Artist Snapshot: Darius Rubin
NAME: Darius Rubin
SCHOOL: CC ’23
GENRE: Electronic; breakbeat, techno, house, electro, dub
WHAT THEY DO: DJ, Write, Lyricist, realism
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I would like to start by acknowledging the difference between DJing and respecting the work of real music creation. The skill from DJing, in my opinion, comes not from the mixing, which one can learn the necessary aspects of relatively quickly, but from finding special songs that will work in a specific situation on a night. And without the work of musicians, in bands or of producers, putting the notes together and being aware of a lot more, a DJ’s job wouldn’t exist.
What inspires your music and where do you draw creative inspiration from?
Creative inspiration comes from real life and some of the unfortunate missed opportunities that populate it. In my head, I will conjure up fantastical solutions to them all. People behaving humanely and humanly and accepting their true selves, and not being afraid to show them inspire me. This world incentivises the masking of our true emotions and true reactions to certain stimuli to take us further in life. This world rewards us with money, sex and experience for behaving in ways that we know will attract followers, make us seem desirable or cool or anything else. So when people decide to forgo those tangible incentives that arise from fake existences, I am inspired.
Who are some artists and groups you look up to?
Pink Floyd – for their transcendence and sheer talent. Rodriguez- for his story (searching for sugarman) and his lyrics that, when considered with his voice, put him above Dylan. David Bowie for his supreme confidence in his self. Burial for his individuality and ability to take bass and break music to a position of melancholy beauty.
What are some of your first memories of making music? How did you decide this was something you wanted to pursue?
Myself and a couple good friends took up DJing in our spare time in our junior year of high school after spending four days at a music festival in the summer. The atmosphere of witnessing DJs spin bouncing records in the woods through lights and a manufactured haze of smoke above us between the wayward branches of the trees around us, inspired us profusely. We started DJing in our bedrooms at school, and in London, other houses around and any party that would take us. Until a bunch of us ended up playing at friends’ parties with our own sound systems and decided we should take it further.
How has your school or your specific major contributed to your music and artistry?
School, specifically CC has inspired my lyrical exploits. Attempting to Understand the visions of Thomas More in Utopia, Rousseau in his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and De Tocqueville on Democracy in America, among others have provided me with much of the material to better analyse the effects that societal mores have and have had on our individual psyches. Understanding the incentives and pressures that dominate us toward behaving in egoistic manners that reap rewards of excellence-within-the-box and push us all further toward conformity, has allowed me to appreciate the veritable humanity that I do see and critique more eloquently and expertly the manifestations of perversion that reward us so viscerally.
How has being in NYC influenced your art?
New York City has influenced me perhaps more than anything else. the density of the rock that it was built on; Manhattan Schist, supports the population density of the city in its strength that handles the skyscrapers and clusters of buildings. It is so conducive to this city’s energy, which is of a much faster pace than anywhere in the world. I spent most of my younger life in London; a city that changed and shaped me profusely, but New York is different. Walking down any avenue, Morningside Heights too, one constantly sees real people on the street, living, some struggling to eat. We come face to face with every kind of life and are forced to look them head on, not shy away or retreat within our privilege so that we don’t feel any guilt. Everyone on the street, no matter where they come from, or how they have been resigned to spend their days, inspires me. People talk, they spill out their insights with no fear or shame. I try to translate these experiences into my lyrical writing and into the directions of my DJ Sets.
Favorite place you’ve performed at so far? Dream venue in the future?
New York has been real and provided me with some great places to play out. Lola’s on Avenue A was rewarding and challenging when I played there through last year. The crowd was very mixed, from all places around the globe, which meant that there were people with many different taste. I was able to play some high-energy and low-energy music of a variety of genres that people were not afraid to dance to. My favourite places to play are impromptu ones with DIY Soundsystems and committed dancers who carry on going through the morning. Dark and sweaty basements for fast techno, hard hitting electro and enveloping bass music in Bristol, UK are probably the most conducive to an explosive evening and are some of the most fun to play at.
What are your top 3 favorite albums of all time?
The Wall – Pink Floyd, Portrait with Firewood – Djrum, Deja Vú – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
How has the pandemic affected your music and process?
Pandemic has obviously taken the main activity out of DJing, but I have used this time to write, discover new music (although much more sparingly, perhaps as a result of the lack of incentive), and also plan events and ideas for once things open up again,
What’s something you’re working on, or are excited to start working on?
Currently working on audio-visual experiences in the form of nights out in wider, natural spaces, as well as a record label called Odyssey Tapes (@oddsea.tapes) that is releasing music from my friends over the world and videos that match them. The big project, is a print and digital platform to bring together the artistic visions of the larger crew of like-minded individuals, as well as being a space for political and cultural analysis from a youthful perspective. It will be making itself known soon.
What’s an album with no skips?
Leftfield – Leftism
