STORE MIX 113: RAAANDY

In the ever-evolving landscape of electronic music, few DJs manage to carve out a niche that defies genre boundaries while resonating deeply with diverse audiences. Emerging from the vibrant student nightlife scene, RAAANDY transformed personal dissatisfaction with conventional club offerings into a dynamic and eclectic musical journey. Their sets are a testament to spontaneity and adventurousness, seamlessly blending disparate sonic elements to create a cohesive and electrifying experience. Beyond the decks, their architectural background informs a unique sensitivity to spatial dynamics, influencing not only how they curate music but also how they conceptualize immersive environments. For LN-CC’s Store Mix: 113, we delve into the inspirations, creative processes, and visionary ideas that drive this artist's distinctive approach to DJing.

What sparked your journey into DJing, and what keeps you passionate about it?

Not finding nights out I truly enjoyed whilst at uni, I found the student-marketed nights very binary. Either you went to a Hip-Hop party (only charting Drake) or you went to strictly separate dance genres — this night focused on DNB, and this one was for UKG. It all felt very exhausting to hear only one type of music all night, so I kinda just thought, boom, let me try it myself. Now here we are, lol... definitely was never part of the plan to be perceived as an actual DJ originally.

What keeps me passionate is actually seeing someone else play and thinking, sht, they’re insane — especially as the space began to oversaturate and feel a bit monotonous. Seeing other people be daring and explosive keeps that fire alive.

Nothing is better than a set where you go home thinking, f**, I need to up my game, but also wow, that was so fun to experience, of course.

Your sets have a distinct energy. How would you describe your sound and the influences that shape it?

I’d say very adventurous and spontaneous. I think my growth into appreciating so many different sonic spaces led me to question why they can’t all co-exist cohesively in one set — like not feeling the pressure to adhere to this will be a trap set or today I will play a more electronic sound. I think this polarity speaks to people’s own sonic dimensionality but also keeps people on their toes, avoiding it feeling repetitive for me or the audience.

What’s your creative process when discovering and selecting tracks? Do you dig deep for hidden gems or build around a specific mood?

I’m very in the moment when it comes to DJing (for better and for worse), so I think it’s all about having a large cache of songs (discovered everywhere — from on a night out, digitally digging, or even playlists in random shops) to be able to curate in the moment.

I think too much preparation can lead to not having the malleability to resonate with an unexpected crowd or respond to the in-the-moment energy in the room.

What has been your most unexpected or game-changing gig so far?

Hmmm, I played a gig in the Mexican Consulate in London... that was pretty random.

Game-changing is hard to identify from a first-person perspective — at least for me.

How do you stay inspired and push your sound forward in an industry that’s always evolving?

I think, as stated before, listening to other DJs both IRL and URL, keeping an ear out for new music through all avenues and artists always, and just constantly being able to enjoy music as a fan. I feel like once you remove that feeling, it can make the passion go stale.

What was the spark behind Hit You on the Rebound, and how does it reflect your vision as an artist?

It’s a development of a night I threw as a student, as my sonic palette further progressed. It grew into a safe haven for people who sit in the same sonic bubble — wanting to hear a Miami bass track sit cohesively with an underground trap song.

It reflects my vision as an artist as it allows us to sculpt our definition of a great night out — from venue to DJs — to situate the sets in an environment where they make the most sense.

If you had to create a dream lineup for a night where you weren’t DJing, who would you book?

Difficult one, which probably changes by the day, but right now I’m going to go with:

DJ Swisha, there’s a relatively niche DJ from Brazil called DJ LHC, WAAW (a twin duo), Rickinzi, and a 2017 prime Skinny Macho.

London’s music scene is constantly shifting. What excites you the most about it right now?

It feels like a bit of a Royal Rumble right now in my pocket. No one DJ, collective, or party is dominating London socially, and I think this friendly rivalry is only going to increase the quality. Competition is always great.

Beyond music, are there any other creative outlets or art forms that influence your work as a DJ?

I come from an architectural education, unbeknownst to many, which does subconsciously make me perceive spatial qualities hyper-alertively.

I wouldn’t call it creative, but I enjoy problem-solving strongly, so sometimes you just gotta dissect a club night as a problem to be solved: what is the previous DJ playing, what is the response, and identify what makes sense in that room at that moment.

If you could play in any setting — whether a club, warehouse, festival, or something unconventional — what would be your ultimate DJ experience?

This is a tough one. I think right now, with Milan Salone on, it always mesmerises me when sonic experiences merge with experiential ones. It kinda speaks to two parts of my brain simultaneously.

So to answer the question: being able to design an installation that is adaptive — a response to the DJ set — but also feels extremely surreal.

Imagine if Carlos Cruz-Diez’s Chromo-saturation artwork was made dynamic, so the colours and gradients respond to the music itself, similar to people who experience sound-colour synaesthesia (where their sense of colour and sound are linked, making music evoke visual colour sensations).