this week’s 909 podcast is a gritty edition from rodrigue dubois filled with juxtaposing energy of raw industrial soundscapes alongside moments of calming interludes. featuring tracks from air max 97, cs + kreme, dites safran, damna, lurka and lots of unreleased production from rodrigue himself.
based in france, rodrigue dubois recently made his production debut on simo cell’s temet imprint. longtime friends and collaborators, rodrigue and simo first discovered and learned ableton together around 2010, experimenting and refining their craft side by side. speaking about the learning process and the early days working with ableton rodrigue says, “we were learning so slowly. those first three years (if not more) were really rough, and since we didn’t have any strong reference points in production, we had to just stumble along, learn by accident and experiment. i remember one day objekt spent 24 hours answering every question on a dubstep forum, that was like the holy grail!” rodrigue is also part of a band where he plays on guitar and what he is focusing most of his time on at the moment alongside the want to collaborate and work with other artists. with the knockout success of his debut, ‘old feelings’, we’re excited to see the start of this public artistic journey and where it heads next
hey rodrigue! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?
hey 🙂 yeah i’m good, right now it’s that time of year when i’m playing a bunch of smaller shows with another band where i’m on guitar. so i’ve put ableton aside for a bit, but i can’t wait to get back on it!
let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?
i started playing music when i was about 13. some of my friends were picking up guitar, and even though i thought it was something kind of out of reach, i told myself i could give it a shot too. after that, pretty classic teenage path playing in rock bands. i got into electronic music a bit later with ed banger, justice was like a bridge between those two worlds for a ton of people. but the big turning point, the one that really hooked me on electronic music, was discovering the uk scene, james blake, hessle audio when he put out his first ep, and all those new, super forward-thinking dubstep labels from back then.
who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?
i’d probably say justice, they blew everyone’s mind!
was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?
when i was a kid, there was this amazing moment. i’d never seen a live show in my life, and honestly it kind of freaked me out to go. when you don’t come from a family that’s close to music, concerts feel like something mysterious, almost like they’re for other people. i remember asking my mom what you’re even supposed to do at a concert! it was a gig by mathieu chédid, and at some point in the show a guitar literally fell from the sky. it might sound weird, but from that moment, and just the whole experience of a live show, with all the emotions that come with it, i knew i wanted to do that. side note, i can’t listen to his music at all anymore!
where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?
i guess i just like to stay curious about a bit of everything. i’m interested in all sorts of things, and somehow it gives me a way of thinking in categories: who does what, who likes what, why things change, and so on. even if i’d rather not overthink it sometimes, it still really inspires me.
what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?
first off, i discovered (thanks to my girlfriend) this traditional music from the countryside in northern portugal, there’s actually one of those tracks at the end of my set. it’s super raw, really linear, with these drums that don’t shift around, and a special kind of groove. that whole tradition has been on my mind a lot when i make music lately. in general i’ve been drawing inspiration from traditional music these days (and i’m definitely not the only one!).
congrats on the release of your debut ep, ‘old feeling’! you first started learning to produce on ableton around 2010, what has your production journey been like over these years and what made it the right time to release your first ep now?
thanks a lot! back then, we were learning so slowly. those first three years (if not more) were really rough, and since we didn’t have any strong reference points in production, we had to just stumble along, learn by accident and experiment. i remember one day objekt spent 24 hours answering every question on a dubstep forum, that was like the holy grail! later on, once i’d gotten better, i had a really hard time finishing tracks. around 2016 i probably could have released something; a label was interested by a single of me, but i broke my computer… that was so hard. after that i kind of retreated into studying and tutorials to get stronger, so i wouldn’t miss out on chances anymore. it was honestly a way to hide out. i basically needed someone like simo cell to coach me and actually release something, haha. so that’s why it took me so long to put something out 🙂
is there a particular concept or narrative that you’re exploring on ‘old feeling’?
the title really fits that whole timespan i just talked about, way too long, basically. i see this ep as closing out that long period, and the vibe of the tracks as kind of a big synthesis of those 10 years, with all the influences mashed together.
what was the process like working with simo cell on the release?
working with simo was super important for me. his discipline and his ability to finish what he starts were huge inspirations. plus he was always willing to listen, and had a really good ear for my demos. without that, i wouldn’t have finished anything, no question. he was always encouraging and had my back. and beyond that, our conversations, about music or anything else, were always really fertile and precious. basically a coach, haha.
you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?
first off, i just wanted to break away from that pressure to always play faster and harder, which i feel like we see a lot these days. it’s not really my thing anymore, so i took this mix as a chance to slow down, leave a bit more space, and bring in some calmer moments. i also wanted something a bit more raw and simple, not so obsessed with fancy sound design. and i tried to allow more experimental parts too, where you can really take the time to listen. plus i was stoked to naturally include a bunch of tracks from friends and local artists.
when was the last time you were on the dance floor?
sadly it wasn’t such a great experience. i ended up at a club kind of by default, and they were playing hard music, which i’m not super into. i just remember it was 150 bpm and there were a lot of shirtless dudes!
what are you most excited about right now?
right now i’m really trying to collaborate with other people. this year i spent a lot of time working solo, and i really want to change that. i think that’s what’s motivating me the most these days.
what’s on your vision board at the moment?
lately i’ve been wanting to get back to something simpler and rawer in my music. also more accessible, so it can reach people beyond just the electronic music geeks (even though they’re still the best!). that’s why right now i really want to focus on inspirations coming from popular and traditional music that connects directly with people, no matter who they are. also i’d like to switch up the aesthetic a bit and work with more acoustic sources. so yeah, that’s the plan!