We caught up with fast-rising talent Vincent R to get a unique insight into his career to date, influences and much more!
Hi Vincent, how are you and what’s going on in your world at the moment?
I’m doing very well! Excited for what’s in store for the future with the direction my music career is heading.
Where are you currently based?
Currently based in Chicago, the home of house music.
How would you describe your sound?
Chameleon…not sure I want it to sound the same all the time. When I sit down to create I try not to force that creativity a certain direction. When shopping around for music I do listen for a certain type of sound and feeling from tracks I’m looking to play out. I don’t really want to be classified or lumped into a particular sound either as there is also so much music pulling influences from other genres that to classify as a single type of sound seems silly. The ability to create music using influences from other types of music is the very essence of creativity.
Has your style gone through any changes along the years?
Oh of course it has. I used to play more big room and electro style, then really dug into more underground styles of music and now coming back around to where I currently am in part due to some of the acceptance of house genres becoming a bit more mainstream. One thing I like about music is trying to connect with your audience. I may play tracks that I can build their trust with and connect and by the end of the night they have been taken on a journey.
Who were your influences growing up?
Man this is really going back for me and thinking about the music I listened to when I was growing up. But I grew up in a very rural part of Indiana. We listened to hard rock and then hip hop/rap came on the scene and so I’m a late bloomer to house music itself. And I love so many varieties of music I can’t say one influenced me more than another, but yet they all had some impact on me and resonated on some level for me. I mean had The Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna, Depeche Mode, Guns n Roses, AC/DC, MC Hammer, and the list goes on. The era of music I grew up in seems to have been an amazing time for music creation and expansion. What a time to be alive and exposed to all these great artists.
How did you get involved in the Dance music business?
Music has always been a part of my life. I grew up playing the trumpet in grade school and through high school before foolishly giving it up. But I can vividly remember a high school dance and hearing the music play and remembering how it influenced us kids and thinking man I think I would love to be able to affect people that way. As it happens life can take you another direction and so it wasn’t really until later that I was introduced to house music when I settled in Chicago after serving in the military. That’s when I was exposed to the club scene and my love for the infectious vibe of dance music really captured me. Then came the turntables and vinyl….and the adventure began.
Where would you like to see yourself in the months ahead?
I d like to see myself continue to grow as an artist and a mentor. Things are moving in a very nice direction with the momentum from my releases and getting into the business side of music more so with helping run Careless Records.
Which is your ultimate career dream?
To share my passion with you all…to travel the world sharing that passion and connecting with people. I’d like to look back and see that I was able to travel and meet some amazing people along the way. People that help inspire and encourage you to keep moving forward.
Who’s inspiring you in 2018?
I find myself really identifying with him in several ways. He has really blown up recently after shifting his focus from the Underground scene to making it big on the more Commercial side of house music. Being that we are close in age and seeing what he has been able to accomplish has been inspiring for me.
If you could choose, who would you like to collaborate with?
I would say Tiesto. Looking back at his career over the years and how he has managed to stay relevant even in today’s age of music.
Tell us something not many people know about Vincent R.
As involved as I am with music most don’t know what I really do for a regular job. I actually am an Athletic Trainer working in a health clinic and teach/work with the employees of a major airline teaching them about best practices in lifting mechanics and overall health. I just don’t talk about it much if at all on my social media outlets. So most people are surprised when it comes up in conversation.
Vincent R Online
https://djvincentr.com
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