Today’s Mix Of The Day, comes to us from Canada courtesy of up-and-coming DJ/Producer Ryan Gerada (Ekte). We caught up about about the mix, 2 Bit Crew and the existential question of cinnamon or cardamon bulle.
HMWL: Hey Ryan, We love the mix you’ve done for us. Can you tell us about your background and how you started making music?
RG: It was a pleasure, thank you for having me. I’m 24 years old living in Toronto, Canada. I moved to Toronto 5 years ago to pursue studies in Graphic Design. Moving to the city brought with it a generous amount of opportunity and exposure to new genres of music. At the time, I found myself developing an interest in alternative sounds and genres, with that came with an interest in production as well as performing. Over the passed 3 years I’ve spent my time honing in on production, building outstanding relationships and hosting small parties. I’m confident that I still have a tremendous amount to learn, and I’m excited to see where the future has in store.
HMWL: How would you describe your sound and what influences you when you’re producing?
RG: With my work, I’ve tried to capture a sound that sits somewhere in between atmospheric and bold, my productions have had a tendency to lean more to the ambient side. I’m trying to capture an experience thats entirely approachable, yet still complex and compelling. Personally, I feel as if I haven’t been successful at encompassing these ideas, yet – but I’m excited by that, it gives me a steady direction. That being said, techno has proven to be the confident foundation to house the ideas mentioned above. Lately I’ve been enjoying a stripped back production, something that is slightly more minimal.
HMWL: Can you tell us something about the scene in Canada? What’s popular and where you see it growing?
RG: I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an expert on the scene here in Canada, or Toronto, specifically. – I simply haven’t indulged for long enough. However, the experience that my friends and I have had throwing parties here has been incredibly motivating. I hope to see it grow into it’s own, such as it has recently for other fascists of music.
HMWL: What’s your plan for the next two or three years?
RG: The next few years look to be exciting. I will be finishing my studies, and the next logical step will be finding a job in that line of work. In terms of production, I’ll continue collecting gear, as well as refining my production.
HMWL: What’s on your “hot tracks” list for 2015 and 2016 so far?
RG: Whew. This year has been fantastic in terms of releases. I’ve also had the pleasure of stumbling upon a couple new artists that have really inspired me. Alvin Aronson and Raw MT have both had outstanding releases this year. Ben Boe’s productions, especially his latest release on Boe Records have been very distinguishing in my opinion. 2 Bit Crew have been curating some excellent productions out of Denmark. Lastly, two artists that I have recently heard of are Mirage Man as well as Aleks. These guys have slightly different production styles but are equally inspiring for me at the moment.
HMWL: Lastly, if you come and have coffee with us in sweden would you pick a cinnamon or cardamom bun?
RG: I would definitely choose the cardamom bun – haven’t had the opportunity to have one of those before! I’d also double up on the coffee
Check out Ekte‘s mix below and expect bigger things from him in 2016.
