Photo credit: Marc Hall Photography
Brooklyn-based DJ & producer. ReSolute NYC resident, All Day I Dream artist.Lauren Ritter started life believing that everybody saw colors when they heard music. She also believed that by college she would have visited the moon, Mars, and Saturn. At the age of 7, the adults in her life delivered two crushing truths: the first was that not everybody sees colors when they hear sounds, and the second was that the universe is far too big for one person to see all of it in their lifetime. She felt that she needed to choose either space exploration or music.
Since choosing music, she’s been creating a sonic cosmos that shares the colors of sound that some people may not naturally see. She traffics in personal, groove-driven, emotive, minimal house that seduces the audience to fill the empty space with imagination.
Her 2015 and 2016 All Day I Dream releases quickly became favorites among fans and critics, being described as ‘hypnotic,’ ‘mesmerizing,’ and ‘a bittersweet headrush.’ ‘Swoon’, and title track, ‘Lark’, have since been featured on several BBC Radio 1 Essential Mixes, expanding her reach well beyond the underground. However, it’s her live sets that treat fans to the esoteric spirit of dance music.
Music hasn’t quelled Lauren’s desire to visit Saturn; until technology catches up with her, she’s working on tracks that will bring Saturn to earth.
We caught up with Lauren Ritter to talk about her latest musical projects and Valhalla pres. Electronic Groove Music Weekend performance.
Electronic Groove: Hi, Lauren, and welcome to Electronic Groove. First of all, how are you? How have you been dealing with the whole COVID-19 situation these past months?
Lauren Ritter: Hi! Thank you for having me. At first, the whole Stay-At-Home-DJ life bummed me out, but I’m really lucky. I’m so lucky. Though I miss performing and seeing friends and new places, I’ve been working in the studio on new music. I’m grateful to stay home right now so we can build a new live scene later!
Electronic Groove: Can you tell us how did you first connect with music? How did you figure out that electronic music was your thing?
Lauren Ritter: Friends. I joined the school orchestra to play the violin with all my friends. But I found that as a kid, I would see the notes I played as floating orbs of color—that still happens. As far as electronic music, though, I’ve been into it my whole life, starting with cheesy euro-trance (thanks, dad!), and eventually expanding my tastes by going to local Jersey record shops. I went to school for classical viola, but was legit looking over the literal shoulders of the music tech kids…what they were working on was way more interesting.
Electronic Groove: We know you are a resident for ReSolute. How did that come about?
Lauren Ritter: I lived in Berlin for a few years, but when I came back to NYC I met the ReSolute crew. I helped a bit with organizing some of the warehouse parties and loved what they were doing. Becoming a resident was pretty natural.
Electronic Groove: Your releases on All Day I Dream have been quite a hit with listeners. What do these mean to you? How did you find your sound?
Lauren Ritter: That release feels like a time capsule to me. My sound feels evolutionarily new on that release, it’s melodic and vulnerable. A lot of that music happened after watching the sunrise over Brooklyn. It’s touching to see how much these tracks still resonate with people.
Electronic Groove: Do you spend a lot of time in the studio? And planning your sets?
Lauren Ritter: There has been so much studio time lately— that’s how Rift Vision was born! The stillness of WFH and lack of travel and parties cleared out a lot of mental space that allowed for exploration and creativity.
As for preparing sets….yes. I spend an embarrassing amount of time preparing my sets. No live music is very likely the reason I’ve had so much studio time.
Electronic Groove: We know about your upcoming release for Rift Vision. Can you tell us what to expect?
Lauren Ritter: I’m gonna admit something here: I’m not cool. This whole quarantine thing has let me embrace the more out-there parts of my taste that fall well outside the established, minimal, mold of cool dance music. I’ve been dusting off and using synths I haven’t touched in years. I sample sounds I hear on my socially-distant, mask-wearing walks. I’m recording and using live instruments! I collaborated with a live drummer! I even use a prescription bottle as a shaker in one of my new tracks. Oh, and I have been a complete fangirl of Tenesha the Wordsmith since Peacocks and Other Savage Beasts was released. I sent her some music during quarantine and the song “Thirst Trap” is built around her words, along with rapper JB!! aka Dirty Moses. You can hear it on October 16th!
Electronic Groove: What can you reveal to us about your upcoming set for our Electronic Groove Music Weekend?
Lauren Ritter: It’s gonna be a predictable plug of Rift Vision 001 as well as all the music that inspired its creation.
Electronic Groove: Many thanks and we wish you nothing but the best moving forward! Can’t wait to hear you rocking our Electronic Groove Music Weekend!
Lauren Ritter: Thank YOU. We’re so lucky to have EG. This set is gonna be so much fun.
Set your reminder for the Electronic Groove Music Weekend here >> https://bit.ly/3lTWFSp
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