A. It’s pretty hard to describe my sound to someone who’s never heard my music before. I’ve been told it falls in line with Nu-disco, which I think is a wide enough net to fit most of my work, given that sometimes I go full house music and sometimes I shoot for a ballad—maybe not pouring my heart out, but adding a few good splashes of it. I like being able to tell stories with my music, or at the very least, putting images into people’s heads, but house music doesn’t always allow for that, so I tend to wander off the path and just do whatever I feel is right with the elements of EDM. All the building blocks are there; I just try and change their meanings. When I think of Nu-disco, I imagine that’s part of the equation, even if my compositions feel less reminiscent of old disco and stick to modernity most of the time.
Q. Is there a specific song in your catalog that you feel defines who you are as an artist? Why that one?
A. Playing favorites is hard, man. But if you’re asking, its my track 'It’s Effective.' Making that song was the exact sort of process I always dream of being able to execute with every song I create. The idea comes to me when I’m dozing off, thinking of things I regret, as one does; the inability to commit to someone, even if you care about them. That would make a good song. The hook I wrote was perfectly indicative of the feelings I was trying to give life to—desperation, remorse, self-reflection that kind of stings. At the same time, I was able to paint good pictures with my lyrics throughout the whole thing. The song builds in a simple (but “effective”) way. The vocals took dozens of tries, and it paid off. That song specifically reminded me that making music can be laborious, but it is nonetheless a labor of love, and it should be somewhat personal to you.
Q. If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
A. If I could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, it would be Ritchie With A T. He is my favorite emcee of the 2010s. But especially now, I would love to work with him on his recent music as part of By Storm. It’s conscious hip-hop that is so far removed from his old style—Parker Corey, also in By Storm, lays down production that sounds big and small, vintage and forward-thinking, all at the same time. I’d be honored to work with either of them, honestly, but if Ritchie were to write some verses to fit my music, my career could end the next day with no reservations from me.
Q. What's the biggest risk you've taken in your career so far, and what did you learn from it?
A. The biggest risk I’ve taken in my career so far was rebranding. I used to have a different moniker as “redd is dead.” With 150,000 people following me on YouTube, I decided to let it go dormant and start fresh as Rave Rapture. Would I be a bit further along had I committed my art to that name? Maybe. But I would also be robbing myself of true change. Hard as I tried, I could not get my silly videos and my serious attempts at music to coexist—if I wanted people to take my music seriously in this lifetime, I would first have to take a serious risk; losing out on such a following might be missing a huge window of opportunity, but all I saw through that window was a dead end. Rave Rapture has to be its own thing, I told myself, and that’s what I’m choosing to stick with.
Q. If this interview was the last thing someone read before listening to your music, what would you want them to know?
A. If this interview was the last thing someone read before listening to my music, I would want them to know that your magnum opus will never be the most important thing you make. All the bad art that comes before it and all of the things it teaches you about your own craft are what really matter. You have to make bad art to make good art, and if making bad art is as far as you limit yourself. Just know bad art is better than no art at all. Just put something out there; maybe one time, you’ll surprise yourself.
