A DJ's DJ by heart and an electronic music obsessive by mind, French man Rodriguez Jr. is all aware of the politics, mechanics and fast paced changes that have almost come to define electronic music in 2014. from releasing records to running side projects and being part of a label family, Rodriguez has managed to shift from part of the electro duo The Youngsters to his solo moniker, a path that watched him bounce from under the wing of Laurent Garnier's F-communications to Anja Schneider''s Mobilee imprint where he currently houses his deep and techy slices of dance floor energy. here, ahead of the huge Mobilee party this weekend, he discusses changing sounds, changing attitudes and achieving it all without compromising your style and aesthetics. Read on...
You’re a sturdy part of Mobilee, a German label, but you’ve actually got your roots planted in France, where you hail from…. Do you feel more closely connected to Germany these days than France and it’s cultures? What was the idea behind your move to Germany in the first place?
I actually didn’t move to Germany but to Belgium, for familial reasons. It was this time of my life when I needed changes, new challenges and a new environment. Though, I am still proud to be French, and my company is still based in Paris. Regarding Germany, I feel obviously closer than ever to this culture since most of my friends and partners live there. So basically I try to go to Berlin as much as I can to meet them and to grab some new inspiration.
For those that don’t know you used to be one half of The Youngsters, a highly influential electro duo in the noughties that released on Laurent Garnier’s F-communications imprint. When did you decide to start pursuing more subdued, and deeper, strands of dance music?
It’s been very difficult for us to keep on moving forward when Garnier and Morand decided to stop the label. We managed to release music on other quality imprint such as Ovum or 2020Vision, but it didn’t really make any sense as our music and sound signature was so much related to F-Communications. It never really worked well, so I thought it was time to find my own path, and work on my own solo project.
How important was Laurent Garnier in opening your eyes and ears to the widening world of electronic music?
Laurent catapulted me on the dance music scene when he signed me as The Youngsters on his label in 2001. Furthermore, he has always been a huge influence, since his first album ‘Shot In The Dark’: his typical groove, deeply rooted into Detroit and Chicago dance music, this presence of gimmicks and melodies. Touring with him has also been a great experience. I have learned so many tricks to connect with a crowd, tell a story, create an experience. He’s definitely one of my favorite DJs ever.
You’re going to be an integral part of Mobilee’s first London showcase event after SONAR… what is it about London that you love when you play here? What do you get from our fair city that you don’t find anywhere else?
There is such a fantastic creative energy in London. You cannot compare it to anything else. This is probably why your music legacy is so big. You can feel it everywhere. And even more importantly the crowd is just going nuts, diving into the sound they know how to party properly!
It’s also going to be quite a culture shock, going from the rooftop of the Diagonal Hotel in Barcelona, to the darkened and cavernous warehouse feel of Village Underground. Does this heavily influence the type of set you play? Or do you still keep to your trademark feel as much as possible?
I cannot get rid of my trademark sounds, but I try to adapt them to different kind of environment and crowds. This is the great thing when you play live: you can control any track from inside. That’s a great feeling. So I might play a little bit harder and darker if the vibe takes the crowd and I .there.
What’s been your most hair raising, funny or eye opening moment when playing in the UK Capital? What’s been a moment that you’ll never forget?
One of the first gigs I did out my own country in 2001: it was a F-Communications showcase at The End with Garnier and the crew. It was just unbelievable. The sound was so loud, and the energy in the basement was so intense that I was asking myself ‘what the fuck is happening here ?!?’
The concept of a live set can often be ambiguous in electronic music but also very technical. How will you be approaching your live set? What equipment will you be using and is it planned or more spontaneous?
I have quite a basic set up. Less is more. I prefer to know my gear perfectly and interact a lot with it depending of what I wanna express to the crowd, than struggling with loads of gadgets. So it’s basically a laptop running Ableton Live, NI Maschine and an iPad which is used as a controller and a MIDI keyboard to play notes, trig events. I also bring the new Roland TR8 to replace my beloved 909 which is perfect for improvising and adding some typical old school flavors.
Speaking of live, how do you feel about electronic music being transposed onto acoustic instruments? How do you feel about the contentious idea of house/techno music played by a live band?
Dance music is rooted into Funk and Disco music so there’s nothing wrong trying to transpose it onto acoustic instruments. We should never forget electronic music has been made of fusions. Let’s keep on pushing boundaries.
Working with a label like Mobilee Records, Anja and Ralf often speak about the close-knit and family like relationship of the label and the fact you are all very close. What are the benefits of being part of a label such as this, and how much were figures like Anja and Ralf helpful in your career?
To be honest, I’ve been struggling a lot when I started to work on this solo project. The music business was changing dramatically at this point, and finding a new sound signature was more difficult than expected. It’s been all about experimenting in the studio, listening to new music, trying new softs and technologies. At this time, Anja and Ralf have been awesome artistic advisors. They were developing promising things with their new Berlin based label and they also were long time friends as we met back in 2003. Few people knows that The Youngsters even did a remix for the very first Anja’s release (‘Tonite’ - PIAS Records - 2004). Sometimes, life brings the right people on your path.
You were the last name to contribute to the Mobilee Back to Back mix series how important do you think it is for small and independent labels to release their own compilations? And what sets this special mix apart from others ones that you may do?
That’s quite a successful concept for the mobilee, and it’s been a big challenge and a lot of pressure to be in charge of this one, after successful editions, and the huge success of the previous one blended by Pan Pot (and including an outstanding documentary DVD).
So, yes, I wanted to develop the concept and push the label upfront: the idea was about producing one hour of original music, using loops, samples, sounds from mobilee in-house acts who had enough time to spend on this project. It would be like doing some kind of virtual jam session all together.
It’s been finally challenging as I had a lot of material to handle in a very short time : 4 months to collect tracks and samples, and to produce the album. The basic process was every time the same: receiving files from the guys, recording loads of drafts and versions of each track, sending back previews, discussing, and possibly finishing the track. Anja, however, had a different kind of treatment as we had the opportunity to work in flesh together. She’s also been the only one brave enough to face the cold Belgian countryside where my studio is located. So far from any urban craziness.
Finally, after the release and tour of ‘Back to Back’ what’s keeping you busy on the production front of late? What productions or remixes have you been working on and what can we expect from you in the coming months?
I am releasing a new EP on Mobilee: ‘Persistence Of Vision’ including a remix from my friend Re.you. He’s such a talented producer. I also produced remixes for Nicole Moudaber, Tube and Berger on Coyu’s imprint Suara, and I am currently working on a next album. Being in the studio is a strong
Rodriguez Jr. will play this Friday 27th at Village Underground in London for Mobilee Showcase.
