By: Lorelei Kenny
TC: When did you start producing music and are you based out of PEI?
RAMZOID: Ya, I am based out of the island, and I currently have no plans to change that either! I’ve been producing electronic music for over five years now. I started getting really into it in junior high, in the eighth-grade haha.
TC: Are you a full-time or a part-time musician?
RAMZOID: I had been debating going full time for a while now, and around a month ago I decided to just go for it and make music my main focus. So yea I am a full-time musician. It still feeling like a big change, but I’m enjoying it so far. Â Â
TC: How do you keep your tracks original and sounding fresh?
RAMZOID: I like to use weird sounds that people wouldn’t necessarily think of using for musical purposes. For example, the sound of leaves crunching to give a drum some extra texture or the sound of a wooden spoon on a pot in place of a snare. Yea, so doing “outside of the box†things like that keep it fun & fresh for both listeners and me as a creator.
TC: Do you ever get writer’s block? If yes, how do you get over it?
RAMZOID: Yes haha, it happens all the time! I usually find that the best way to break out of it is to have some sort of real life experience. It could be something as simple as going on a walk. The reason I start to get blocked is because there is a lack inspiration, so I just need to get out of my office and do something, anything!
TC: What is a typical day/week look like for you?
RAMZOID: A typical day for me always starts with brewing some coffee (I drink it black), and then I go right to my computer, sit down and write a demo or two. After that, I’ll grab something to eat and check social media and respond to emails. With the tour coming up, I usually try to spend an hour or two working on developing my live show. In the evenings I usually don’t do a whole lot of music related things or business stuff, Â evenings are my down time.
TC: Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
RAMZOID: Hmmm, some of my biggest musical inspirations are Flume, Chrome Sparks and Mura Masa and my biggest inspirations like business/career-wise are Skrillex and Kanye West haha 🙂
TC: What do you do in your free time?
RAMZOID: Although I do not have a lot of free time on my hands, when I do have some, I spend it hanging out with friends, taking pictures, watching YouTube videos, and of course, listening to music.
TC: Tell me about Soda Island. What is it? How does it benefit you as a musician?
RAMZOID: Soda Island is an international collective of seven musicians and one visual artist from around the world. We come together to release music under the same virtual roof! Essentially, Soda Island gives one release eight times the promotion that a solo release would receive. It allows us to cross promote each other in a really natural and fun way.Â
TC: Where have you performed in the past and where are you going to be performing in the near future?
RAMZOID: I’ve performed in Los Angeles, at SHAMBHALA in British Colombia, in Halifax, and of course here in Charlottetown. As for upcoming dates, this month I’ll be heading on a two-week tour, playing six dates down the west coast of the United States supporting Jai Wolf! I’m most excited to be playing shows in Seattle and Portland because I’ve never been in that area before. I’m really pumped to have the opportunity to explore there.
TC: Where can people find your music?
RAMZOID: All my music can be found on online! It’s available on Spotify, iTunes, Soundcloud, Apple Music, YouTube, yes it’s pretty well everywhere haha. Also, Soda Island had physical copies made of our new album, yea so the Soda Island vinyl can be found on our social media.
TC: How can people keep up to date with what’s going on with Ramzoid?
RAMZOID: Peeps can keep up to date with me through any social media, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, I think I’m on most of them! Twitter is my favorite though, so if you want to really want to keep up to date definitely follow me on twitter at @ramzoidmusic.
photo from: nesthq