Meet Ristore | Music Producer and DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ristore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ristore, how do you think about risk?
I love taking risks. I have my entire life with everything I do. When I was 16 years old (I am currently 20) I decided to apply to boarding school in the Netherlands, I didn’t think there was a chance that I would get in, but low and behold Igot the call while i was at work that I had been accepted. My parents were very supportive, which. am extremely grateful for and I cant even imagine how hard it is to see your teenage son leave everything he knows and loves behind to go live half way around the world. The experience I had moving there and living there for two years taught me so much about risk taking. It gave me the confidence to allow myself not go to a “regular” four year university and instead go to a year long long program to study music production and Djing. This was, and still is one of the biggest risks ive ever taken. Knowing that I don’t have the security of a college degree to fall back on. is both terrifying and also extremely motivating. I look at music as my plan A though Z. If i had made a plan b incase my music career “fails” I wouldn’t put my full effort and energy into music. Because of the risks I have taken and risky decisions I have made in my life, I am “all in” on music. And I would not have it any other way.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
From a very young age (7 I believe) I have played cello. Starting out a requirement for the elementary school I attended, it quickly found a place in my heart. Having a background in classical music i quickly transitioned into many other instruments such as clarinet, drums, guitar, flute, piano and so on. While I still play all these instruments to this day, cello will always have a special place in my heart. The background in classical music, orchestral composition and notation reading I have due to playing all these instruments allowed me to have an extreme hand up when it comes to producing electronic music. I first started producing techno and house about two and a half years ago when I was bored in my dorm room, and downloaded Logic Pro. The first tracks I produced were horrendous, but as time went on and I learned more about the DAWs (Digital Audio Workspace) I was working in, my production skills grew very quickly. I watched hundreds, if not thousands of hours of youtube videos on sound design, song structure, engineering and so on, which all brought me to where I am today. Along this journey, there have been many challenges, but none quite as difficult to overcome as not comparing myself to others. I had to realize that everyone is on their own timeline, and has been making music for longer, or shorter. Once I realized this, it became much easier to accept where I was as a producer and a dj, and allowed myself to become fully creative and unique, instead of trying to make different versions of songs i had heard as I didn’t know how to make something truly unique.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favourite things to do on Los Angeles, is go to underground raves. There are many groups who through them but the energy in all of them is immaculate. The feeling of not knowing where the rave is, following a printed out map with a literal x on the spot, the sound of the music getting louder as you get closer, its like all the best parts of a treasure hunt. After this, I would take my friend to Mon Ami, in Santa Monica. They have (in my personal opinion) some of the best food in LA, along with live music/djs every weekend. In the morning, I would take them to my favourite hike, Runyon Canyon, and watch the city become illuminated.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The largest supporters in my life have been my parents. I owe everything to them. They have never told me I will not be able to do/achieve anything in life from building a go kart to moving half way around the world to chasing my dream as a music producer and dj. They have supported me in every decision I have ever made, no matter how stupid, big or small. They let me learn from my mistakes, help me pick myself up and continue on. Rather than telling me not to do something, they allow me to do it, and let the lesson of why i shouldn’t have done it, or done it a different way for myself. I believe this is a core part of who I am because experience shape a person more than anything else in the world.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ristoremusic/

Other: Spotify :

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7ieATmyK7MAiFulCkoRcnW?si=iIZYAeHKQMaRgmAK4G7CfQ