Welcome to the second episode of our Artists Uncovered series, where we highlight underrated artists who deserve wider recognition within their genre. Our producer this time goes by the name Ruslan Radriges, and is a name familiar to fans of trance and followers of ASOT alike.

One of the most productive and most talented trance producers in the scene, Russian Ruslan Radriges has seen multiple hits of his rise through the ranks and get plays on ASOT. His diverse catalogue of music, spanning labels like ASOT, Suanda, Reaching Altitude, Interplay and more, is centered coherently around his energetic leads and pounding basslines.

Ruslan started his musical career in 2013, but his first breakout single came in 2016 with the release of Alteri on Armada. He joined the Suanda family in 2016, where he released a few singles before revving his gears to his 2018 massive run of releases. The release of the immensely successful Breaking Waves and Giving Off Light in early 2018 paved the way for his meteoric rise in the bigroom trance genre. Giving Off Light was in fact the first song of his that I’d heard, and it remains my favorite to date. Wonderfull and Revival (a collaboration with Russian DJ Feel) followed, and Ruslan diversified later that year to labels like Armin van Buuren’s ASOT, Ferry Corsten’s Flashover and MaRLo’s Reaching Altitude. With a grand total of 13 originals and 4 remixes, it’s safe to say that 2018 was as productive a year as any producer can physically be for Ruslan. He has chosen to lighten the pressure ever so slightly this year; last Friday’s single under his alter-ego, Mantra, marks his fourth production this year – which is impressive by most standards. He started the year off with a vocal Interplay release, and quickly dropped a fiery ASOT single, Wolverine. He’s now back on ASOT for his newest single, The One, after a short Reaching Altitude excursion for his previous single, Legend.

While this discography is impressive to say the least, my favorite part about his artistic brand is his signature sound design which you can hear clearly, in a variety of different forms, throughout his recent run of releases. Giving Off Light, Wolverine and Revival are perfect examples of his sub-bass heavy, progressive trance basslines whose making few have mastered. Meanwhile, his wide, shimmering leads come out in full form in tunes like Roof Of The World, A New Day and Sky Voyager. Next time you get word of a new production of his, be prepared for this kind of sound, with a unique melodic twist from anything you’ve heard before.

We took some of his time recently to ask him about his productivity, his iconic sound and his personal experience with trance music in a short interview, which you can check out below.

Last year, you released more than 15 productions, which makes for an insanely productive year. Tell us about your workflow; how do you produce such quality in a great volume?

Of course! 2018 was an awesome year! I released a lot of works which were supported by the likes of Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Cosmic Gate, Alexander Popov and more, which serves as huge motivation for me to produce. As for my workflow, there are many techniques that I’ve tried, but I’ve found that my tracks/remixes usually start with a cool kick, some drum parts and a sub-bassline, so I get a punch and depth in the very foundation. Then, I create mid-basses and atmospheric loops, to make a body with width. I love a massive drop following a breakdown, for which I think about the arrangement and prepare a build-up for the vocals if needed. Finally, I add the remaining elements as per my taste. Of course, mastering completes the job!

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future the most, and why?

I love the creations of Alexander Popov, known for his minor and atmospheric moods in his productions. On the other hand, Vigel has absolutely massive dance drops. I would be love to collaborate with these two guys. Among vocalists, I love the voices of Christian Burns, Mike Schmid, Natalie Gioia, Betsie Larkin; each of them bring a unique voice to the table.

How do you make your iconic lead sound?

My lead sound usually involves layering saws processed by an EQ, some compression and an exciter, until I achieve a perfect dynamic and frequency balance. I usually use the Sylenth 1 synth for this.

What does the Ruslan Radriges project hold in the future? Is there a particular direction that you are aiming towards?

Of course, my style is energetic trance with massive drops – but I’m starting to work on an album, where I’m planning to include experimental tunes involving other styles as well! For example, it may include progressive house, big-room house, and tech trance. As for my radio show, I like having a wide range of styles starting with the deep or progressive niches (120 – 128 BPM) and ending with uplifting or psy (138 – 140 BPM) – I cover a lot of fresh music from many artists.

While you are a regular producer on Suanda and ASOT, recently you’ve been lending your talents to many other labels, such as Reaching Altitude, Flashover, Interplay and RNM. What are your plans for the future, regarding the labels that you plan to release on?

I’m very happy with my productions on Suanda and ASOT, but I had a bunch more unreleased tunes, so I decided to release some of them on other labels. I’m planning to continue doing so in the future.

What is your opinion on the trance scene in general, and where do you think it’s headed? Is there a sound or sub-genre which you believe may become more or less popular?

While trance music might not be too popular in Russia or some other countries, it’s alive everywhere in so many different ways – so it’s impossible to answer this question unequivocally. I think the trance music is always evolving and mutating; this is the reason for the appearance the new styles, techniques, theories etc.

As a Russian yourself, tell us about your experience with the Russian trance scene! Any artists from your country that should be highlighted? Can we expect collaborations with big names like Bobina, Vigel and more?

The Russian trance scene isn’t too big – we haven’t a large number of trance events. The Trancemission Festival is the biggest trance festival here, but we do have some mid-sized, multiple-genre-encompassing events, such as Alfa Future People, Adventure Music and Fruit Vibrations. Among Russian artists, I’d highlight Roman Messer, Feel, Alexander Popov, Vigel, Abstract Vision among others, and I think I’ll be collaborating with some of them in the near future! Stay tuned!

Thank you to Ruslan Radriges for sharing his thoughts, and we hope you enjoyed this segment of Artists Uncovered!