Ross Kiser, a Denver-based DJ and producer, has cemented his place in the electronic music scene over nearly a decade. Initially part of the acclaimed duo Need & Necessity, Kiser embarked on a solo journey in 2016, evolving his deep-tech house and techno-rooted sound. His knack for crafting tracks that resonate on dance floors has seen his releases swiftly climb Beatport’s Top 100 charts, earning plays from industry giants like Richie Hawtin. Kiser’s discography, featuring on labels such as Bondage Music, Laguna Raw, and Curated, showcases a diverse range of electronic sounds, from hypnotic grooves to dynamic deep house.
With his latest EP Catacombs out now on Steve Bug’s Sublease Music, we caught up with Ross for a chat.
Hi Ross, thank you for taking the time to chat with us today! How has the year been treating you?
Greetings fam! Thanks so much for having me for a chat. The year has been great so far honestly! I’m currently in Costa Rica so no complaints here haha. But 2024 is off to a great start on the music front. Have been making tons of music and am super excited for releases that are in the pipeline to make their way out!
Where do you think the impulse to create music comes from for you?
For me, I’m just a creative person at my core, plain and simple haha. I am always looking for ways to explore and express my creative avenues and music happens to be my biggest one, and my biggest passion. I get the itch to make music literally all the time. Sometimes I get the itch to really jam on a song all day and other times I’ll try to challenge myself with limited time. A personal against the clock challenge if you will. If I hear a cool track (doesn’t have to be electronic by any means) and it gives me some inspiration I’ll make my way to the studio.
Your new release on Sublease Music marks a significant step in your musical journey. Can you discuss the concept and creative vision behind “Catacombs”? What inspired you to explore a darker and more minimal sound for this release?
Thank you very much for the kind words! So honestly I have always tried to avoid placing limitations on my sound. I find a lot of influence in classic house music, dub techno, jazz, and tech house. In some way, shape or form, I find that elements from all of those genres somehow make it into a lot of my music. Over the past couple years, I have been shaping my sound to be a lot more minimal and deep-techy (of course I will still produce some house-ier stuff here and there) and I have loved the transformation. That is where my heart is currently at.
For this release I basically jammed in the studio for about a week exploring new sound design and playing with some more minimal drum sounds and patterns. I was trying to break my normal flow and my norm to create something a little more unique than what I had done historically. I have always placed a pretty heavy emphasis on my drums and percussion work – heavy hi-hats, louder claps/snares, etc. For this EP I tried to tone all that back to create a little bit more of a minimal groove where the synths were the driving force behind the vibes and motion. All in all I am super proud of how the EP turned out.
Stream Here : https://subleasemusic.lnk.to/Catacombs
The electronic music landscape is constantly evolving. How do you stay innovative and relevant, and what changes in the scene have most influenced your recent work?
I think for me one thing that is super motivating is the genres in which my sound falls are getting much bigger – around the world – but more specifically in the United States. When I first started shaping my sound into what it is today, it was quite hard to find producers around me producing similar stuff or better yet, throwing parties that showcased artists in these genres. It is a much different story today and that’s awesome! I have always loved being unique but this growth in the scene has inspired me to keep crushing, keep moving forward and keep evolving.
In terms of how I continue to innovate, one of the biggest things for me is I try to always improve my skill set. I am constantly learning, experimenting and doing things to avoid stagnation. I think that’s really important – in anything you do creatively. When I feel myself using the same sounds, or programming drums the same, etc. – I very purposely switch it up, you never know what the result will be and you may end up with something you had no idea you could produce.
Denver is known for its vibrant electronic music scene. How has living and working in Denver shaped your sound and your approach to music production?
Over the years, Denver really has become a hotspot for music in the United States. It’s freakin amazing haha! Honestly it’s super motivating to be around a scene that is constantly bringing in fresh talent as well as the big names that we all love and admire. I think over the years the Denver scene has also started bringing a lot more underground acts and that has given me a lot of drive. A lot of artists that I really admire and look up to have made it through Denver at some point. In terms of the scene and my sound, I think mostly what it comes down to is just motivation. I get inspired and motivated by seeing how vibrant the parties and people are. I still think my sound is a bit unique for Denver and I honestly love that. As I mentioned, I love unique, unique is good haha.
Tell us about your current studio set up – any particular bits of go-to kit you find yourself returning to?
Ah yes yes. So in general I am always using a hybrid of controllers, hardware and VSTs when I produce. Over the years I have been all over the place. Some tracks I will make with almost all hardware and others I will make completely in the box. Depends on my mood haha. I think for me I am just super fast with Ableton and software synths so when I am trying to get ideas out there super quick I tend to start there and then once I get a groove going I’ll start playing with more toys haha. These days my go-tos are my Maschine, Syntakt, or TR8 for drums – and then a lot of my synth work is either my Roland Juno or various plugins from the Arturia suite. I honestly love those! I have found that there are endless possibilities with that whole synth suite. I have recently picked up the Yamaha RM1X (old school piece) and I am loving the sounds on that thing as well! All in all though I really just love experimenting – so I tend to use a similar setup or grip of tools/plugins for a few tracks and then I’ll purposely pivot to a different combo. But currently everything I listed above is definitely the go-to setup right now.
Which artists are currently exciting or inspiring you?
Ooof – great but tough question. There are so many. A few that come to mind are James Dexter, Arkady Antsyrev, Chris Stussy, Djebali, Dilby, and Mihai Popoviciu. I have been following all of these artists for what seems like forever at this point. Why these artists? I feel that all of these artists are constantly breaking barriers and boundaries with music and their individual sounds – always pushing the limit with genres. I really love and respect that, and that is something that I constantly try to do with my sound. I always like to remind myself that there are no rules in music and no rules in creativity. I think that all of these artists live that mantra whether they mean to or not haha.
What have been some of your more memorable live performances from the last few months?
Honestly there haven’t been a ton of shows in the last few months but the one that sticks out the most is my most recent show in Denver where I played 100% original music. There is something really special about doing that. I was able to test out a lot of new music as well as play some tunes from many years ago that still get the job done haha.
What should we expect from you for the rest of 2024?
I am super excited about how 2024 is looking. I have this new release on Sublease which I am over the moon about and then I have a grip of other EPs coming out later in the year. One that I am particularly excited about is another EP with the Bondage Music crew as well as a single for one of their VAs. I always love releasing with them and am always honored to be a part of their stellar roster and release schedule. In terms of other projects, I have a few collabs that will be announced soon and then a grip of shows that are lining up for the coming months as well. Honestly I have been riding a massive creativity high so I have been cranking out tons of music – I can’t wait to share it with you all! Somewhere in my future there will definitely be a full length album as well – something I have always wanted and been excited to do. But honestly I am just trying to figure out the best timing as well as the right tracks. I really want the album to showcase all of my styles and my journey through music and I want to make sure I curate it well and don’t rush it haha.
Thank you so much for the chat! Cheers y’all!!