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36 - Rupture // Rapture

36 - Rupture // Rapture

Giannis Kampiotis
December 23, 2022

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, Rupture // Rapture

Coming from the UK, he is not a newcomer in music. He’s been evolved in Stoner Metal Bands for 10 years before switching to electronic music.

In this interview, he talks about his favourite gear, his process and, the struggles of modern artists 🎶

Read Time: 7 minutes 📰

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Interview

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

Hi, I’m Rob from Worthing, UK and have been releasing music under the artist name Rupture // Rapture for the past 5/6 years.

I primarily write and release Melodic Techno music but have released ambient and lo-fi hip-hop in the past, as well as playing guitar in a Stoner Metal band for 10 years before moving into electronic music.

Away from music I work as a solutions architect in IT from my home office (which doubles as my studio), so I’m never far away from technology.

What's the one thing in your studio you can't live without?

Without a doubt it would be the Elektron Digitone.

It’s such a versatile and powerful synth and so important to my sound.

What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?

When I first started my DAWless journey I wrote most of my tracks on a Novation Circuit. It was my gateway into the DAWless world and was featured on all tracks on my debut album.

Since then I’ve moved to the Elektron Digitakt as the main sequencer in my studio, which has been the centerpiece of my setup for the past 5 years. So value for money wise that has given me the best return.

What's your process?

I always start by writing away from the DAW.

I’ll jam live on my rig, initially forming patterns and loops before sketching out a structure for the track. I usually start with drums, before adding a bass line and finally pads and leads.

Once I have a structure I am happy with I’ll take a live recording for release on YouTube and social media.

For those tracks that are released as part of an EP or album, I’ll then take those live recordings and track them into a DAW (Ableton Live), where I can then work on the structure, refine the mix ready for release.

How would you explain your style?

I think there is definitely a focus on melody or melodic elements in my music.

I release music through Petite Victory Collective and their mission statement includes the line ‘Electronic Music with a story to tell’ and I knew when I read that they were the label for me. That’s exactly how I feel about my music, it’s difficult in this genre, particularly being instrumental but electronic music can tell a story, can evoke emotion and can have soul and I think sometimes that is lost. It’s something I try to put across in my music as best I can.

What’s your biggest struggle?

Like most artists I go through periods of writers block, which I’ve struggled with in the past.

Aside from that there is so much that goes into being a musician these days that’s outside of the actual music, building and maintaining a social media presence, self promotion, artwork, video creation, branding, marketing.

It’s easy to lose focus on the music sometimes.

Has this journey of building a hardware setup changed the way you think about music or life in general?

I have had quite a journey with my set up.

I started out small and quickly built up a rig of budget synths (Korg Volca’s, Novation Circuit, Roland Boutique) without really understanding them or what I was trying to create.

I’ve since sold that gear and focused on Elektron equipment since getting my hands on a Digitakt about 5 years ago.

I think stepping back and considering purchases and how a particular piece of gear fits into my set up has helped. It’s also taught me patience and the value of learning how equipment works and fits into my workflow.

Limitation also forces creativity, with a limited number of tracks and resources you have to come up with solutions to get the sound you want, I think if I had more options I would over-complicate things.

What’s your ONE tip on music-production or creativity?

If something isn’t working, don’t force it.

Sometimes I will try and force creativity and get no where, it’s better to take a step back from the gear and harness those moments of creativity when they come.

Anything else you'd like to say?

Away from my own personal DAWless adventure, I help run the Hardware Jams Facebook Group, which is an active and welcoming community for Hardware enthusiasts.

We run a hardware based challenge every weekend, group members submit their entries and then we listen back to everyone's efforts every Monday night before voting to decide on the best of the week. I find it really helps when struggling for creativity.

I'd recommend to anyone reading this making DAWless or Hardware based music to check it out.

I also release music and help with the community at Petite Victory Collective.

I released a new EP called 'Abandon' last month which are studio recordings that started off life as DAWless jams, you can check that out at my Bandcamp. I also release a yearly compilation of live sessions taken throughout the year, that is out on 19th December.