Exclusive Interview with RONY REX

With a vibrant 10 years of shenanigans behind him, Rony is more excited than ever to share his unfiltered self through a vast array of new releases and shows, all while hosting Finland’s leading dance music show on YleX — driven by his obsession for the electronic music movement. Check out the exclusive Interview below:

1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music? 

RONY REX: Music’s always been in the family but it was in my early teens when it started to grow, become my own, this was the time when Limewire was a thing, the last days of the CD but super early online. Nobody of my friends listened to electronic music, I wasn’t really exposed to it until I was nerding away as I used to being a tech leaning loner. Heard the new 50 Cent was hot from someone at school so I the single on Napster but it turned out to be someone’s banging house oriented demo that was named as a 50 Cent track to get downloads. I was hooked to understand what this thing was, how it worked and where it came from. This random got me into DJing and later on, production. Need to find that track from some dusty Windows 98 -enabled home computer in my parents attic someday.

2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?

RONY REX: I was out DJing for almost 10 years before releasing any own material. Everything I do gets its color through that perspective of curation. The club. So, I’m very self learned and have no real musical talent. I’ve tried to start going deeper into music theory at times but I want to suck.

3. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners? 

RONY REX: Imagine being a dolphin with lasers flying flying through deep space about to go clubbing hard with unicorns.

4. Music often transcends entertainment. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

RONY REX: I don’t mind a message being sent if it makes sense in the context. If you can tell it on a dancefloor, it needs to be damned strong and simple. Sometimes, it happens. Mostly though, it’s about connection itself through maximizing sounds and moods, giving space for movement, mentally and physically – at it’s best it in itself is spiritual, freedom.

5. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment you’re still seeking?

RONY REX: I’m very lucky to able to do this full-time and that is more than enough. I can’t see any real alternatives to creation and play. This is the best job on earth. And, what happens after is up to so much randomness that I’ve try to rewire my ego everyday to need less. I would love to connect with more people who feel me.

6. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, what’s the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?

RONY REX: Every project goes on it’s own terms. My plugin library is an absolute mess. Some usual go-to’s are Serum and Massive (x). Very original. Sampling is key though, I usually try to find a few weird sounds from anywhere (I’m sucker for random genre sample libraries, the more out of context the better), and limit myself to them, to get going. Can I move to it, does it stick? Then drums. After, it usually starts to form. Being a new dad I’m constantly time poor, and try to make fast ideas. And give love to only those that are alive after months or years. Can’t afford to spend too much nrg on shit that ultimately never gets finished.

Being a curator first and foremost, DJing for 15 years and doing radio for than half of it.

Discovering new sounds and the digging is not only romanticized, it’s a principle, scheduled weekly and done religiously. I’ve essentially brainwashed myself. And it feels good. There’s so much going on now, it’s endless. It feels like every week there’s some mad scene bubbling somewhere at full force that I can only feel the tiniest waves of, compared to the real experience.

7. What’s been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?

RONY REX: there are, if you’re lucky, a few moments in life which may shine a light into parts of you that have no name. parts that got left out of the story, buried in the unconscious. these rare happenings can broaden the lens to touch those hidden, versions of us that we live through, often unknowingly, stuck in time – reaching into the essence of our being, allowing us to listen, to understand, comfort and connect. if you let it. if you can. it’s become apparent that growing into a dad is one of these. following my son from universe mode into a mini human so much like me, did not come only with deep joy but also terror and helplessness. I found myself flooded with absolute shame and primal fear, rooted in the nervous system – result of the trauma of being in fight/flight/freeze for 10 years, of the raw mental and physical violence that is being heavily bullied from age 8-18. I thought I had worked through this in my 20s. I thought wrong. it all came back, for the first time in full clarity, whole body, mind and heart – again resetting the story of who I thought I was, with that, trust in the world and myself. the past two years spent in heavy EMDR-processing (can recommend) and group therapy has been ridiculously tough, but I’m slowly starting to be on the green, building a new story, learning to live with my new mind and nervous system. They did not fuck around when they said that with great suffering comes clarity.

8. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And let’s talk about your latest release and future plans.

RONY REX: I’m starting to transition out the period I mentioned above. The growth feels real. I haven’t ever been this excited to release music as it seems it’s starting to dip into something truly representing my vision, taking form – I can honestly say it feels like this one is the closest so far. All through this, continuing to work has kept me afloat. There’s music for years. It’s time to unload. To name a few, next we have another Japanese collaboration coming up in December, with CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE. After, we’ll start the year with a collaboration with one my current favourite Finnish artists, Knife Girl.

9. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

RONY REX: Do not engage. Patience. Most problems are not really problems, or simply misunderstood. They tend to disappear with time. We believe we are rational creatures, but really we are only rationalizing.

10. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

RONY REX: Always live and out there connecting. I’ve been hurting and in a small mental space and I want re-reach that state of trust and light where you can jump into these puddles of energy.

11. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

RONY REX: It’s very important to allow people to discover and feel on their own terms.