As a genuinely dedicated lover of dance music, witnessing the evolution from disco to house through to today’s diverse array of styles and sounds, Rony Seikaly draws upon a deep well of knowledge and experience. Music is an essential component of his life, a channel through which he expresses his true nature. Rony’s commitment to making and playing dance music is unwavering; he helms a successful label (STRIDE), creates at a prolific rate, and makes regular appearances at some of the world’s most influential clubs. His fearless and authentic approach to production transcends genre limitations, fusing influences from various styles with a strong emphasis on feeling and instinctive emotion above rigid categorization. With the release of his debut album ‘Moonwalk’, Rony has an assured outlook as he prepares to invite us on a trip beyond the stars to his audio utopia.
Ahead of his performance at Stereo Montreal this weekend, EG caught up with Rony to learn more about the drop of ‘Moonwalk’, and future endeavors.
EG: Hi Rony! Welcome back to EG. Always a pleasure to have you here with us. Where are you based right now? How have you been?
Rony Seikaly: Hi! A pleasure to chat with you. I’ve been great, thanks! Right now I’m in Miami, where I live, but this weekend I’m traveling to Montreal, to play at Stereo, which is a club I’m very fond of.
EG: Congratulations on the release of your double LP, ‘Moonwalk’! What has the initial reception been like so far?
Rony Seikaly: The feedback has been great, I did not imagine it would be in such a way. When you produce something with so much love and care, you hope it will be well received, but you always have doubts; definitely, the way people have received ‘Moonwalk’ has been very emotional for me. I am very grateful for all the support the album has had and I can’t wait for the remixes to go out already, they will be by some amazing artists. We’ll have versions by Paco Osuna, Joseph Capriati, Andrea Oliva, Black Circle, Davide Squillace, Mathias Tanzman, Fur Coat, and many more.
EG: So, a double LP must have given you a lot of room to explore a dive deeper inside…What’s the concept and story behind ‘Moonwalk’?
Rony Seikaly: I see ‘Moonwalk’ as a journey, my music was always about that. I like music that tells a story, and this album is a collection of that journey. I started producing ‘Moonwalk’ during lockdown. It was the opportunity to have time to dedicate myself completely to music. Producing the album for me meant a journey, perhaps hence the album’s title, it was my way of traveling beyond the 4 walls of the studio to a world where only music mattered, and – being in a global lockdown – to be able to create alternate worlds of freedom, cheer up the soul through a nice, driving groove and create melodies to enliven the heart. ‘Moonwalk’ is a very personal way of saying that music is the best way to nurture the soul.
EG: How long has this one been in the making? Did you set out on a mission with the double LP from the beginning, or was it something that evolved as you went deeper down the rabbit hole?
Rony Seikaly: When I started producing the album I didn’t have a concrete idea of how many tracks would make it up. I just started producing and the creation process was very fluid. The inspiration to create the album came from my emotions at that time, the process was sitting in the studio with a blank canvas and going with the flow, creating music that I felt, and what came out was a house music story that was made from within my deeper emotions at that moment. Each one of the tracks on the album followed a very natural process of production. I either started with percussions, vocals, or bass lines. Depending on what I was feeling. It was an amazing experience, I really enjoyed it.
“I can’t wait for the remixes to go out already, they will be by some amazing artists. We’ll have versions by Paco Osuna, Joseph Capriati, Andrea Oliva, Black Circle, Davide Squillace, Mathias Tanzman, Fur Coat, and many more”
EG: Summer is just around the corner, and we’re guessing you must have big plans ahead of you. Where can your fans catch you playing this summer? What highlights are you looking forward to?
Rony Seikaly: I am very happy to play again in the city where I was born, Beirut, at the Waterfront club on June 27th. I am also really looking forward to starting the summer gigs in Europe. I will be performing at Circoloco in DC10 and Pachá, both in Ibiza, as well as playing several dates at Circoloco in Mykonos, Grece.
EG: Thank you for your time Rony! We wish you all the best for the future!
Rony Seikaly: Thank you!
Rony Seikaly’s ‘Moonwalk’ LP is out now via STRIDE. Purchase your copy here.
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