Rodriguez Jr. is an influential melodic house/techno artist whose tracks blend uplifting synth lines with immersive atmosphere and techy percussion.

Originally from France but currently based in America, Rodriguez Jr. is a globally successful DJ who travels the world to play headline sets everywhere from Berlin to Melbourne.

Also, an extremely talented producer whose productions have been released by some of the world’s most prestigious record labels such as Mobilee, Stil Vor Talent, Anjunadeep and Bedrock. Rodriguez Jr. is soon to drop a new album via his own record label Feathers & Bones.

Excited to learn more about the new album plus some of his passions outside of music, we invited Rodriguez Jr. for this interview…

Hi Rodriguez Jr., it’s great to be talking with you, could you start by telling us where you are currently based, and what your thoughts are on the local music scene?

“Hello, great talking with you too. I’m currently based in Miami where the local music scene is extremely diverse and vibrant, there are many different communities cohabiting and each brings something different to the table.”

Tell us about your links to Miami and what you love most about the city, where are some of your favourite places to hang out outside of the music scene?

“As many people of my generation, the love story with Miami originates with Miami Vice and I’d always harbored a dream to come here someday and delve into its charm. I also have a family link to Miami now, my wife was born in Cuba and raised in Miami so there’s that.

Each neighborhood has a unique identity and I love to explore spontaneously and let the city surprise me. Recently I went to a vinyl bar for a relaxed but exciting record party in downtown called Miami Sound Bar (excellent sound system there), I also love the Citadel which is in my neighborhood, this is a place that represents the diversity and blossoming of Miami. I also love exploring Miami by the water and visiting iconic landmarks such as the Key Biscayne Lighthouse and Stiltsville, it’s so cinematic and inspiring and the ocean has a particular color in that area.”

I’m told that you enjoy taking road trips, and I wanted to ask about some of your favourite routes, and how those journeys influence your music?

“As clichéd as it may sound, undeniably it’s Route 66, I love to embark in search of faded glory and find the remains of what once was as it feeds my imagination and inspires me with untold stories and possible destinies left in the dust. California, Arizona, Nevada… all of these are states that beckon for you to lose yourself in them.”

Talking about your music, I hear you have a new album, and I’d love to hear more about its concept?

“I think the main concept of this album is the search of freedom…It was recorded between Paris and Miami during a period of two years and it took its shape from my transition of one continent to another with all of its contrasting emotions and stripping away of old patterns.

This is how I ended up with this title, the ‘feathers’ represents the dreamy aspect of my music, while ‘bones’ represents its structure.”

Where did you produce the album, and can you list a few of the tracks that hold extra special meaning to you, as I’d love to learn more about those?

“The tracks that have an extra special meaning to me are the collaborations because they push me into new and exciting territories. The two tracks with my partner Liset Alea are pivotal because they embody our relationship and our dynamic as a couple and as collaborators. And of course, the track ‘Turn the Light On’ alongside Stereo MC’s who were childhood musical heroes of mine and who are still here with their powerful message and artistry.”

What’s the process like making an album compared to producing an EP, did you spend a lot of time preplanning or did you just sit down to start experimenting?

“An album, due to its size and breadth require a different kind of preparation so as not to lose oneself in the process, I always begin by creating a sort of framework within which I can be free to experiment. Defining a trajectory will outline the story of the album from beginning to end, the flow I guess you can say, and will help to gather and distill all of the ideas into a comprehensive space.”

I understand that you are also passionate about literature, which are some of the books that are your all-time favourites, and what makes them stand out?

“The literature that I love resembles the kind of music I love, a body of work where time stretches, memories are out of focus, and you are always after something just out of your reach…I am obsessed with French writer Patrick Modiano’s works and his heroes that are not heroes, who spend their lives getting lost in cities in search of fleeting memories… it’s literature that I connect to one of my favorite bands Boards of Canada. I also grew up reading Ray Bradbury and even today I am still enthralled by his visionary retro-futurism which I might add, I find in certain corners of Miami.”

If you had the chance to be written as a character in a fictional novel, which writer’s work would you like to be a part of, and what kind of character would you like to be?

“I could see myself inside a Süskind novel like The Perfume, I could be the kind of character who is terrifyingly obsessed regarding something impalpable such as making the ultimate track! As artists, we’re always walking a thin line, one where insanity is never too far away…”

What’s coming up after the new album, any other new releases or gigs you are excited about?

“I’m mostly focused on this album’s tour which will take me around North and South America and Europe.

Touring with a new album is always very exciting and nerve-wracking because you’re playing new material for the very first and you feel exposed, but I love the challenge of convincing an audience with new tracks, this adrenaline is part of a successful performance for me.”

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me today, is there anything you want to add before we finish?

“The daily news of the world is especially heavy these days, so I hope people will give themselves the space to dream.”

You can pre-order his new album “Feathers & Bones” from HERE.