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Rü is the Chicago-based dj / producer whose goal is to find, play, and create more of those iconic songs that are hidden on the B-sides of dusty records in the back of any record store that specializes in underground electronic music. close. you. His music is meant to be enjoyed in the grimy warehouses, abandoned subway tunnels, empty factories, overgrown forests and underground clubs for the modern take on the angel-headed hipsters Allen Ginsberg once wrote about.
Through its Super Legit Records label, it will continue to release music that suits that environment, and through its event production company Super Legit Productions, it will continue to host parties that showcase the art, music, and wonders that make it count. worth the wait on weekends. .
We have had the pleasure of interviewing him and this has been the result.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music?
I escaped from Ohio in 2008. I didn’t have the best relationship with where I grew up. The people were nice but it just didn’t feel like it suited me. I probably got into making music because of trauma to be honest but who knows for sure? “It ain’t about where ya from homeboy it’s where ya at.” Whatever the cause though, I’m grateful for it.
How is your sound evolving? What artists and genres do you enjoy mixing right now?
Honestly, I don’t really know how it’s evolving. I feel like I’m headed in more of a sorta industrial techno direction at the moment but I think that’s partially just because I got some new hardware synths.
I’ve been fucking with early/mid-2000s era UK garage and dubstep at the moment but my homie just sent me some tunes by this dude called Cocktail Party Effect and that has my full attention right now.
How do you feel that your music influences or impacts your listeners?
If any of it moves anyone, then my goal has been reached. My job is just to make the music that I think is good; after it leaves my studio it’s out of my control. Obviously, I want people to like it, but I’m not trying to make music that everyone will like; I think that’s one of the many failures of pop music- by appealing to everybody, you appeal to no one.
I want it to have a positive impact on people, but after making it and doing all the business-y stuff, I’m coming to terms with the idea that what happens with any of it afterward is more or less out of my control. It feels kinda freeing in a way.
What projects are you working on right now?
I just started working on a track with a rapper, that’ll be fun. I have some remixes coming down the pipeline, and I’m waiting to see how covid goes with the winter to determine whether I’m gonna start throwing shows again. Also, I have more original music coming out pretty soon. My current goal is to get on a somewhat steady release schedule.
What can you tell us about your last job?
It sucked. Nothing I’ve done with music since 2018 has felt like a job.
Where are you and what have you been doing now?
I’m in Chicago and I haven’t gone outside in a shameful amount of time. I wish I could say I’ve been in the studio making music for the entirety of covid, but to be honest I was struggling with impulse control for a while. Phones are fucking addicting, man. I had to develop a whole system of like where and how I use devices just so I’d stop defaulting to doom-scrolling.
Protip: make the things you don’t want to do more inconvenient than the things you do want to do; you’ll be shocked by how many books you read simply because you’re comfortable on the couch, can’t find the tv remote, and there are no social media apps on your phone.
Has your sound changed a lot in recent years?
Yeah, it constantly evolves. When I first started making music, my emphasis was on the whole build/drop thing and I’m glad I’ve gotten away from that being my main focus. I’m trying to place more emphasis on a general groove. My friend Aja said it pretty succinctly on the song ‘Over It’ on this release- go check it out.
What is your musical criteria?
I really, REALLY wish I knew my full answer to this question. It’d be so helpful. I wanna say authenticity, but I guess I don’t really ever know that. Honestly, the answer probably has to do with groove. I don’t understand why I learned to play the guitar rather than the bass because bass frequencies are the best ones.
Do you feel safe now to play a more experimental sound?
My entire life is an experiment so yeah, I’d say so. Making music... sometimes you’re just praying that you’re open enough to the world around you that you don’t miss what the world’s telling you. The other day I was making a beat and got kinda frustrated and didn’t know what to do, so I started dicking off on my phone while the beat was playing and heard an interview with Mike Tyson that fit the beat I was making like… rhythmically. Sometimes just opening your ears and hearing your keys jingle or taking a walk and hearing some birds chirping can give you inspiration if you’re open enough to let it.
We all know that the digital revolution has affected sales, but has it affected creativity?
Definitely, but I think it’s overall been a net positive. I mean there are obvious problems with social media and general entertainment consumption and the gamifying of our entire existence, but being able to be part of cultures that you’re not geographically connected to is an insane win. Because of Boiler Room, I know about Muqata'a. I mean… There’s a website called https://radio.garden that lets you browse all the world’s radio stations live, and because of it, I know about Radio Al-hara… the best radio station in the world. You don’t even know how worth it that is for me. Shout out to Bethlehem.
Can you tell us what your present and future projects are?
I just wanna do some remixes and collaborate with the homies. I love Chicago’s electronic music scene so much. That said, it’d be way cool to collab with people from all over the world. I really wanna make some funk carioca and footwork. Or like some experimental bass music. Until then I’m just gonna keep pushing buttons and twisting knobs until something cool happens.
