A music addict & lover from head to toes, with new ideas on his mind 24/7 and with an amount of energy that everyone would be envious upon. These are but a few words that describe Ruben de Ronde, the prolific Dutch DJ and producer that we see every Thursday co-presenting “A State of Trance“, next to the legend Armin van Buuren.
However, we wanted to know more about the artist away from his ASOT collab, as well as the man behind the artist, so we decided to set up an interview with Ruben, who was kind enough to answer our questions. The result can be seen below, but just as a sneak peek, we would just like to point out that it’s always a pleasure to hear someone speak so fondly and honestly about his passion for music.
Radio DEEA: Ruben, everyone knows at least one of your tracks, but very few know how you started your musical journey. Can you please tell us a few words on what inspired you to take on music and how you end up one of the most known and appreciated DJs in the world?
Ruben: “That’s a good question! I started out DJ-ing and making music because my brother was always DJ’ing and fooling around with music programs. At the age of 14 or so, I started doing it as well. All the money earned with paper rounds and restaurant work went into buying vinyl and equipment. Fast forward, here we are! Throughout the years a had a lot of artists I really looked up to. From Armin and Tiesto to James Holden.”
Radio DEEA: You recently released „When you Fall” which benefits from the vibrating and extremely emotional voice of Cari. Can you share a bit of how this collab started?
Ruben: “Well, I don’t know if people noticed, but she was one of the most played artists on ASOT last year! So hearing her voice and her songs made me want to work with her. I sent her a message on Facebook, and we started talking about music. She is not only a great singer/songwriter, but she is also making moves as a producer!”
Radio DEEA: Needless to say, that we would love to hear more of your tracks. Any plans to release an album in the near future?
Ruben: “Yes absolutely! My aim is to have the follow up of ‘My Story’, released before the summer. You’ll be the first to hear from me (he laughts).
Radio DEEA: We often see you with Armin, presenting ASOT radio show. But what’s Ruben up to when he’s not at the radio?
Ruben: “I am pretty much always working on new music, in my own studio! In the weekends I am on the road, but during week days I love spending time in my studio.”
Radio DEEA: Statement! Recordings – what’s the 2018 plan for your label? Would you like to sign more artists and is there a particular genre or subgenre that you would like to promote more?
Ruben: “It is going to be a busy year for Statement! We are releasing new albums of Rodg, Estiva and Myself. Besides that we see more guys returning for follow up releases. More tbc soon!”
Radio DEEA: How do you see the trance music evolving in the future? There’re a lot of people saying that EDM is taking over and that trance music will be history in a few years’ time. What’s your opinion on this subject?
Ruben: “I strongly disagree with that one. There are two genres in Dance music, that have ALWAYS been stable and have the most loyal fan-base: Techno and Trance. Other sub genres in dance come up, and disappear. I feel that EDM is actually the one that is history in a few years. Bass, Trap and other heavy hitters have taken over the stages for sure. So I think Trance is on the rise! ASOT has new FM stations every week, we had 32.000 people visiting our event in Utrecht last months and we get to travel to new places to play.”
Keep in touch with Ruben de Ronde’s musical plans on his Facebook page!
