Re.You, a trailblazer in electronic music, has built an impressive career spanning nearly 15 years, marked by his ability to craft diverse and energetic sets that captivate dance floors worldwide. As co-founder of LSF21+, he’s fostered rising talents while producing a growing catalog of standout releases. In 2022, he unveiled Road to Sanrey, his debut album with brother Santé, and collaborated with Ritter Butzke Records on the acclaimed Reasons To Love EP. Following a series of high-profile remixes and releases in 2023, including work with London’s Ulu Records and SCI+TEC, he’s now poised for an exciting 2024, with major collaborations, releases on AZZUR Music, and another studio album on the horizon. Re.You’s ethos – balance, diversity, and great energy – continues to define his journey as one of electronic music’s most consistent and innovative artists.
Read our interview with him below.
Set the tone for us. Why the arts?
Music is more for me than mere sound. It is an emotional expression and the universal language that connects people at deeper levels. The arts have always been the area where feeling could expressed without words. Music can transport in different states of mind, and this is one reason I have always been transported by it.
Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?
In general, depends on different situations. Many times, I begin making a sound and jamming around with grooves until something clicks into place. Some other times, I have a concept or a mood that I want to convey and then I can form the sound into that. This could be something from anywhere – it might come from an emotion or a moment on the dancefloor, or even just some random sound that happened to catch my ear. Finally, the two place together, so I don’t always have a very fixed process; it’s just finding that balance between the kind of creative spark and the technical work.
Does your material feature any collaborations?
Oh yes, over the years I’ve had the pleasure to collaborate with so many good artists. For me, collaboration is about keeping the evolving energy and stimulating creative perspective needed in your evolution as an artist. Every artist brings their special ingredient to the session: melody, rhythm, or even new angles for looking at the track. That’s the reason why I love working with different people; creating such an experience opens a whole different door for you creatively.
What’s on your current playlist?
Right now, I’m really vibing with a mix of afro house, melodic house and some raw, soulful sounds. Artists like Meera, Samm and Aaaron are on heavy rotation. I also listen to a lot of older music – soul, hip-hop, and even ambient stuff – that inspires me to bring more organic textures into my electronic music.
Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.
Making contact with the crowd is everything. Between DJ and audience, there’s an understanding that doesn’t need verbalization. When you drop the right track at the right moment and lose them in the music, you see pure magic at work. Try to stay present and read the room because every performance, every chemistry, as it always is, is different with every set, collective experience, not just me playing tracks, creating something special in that moment.
What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?
I am always trying new things and new sounds, stretching what is expected from house music and techno. I love playing organic instruments or record things from daily life. I love working with effects and the creation of an audiovisual tension and release. My goal is always to create something that feels new but talks to people on a another level.
Take us through a day in the recording studio.
Actually there is no typical day in the studio. I try to push distractions away. A lot of my time goes into sound designing because it’s really important for me to get the right textures and atmospheres in my track, I mean, it’s really my sound.
Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?
Not really, sometimes I’m still thinking it’s surreal when traveling around the world and playing music to people. For me it happened naturally. So there was no specific moment.
What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?
For me, it’s all about the music and the connection with the crowd – everything else is just a distraction. I love incorporating hardware effects into my setup, like the TEILE delay or the Revolo reverb. I also still have a prototype of the original Keinedelay, which Rampa created when we were working together on our live set as RAR. It’s a piece of gear that holds a lot of sentimental value for me.
Any emerging artists on your radar?
There are a lot of emerging talent at the moment that I am really excited about. Some of the names that have been popping up in my ear lately are Samm and Ajna as well as this newly formed duo called The Scripture. These guys push boundaries when it comes to their sound design and storytelling, and I think they’ll be making some noise before long. I’m always open to fresh blood I’d like to work with or support, so there are so many new energies coming into the scene that I enjoy.
What gets your creative juices flowing?
Traveling is a huge source of inspiration for me. Exploring new places, experiencing different cultures, and absorbing fresh energies all spark my creativity. I’ve found that creativity flows best when I step back, let things unfold naturally, and remain open to new experiences and ideas rather than forcing the process.
Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.
I tend to manage a setup that is a bit minimalist yet very efficient. Most of my time has been spent inside the environment of Ableton. I’m using a variety of plug-ins for sound designing-such as Serum, Diva and the Arturia Synths – these go pretty much into my go-to basics. Hardware that I have been experimenting with at this point is Veromona DRM for a lot of my drum sounds, along with some classic synths, like the Moog Sub37 or the Elektron Analog 4 to add a little warmth and texture to my tracks. I love taking it up a notch with different field recordings and live instruments to make things sound even more organic. But “gear” is not even close to what really matters; it’s what you set out to do with it all, and how you use it in the end-to-make all the difference.
How did the collaboration with Rodriguez Jr. on ‘Relocate’ come about?
In fact, Rodriguez Jr. and I had been friends for a long time; we have been admiring each other’s respective works for quite some time. I was looking for artists to remix my album „Maison“ so therefore I was just asking if he is interested to do that remix. The outcome is fantastic.
What stood out to you the most when you heard the remix? Were there any elements that completely surprised you?
Some things I didn’t really imagine-deeper basslines, how Rodriguez Jr. plays with the atmospherics… It really seemed like he took the soul of the song and redesigned it all around whole new energies, layering and texturing it in ways I didn’t expect. That’s the beauty of collaboration: it ends at something that feels hugely familiar but completely new at the same time.
How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?
I mean patience and learning to grow from every experience has really helped me in a big way. In the beginning, I wanted everything to be perfect, but with time I learned to trust the process and not be afraid to experiment with things. I spent a lot of time examining what things might resonate with people and what certain sounds tapped into to connect on an emotional level. You’re always growing and evolving.
Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?
I have been working on some new stuff, which is a good balance of listening music and darker club-oriented ones.
Famous last words?
Don’t do only lists, fucking do things.
Follow Re:YOU:
Spotify – Instagram – Facebook – Soundcloud
