Interview: Rhygar

After names like Indira Paganotto took the world by storm with their powerful fusion of PsyTrance and Techno, the time has come to meet more names who have been developing authentic sounds under the same premise and one of these representatives comes directly from Brazil. We're talking about Rhygar, an exponent of the Brazilian scene who, despite having a very recent career, has already shown that a bright path lies ahead.

His connection with electronic music goes back to 2017, when he started going to PsyTrance raves, but the turning point in his life only came in 2021, when he began his career in DJing and, soon afterwards, in music production. Motivated to innovate within the Techno scene, the artist brings this background of psychedelic style and other references that he has been searching for in recent years to create a dynamic identity full of personality, stamping his love for music.

And everything indicates that his mission will be accomplished with mastery, since even just two years into his career, the artist already has a solid, cohesive and mature profile, with a mixture of genres and elements, marked by pulsating beats, hypnotic grooves and ethereal melodies. This is the combo he presents on his new EP "My Universe", which hit the platforms on October 6th, via Back In Black. As the name suggests, in the five tracks, the artist reinforces his sound universe and its possibilities, using immersive and dynamic layers and textures. We spoke to Rhygar about this release and his commitment to dance music, check it out:

Hello, Rhygar! Tell us a bit about your connection with electronic music, what brought you into the universe and what keeps you in it?

A: What brought me into the universe were my friends, our union has always been incredible and music has always connected us in a special way, because we always went to parties together and the taste and passion for electronic music grew more and more, until I became a music producer, where I am trapped in a magical world of infinite possibilities; where I can expose MY music, my style, my taste, positively influence people who attend parties to listen to something different from the ordinary, after all, electronic music is diversity.

How do you hope your music will influence and impact your listeners? What is the purpose of your sound identity?

A: It's hard to think of a way in which my music can influence people. I mix Psytrance and Techno genres to bring something special, because I love both worlds so much, so maybe doing this is a way of impacting people, bringing something they don't expect, mixing things they can't even imagine, bringing a serious yet psychedelic rhythm, where a journey into unexplored worlds.

You have a very recent career, but you already have a very solid sound. What are your main influences? And how do you define your approach to sound?

A: My influences are in the creativity in which you manage to bring something "mystical" with something more serious, artists like Charlotte de Witte and Indira Paganotto manage to do this masterfully. They bring that "dark" Techno thing with the "spiritual" Psytrance feel, and I think that's incredible! It's like moving through parallel worlds at the same time, because you're taken to different dimensions in a matter of seconds. With that, I began to study and look for ways to do this, always asking myself: how can I bring this and make it something uniquely mine? The answer was simple: CREATE! I really like the strong kick, which is a defining characteristic of Techno, and I also like psychedelic melodies, those mystical and shamanic vocals, so I always try to bring something that is very similar to these characteristics. In my music, I always try to innovate and produce something different from what I've already produced, so much so that my productions today are completely different from what I did a few years ago, and that for me is evolving and innovating.

Returning to the release, what was the creative process like for My Universe? What message are you trying to convey in the five tracks?

A: I was looking to change what I was producing a little, I wanted to do something even more impactful, raise the BPM a little from what I was used to and throw myself into it. I started by creating my own synths, I used very catchy vocals (people who listen to Psytrance will recognize them) and I wanted to put a little bit of each universe into the five tracks, from the simplest to the most sophisticated. The tracks that make up the EP show exactly that, a journey through different genres and elements, ranging from the most classic Techno to the most modern, with a hint of Psytrance to finish the EP, because this is my world, and yes, it is possible to mix different styles and not lose the essence of each one.

And what elements did you try to highlight in order to achieve this goal? How do they represent your sound universe?

A: I like to keep the structure of the music using Techno: very strong and striking kick and bass all the time. Psychedelic leads are part of the composition and take the song to different levels. Strong techno drums, but without too much "dirt", just to give the song more rhythm. This mixture makes me create totally different things that vary a lot from one track to the next, each with its own characteristic, without losing the essence of each universe.

What are your next steps? Any spoilers or news you can share with us?

A: I now want to release on a label that is well known in the scene. I'm after Artcore, which is owned by Indira Paganotto, who has already downloaded several of my new tracks, so I'm increasing the BPM a little more to achieve this goal. I believe this will happen soon, let's hope so!

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