Hazy-house Melbournian Rudolf C has been quietly building himself a small underground cult following in the last year or so.
However, it’s not only his production that has caused this success. His record label that he runs alongside Shedbug, Salt Mines, as well as his club night in Melbourne, Untitled, have boosted his name and reputation globally with sold-out releases in under two weeks, as well as packed nights for his legal (and illegal) shows. He showcases his live talent commonly, most recently playing B2B with Shedbug at the Tresor 25th Anniversary show in Melbourne to a sold-out audience. I was lucky enough to catch up with him for a chat about all things ranging from moving out, touring Europe, and destroying warehouses.
Henry (HR): How’s life in Melbourne’s northern suburbs at the moment?
Rudolf C (RC): Pretty good, just moved back home with my parents in order to save money for Europe which coincided nicely with me losing my job, win win situation.
HR: I see you and Shedbug have lined yourselves up for a European trip. Can you tell us how that they came about, what you’ll be doing, and where you’ll be going?
RC: We just kinda decided to go to Europe at the start of this year, possibly see if we could get some bookings along the way, Paul from Lobster Theremin hooked us up well :^) I can’t share exactly what we’ll be doing just yet but theres some cool stuff happening…
HR: You’ve definitely made a name for yourself as a live act. What’s that like now when you’re starting to play more interstate gigs and of course your upcoming Europe tour?
RC: It is interesting to say the least.. travelling with a live set is quite scary, so far I haven’t had anything lost but my case has turned up upside down or knocked about quite a few times. The travelling aspect of it is pretty cool though, and I’ve met and hung out with some great internet friends/rowdy punters
HR: Tell us about your Melbourne club show Untitled. What was the inspiration behind making it? What have you got in store for the next few editions?
RC: Untitled came about after the Salt Mines 001 record launch we did at Lounge last year with MG [Mall Grab], Shedbug & 6am At The Garage. A friend on the inside was impressed with the response the party got and asked us if we’d be into turning it into an ongoing event. I never really came into this to throw parties and the launch party was the first I’d ever had anything to do with so it was cool to be able to start something straight off the bat. The aim of Untitled is to push the “dustier” side of dance music, and it is definitely not to be confused with a Techno party. In my opinion, Untitled is a bit of a breakaway from the deep, dubby chinstrokerism stuff Melbourne is churning out at the moment (while still being all three of those at times lol)
HR: What was it like seeing your first Salt Mines compilation sell out everywhere, and the only copies for sale were on Discogs for upwards of 100 euro? Did you ever expect it to take off like this?
RC: Ridiculous.. The first record sold out in 13 days I believe. Neither Geordie or I ever thought that was an achievable feat, we pressed 300 originally thinking that they would sit around for a while and maybe eventually disperse. It’s still pretty surreal, it seems that we have built a small cult following from only two releases which makes me very excited to be say that we have a lot more where they came from.
HR: How does your Synaesthesia release differ from your others? Was there a clear-cut direction you were going for or was it pretty much what you had been jamming out in your bedroom for a while?
RC: For Synaesthesia there was no real direction intended when it began, the two tracks I wrote first were Blacked and Untitled Monday and they were the first that we agreed to put on the EP. Seattle City Lights & Pisces both came about very early this year, around late January to early February and Sam from X-Kalay liked them so we put them on, I never really tried to make tracks that all worked & fit together but I think the ones we chose do. I definitely think it’s a lot more mature than some of my other music that I’ve released.
HR: It’s really interesting to see a Melbourne underground scene continuously make a name for itself overseas with releases and mixes. How do you think Melbourne contributed or affected your interest in music?
RC: There are a few people who stand out, namely TUC and Dan White, I saw TUC play live at the railway hotel some time ago and it was really something else, crazy hypo techno stuff, and Dan White’s set at IV in 2015, I don’t really need to mention that.. But other than that it’s nice being surrounded by a group of friends who are all into each others stuff, that’s what we’ve been doing with Salt Mines, linking up with artists that we like then bouncing stuff of each other. It’s good to have a supportive group of friends because as a new label we can feel a little outcasted or out of the clique, so to speak.
HR: Any plans in Melbourne for the near future? More secret parties we can look forward to?
RC: Heaps of Untitled stuff plus some things that also involve other cities once we get back from Europe. No secret parties lined up but if you wanna tear a warehouse down please hit me up!
Rudolf C’s newest EP, Synaesthesia, is out now via X-Kalay. Buy the record here, and you can also stream it below via Soundcloud.
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