Marking his first release on rising house label Emercive Recordings, Float Point EP links together 5 tracks and an extended mix that music fans into anything from Anjuna Beats to Confession and beyond would get some serious pleasure out of. Based out of Pittsburg, the tracks here can certainly put you in a melancholy, but deep mood, with guitar work sounding like it’s pulled from the downtempo universe matched with squeaky clean house instrumental work.
“Anchored,” kicks off the vibe with passionate synth work matching with a groovy beat, the sensations quickly segue to “Liberty Cap,” showcasing how introverted and bare-bones the experience can be. Soon follows, “Float Point,” which the EP itself is named after. The guitar work here really takes center stage on this one, driving the infectious theme encompassed overall in this EP to a new place. The 2 final tracks, ‘Tale Off Corrected,” and, “Together,” share a common energy, both a bit more plucky and get a bit more powerful with the vibe.
Doorstep Rebellion’s is certainly onto something here. The EP delivers a certain amount of personality and humanism within – sort of like you are in the room with him while you listen – Float Point EP was more than a solid sign from Emercive Recordings to say the least.
RR: Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted this EP to be starting off?
DR: No not really. The first track “Anchored” was written last and was created with the idea of needing an intro for the EP. I started working on demos and had three songs that really flowed with each other, but none of them felt like an intro. Another song all together was intended as an ending track for another album, but ended up flowing nicely with the other three. My process really depends on what genre I’m making, but say I’m making like house or any kind of four or four based music / techno whatever. I’ll try to find what theme or melodic identity the track’s going to be built around. One solid melody or one sound. Overall, the gear or sound I opt for is chosen to match the drums I already have. I’m not super good at piano but know enough to get around the basics.
Once I have played out the progression I’ll go into my midi editor and start adding or changing the voicings of the chords instead of just playing like the basic ass chords that I know. With this kind of stuff like progressive house I’ll fill the chords out with something like piano and then go in designing my pluck or whatever synth sounds I want the chords to play. After that I layer in my guitars and stuff around the main chords and bass. The ideas and production shape over time, and then placed cohesively to work with one-another, and that’s how my Float Point EP came to being.
RR: Was this something you had to get out of your comfort zone to make or did the vibes sort of just come to you?
DR: Yeah I think adding the guitar elements was like a big jump for me because usually I keep that separate. I don’t put a lot of guitar when I am making more house-type music. I think combining my poppier sound elements with the house vibes and genres was really cool. It became a mix of two worlds almost and that’s something I was uncomfortable working with at first because I feel like you have to do the guitar justice well in dance music or else it sounds really corny.
RR: What got you into becoming a serious DJ/producer in terms of focusing on it as a career?
DR: Growing up there was always music in the house. My mom would always have on 70s disco and Motown records and my dad listened to a lot of jazz fusion and dad rock /classic rock. He was in bands too so there was always music around. I was working a part-time job and my friend had this mix CD of a bunch of different music. Drum and bass, dubstep, and electro. When he was showing it to me he didn’t really know much about it. It was a lot of rips from blogs and free promo stuff he found online. I heard it and was cocky and thought, “I bet you I could do that,” then started off as like a “here I’ll make you something and throw it on a CD for you and it’ll be as good as like whatever s*** you’re listening to,” but it was honestly terrible at first. I wrote four tracks and put them on a CD. I realized it was possible to do it yourself and most of the time before that I played in a lot of punk bands so I wasn’t afraid of the DIY culture at all.
I think it’s just something in me that enjoys making it. It’s just this natural itch that I always have to scratch. Now it’s less about copying other producers sounds and more about seeing where I fit in with it all. What I have to say, musically, that mentality inspired me to delve deep into becoming a serious producer.
RR: How did the pandemic affect you as an artist?
DR: Well right when the pandemic hit I was just starting to line up a tour, so that kind of cut things short. Other than that it hasn’t really changed what I do from day to day. I still write and make music at home. I’m fortunate enough to have a studio that I can work in and have access to whatever I want whenever I want.
RR: Any tips or advice you’d give to electronic artists starting off that would inspire them more potentially?
DR: Learning production is important and learning all the technical stuff is important, but connections are especially important. If you live in a city where there is a decent scene for electronic music, spending time building those connections with people is huge for a career. You could be the best producer in the world but still at the end of the day, what percentage of people get magically picked up online for just being great? I think it’s all about the hang. When you hang out with people and are easy and fun to be around you’re more often than not going to get picked for whatever thing over someone who may be a virtuoso but you can’t stand to share the same space for more than five minutes with.
RR: What are you most excited for as Doorstep Rebellion when it comes to the future?
DR: Once live music comes back I’d love to be out there sharing space with other humans. Just like everybody else we’re all itching to go to shows and play shows. I have a bunch of singles lined up for the summer fall. Possibly another album with a previous collaborator (hint hint)?
Thanks so much for all the great questions and the opportunity to share about my art!
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