Name: Victor Ruiz
Occupation: DJ, producer
Nationality: Brazilian
Recent release: Victor Ruiz's label VOLTA just released a new EP by Balthazar & JackRock, "Solair Deity". Also available now is a remix by Victor and Tao Andra of Shervin Hajipour's "Baraye" on 7Rituals.
Recommendations: Read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (not my relative LOL) while you listen to the album Houses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin. Or maybe do them separately. But just do it and thank me later.

If you enjoyed this interview with Victor Ruiz and would like to know more about his approach to music production, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, and twitter.

When did you start DJing - and what or who were your early passions and influences? What is about music and/or sound that drew you to it?

I started DJing in 2006 after I accepted a gig – whilst not knowing how to DJ. I figured it out as I had like 3 months until my gig. I didn’t know much about DJs back then as I was a producer and was really focused on that. Being a musician, however, really helped me to learn the craft faster and better.

Since I didn’t have equipment, the only way for me to improve my skills was through gigs. So I was never afraid of testing the equipment – especially because I’d mostly play for almost no one on the first gigs. That gave me confidence to always be courageous as a DJ – technology-wise and later music-wise.

For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and the transition towards your own voice? What is the relationship between copying, learning and your own creativity?

It took a long time for me to find my own sound. It’s not an easy task.

First, I was emulating other artists  in a way. The idea was to to understand how they made this sound or that arrangement. Once I knew how to make that, I was somewhat free to venture into my own sounds. My own voice.

I wasn’t "raised" on electronic music. I started listening to rock, punk and metal, so I always “saw” music with different eyes.

I like to tell different stories through my music, so that’s what I had to figure out, and I did.

What were some of the main challenges and goals when starting out as a DJ and how have they changed over time? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?

The challenge, as I mentioned, is that I didn’t have the equipment to practice. It was a challenge that worked to my advantage because I learned  fast and effectively thanks to this. Also learning how to read a crowd and what to play at the right time is key. It only comes with experience.

A big mistake many DJs make these days is that they play only bangers the whole set, there’s no dynamic or dramaturgy. The set should be a journey where you go up, down, right, left, slow, fast, trippy, groovy, psychedelic, hard and soft.

That’s the cool thing about being a DJ: You’re like a maestro conducting a whole orchestra of people. It’s a big responsibility.

How would you define the job and describe the influence of the DJ? How are the experience and the music transformed through your work?

People think the DJ is the most important part of the party. They’re not. It’s the music.

I saw so many DJs who were not interested in the music and were there for the wrong reasons. Just playing whatever, just for the status or the attention. Our job is to serve the music. We’re instruments. Messengers of music. Without it we’re nothing.

Therefore the influence of the DJ is massive in forming people’s taste and helping them to open their mind to new things.

What was your first set-up as DJ like? How and for what reasons has your set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear for you?

Honestly whatever equipment they had I’d use to play. I’m from the era of CDJs already, but the early ones. So, 2 CDJs and a mixer would work.

Now I’m quite picky because my skills developed a lot – so did the gear. I ask for 4 x CDJs Pioneer 3000 and an Allen & Heath Xone 92 mixer. And that’s it.

I don’t use effects nor too many gimmicks. I love to mix tracks and create new stories with 2 to 4 tracks at the same time. I LOVE IT!

How do you make use of technology? In terms of the feedback mechanism between technology and creativity, what do humans excel at, what do machines excel at?

I try to use it creatively, as much as I can.

Machines are our allies when we can’t do some things. Technology made a lot of people lazy; anyone can get a few drum loops on Ableton Live and make a “track”. But also helped people that really push creativity to go to a new level. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

I love working with hardware because once you record that sound, you commit to it and must be more creative with less. And that’s the essence. Less is more.

Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule? How do life and creativity feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?

I moved to Lisbon recently so I’m still adapting to the city (in the best way possible). I generally wake up during weekdays around 8am and at 9am. Almost every day I play tennis. I love this sport; it’s helping me so much with my mental and body health. It’s not just a physical exercise but also a mental one.

I come back, shower. Some days I also meditate. And then I'll generally go to the studio and tend to stay there the whole day making music or doing chores if I have to. But I’ve been traveling so much that this routine is like half of my time.

I believe all these things I do help me creatively. I also listen to A LOT of music. But not electronic, funnily enough.

Let's say you have a gig coming up tonight. What does your approach look like – from selecting the material and preparing for, opening and then building a set?

If it’s a club I’m more open and improvise a lot. If it’s a big festival I always prepare at least the intro and the first few tracks and the closing track.

How you start and how you finish are the most important things at a gig in my opinion.

Can you describe your state of mind during a DJ set? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

It’s simple. Be present. It’s not easy though, since there can be many distractions, like gear problem, people coming next to you, or even different crowd reactions.

The mental game here also has to be strong. If you stay too much in your mind, you’ll disconnect from the crowd and will start making mistakes – technical ones or in terms of the track selection.

The best advice is to always have fun!

What are some of the considerations that go into deciding which track to play next? What makes two tracks a good fit? How far do you tend to plan ahead during a set?

It’s a feeling. Depending on the track reaction I already feel the next 2 or 3 tracks that I’ll play. As I said before, this is something you learn through experience. It’s about timing. The moment has to be right to fit 2 tracks together in a perfect way.

You might do the same mix of these 2 tracks in different sets and they’ll have different results. That’s why feeling is so important.

Would you say you see DJing as improvisation? As composition in the moment? Or as something entirely different from these terms?

Absolutely. It is improvisation. You can prepare a 2 hours set beforehand but if the crowd is not into that, you better be quick and adapt to them.

There are ways to play what you want to basically any crowd. But first you have to conquer their trust and their ears. After that you can experiment and introduce new sounds.

I’ll always endorse taking risks as a DJ. Sometimes it’ll flop. But when it works it’s like magic!

How do playing music at home and presenting it in the club compare and relate? What can be achieved through them, respectively, and what do you personally draw from both?

I don’t really play music at home since I’m always on tour. When I’m home I like to play my piano or just listen to my (non-electronic) records.

How would you describe the relationship between your choices and goals as a DJ and the expectations, desires and feedback of the audience? How does this relationship manifest itself during a performance and how do you concretely tap into it?

My main goal as a DJ is to push boundaries and make people listen to music they never heard before. Even if it’s little by little.

I started this new approach on gigs. I come with zero expectation. The result is beautiful. So far I had only amazing times because I wasn’t expecting anything and I’m always happily surprised. You should try it, it’s awesome!

Especially thanks to the storage facilities of digital media, DJ sets could potentially go on forever. Other than closing time, what marks the end of a DJ performance for you? What are the most satisfying conclusions to a set?

I always like to end my set in a high note, so I either finish “all guns blazing” or I leave a very beautiful track as a close. This moment is very important because it’s how you “say goodbye” to the audience. They will most remember that moment, so you better leave a great impression.

Why not finish with a bang of full of emotions? I guess that’s the most satisfying.

Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?

I try not to romanticise my role as an artist too much. I've been listening to and making music since I was a kid. All I know is music. All I am is music. I’m lucky enough to know what my calling is. I guess being human is being an artist already, you just have to know the best way for you to express yourself. I do it through music, some people do it through painting or acting or cooking or speaking.

Having said that, I guess by being an “influencer” (I dislike what this term has become) I have a lot of responsibilities towards my audience – socially, politically, ethically and so forth. I try always to share a positive message of love and compassion, cuz that’s what life is about.

The world is already too tough for us to fight each other, why not love each other instead?