Niel – Ancient RPO Part 2
- A Better Place in Heaven (Alex O´Rion remix)
What is the TOP 5 best releases of your career? If you consider that there is no top, you can place your own themes that have greater meaning for you.
- Rod V – Meridiano
- Rod V – Natura
- Rod V – Atmosphere Calm
- Rod V – The Color of Boom
- Rod V – The measurement of us
There are many young producers who are not clear about how to start, what style or genre to follow, and the fear of not getting relevance or popularity has them blocked, what message can you give them?
You don’t have to worry so much about musical genres, you have to experiment with the style that you master the most and then you can integrate new ideas or try other styles, it is interesting to be able to explore other musical genres and not worry so much about popularity or trends, because in the end you can stop making music that you are not satisfied with or just to be in the trend, where everyone is, what matters is to feel satisfied with what you do.
Finally, and covering all your facets as a musician, what can we expect from Rod V for 2023? Is there a new album on the way? From your own perception, how do you think the electronic scene will fare over the next year?
New releases and some singles are on the way; I will be resuming a new livestream format for my events and productions among other things. I think it will probably grow in the sense of more events, more festivals and musically I think there will be new genres and fusion of styles that will change the current trend of many DJs and producers, maybe we will migrate to a stage with fewer traditional rhythms and sounds and a little more experimental.
