“sinister low-end pressure and hypnotic rhythms to drag you deeper into the void, one layer at a time.” amsterdam-via-london artist 5rvz delivers a slightly reworked version of his set on the subs&dubs show on amsterdam’s relatively new radio station, radio hinter.
5rvz first caught our attention when he released the trench ep on our fave’s kinetic label ~ a deeply experimental release which leans into our love for half time murky goodness whilst drawing from hip-hop & 5rvz’s sikh and panjabi heritage. there’s also the screwed & chopped mix 5rvz did for kinetic’s mix series to celebrate the release where he draws from the sub-genre of hip hop created by dj screw using the remix technique of slowing the track down to create a unique sound. in that mix, 5rvz used the technique to bring down his signature 170 approach to a more laid-back 100bpm. so we’re super excited to have 5rvz on 909 this week with another dark & introspective session ~ lock in!
hey raj! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?
hello! i’m all good thank you. i’ve been hibernating the last few cold, grey winter months. staying indoors, but making lots of new music. i finished an album with fellow uk producer medlock, my first ever collaboration, and what an effortless experience it was. we banged out an album in just a few weeks, sending stems over whatsapp, mad. we’re very excited about the end result, it’s a little too early to say where it will be released, but watch this space! i’m also finishing up a new solo ep – my sound has developed since the debut ep on kinetic. it’s still abstract, minimal, half-time music, but things are sounding a lot deeper! very excited to get this out also!
let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?
my very first introduction to music is probably through my dad. he was a dancer, a part of a panjabi folk music act that used to combine singing, dancing and live instruments. my earliest memory in life is watching my dad perform on tv on the bbc’s generation game, hosted by bruce forsyth, i must’ve only been about 3 years old. i think the seed was planted from then for me to pursue music and performance.
growing up, my musical interests were the same as every other south asian boy from west london – hip-hop, grime, panjabi music, dub, r&b. when i started going out, uk garage and uk funky were massive, that was as far as electronic music went for me really. i dabbled in a bit of dubstep but only because of sukh knight, he’s also panjabi, so i was just gassed to see another brown boy making mad beats.
i only got deep into electronic music when i travelled to amsterdam for the first time in 2013, and by chance, ended up in a club called trouw. without even knowing the legendary status it had. it opened my ears to a whole new world. before experiencing that basement, i had no idea how much depth and history techno had. that first “trip” (pun intended) started a very deep and meaningful journey.
who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?
michael jackson.
where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?
i love watching true crime or murder documentaries – i’m a sucker for them. they usually get me in a mysterious and dark head space for making music. the perfect inspiration for making dark, murky music.
how has amsterdam and london influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?
london raised me, but amsterdam nurtured me, especially as an artist. i have a sense of freedom here, to be myself, without the (self-imposed) constraints of societal expectations. especially coming from a south-asian background, your family and “community” expect you to be a certain way, pursuing a different path in life is often met with judgement and criticism, and by simply being away from that environment i have the freedom to grow into the truest version of me and for my art to bloom to its fullest.
what does your production process look like? are you usually starting a track with an idea in mind or working through improvisation?
i usually have some kind of bass or kick pattern or percussive pattern in my head. i hatch that out and then just build from there, going with the flow and the vibe. i try my best not to overthink things and just let the music flow freely. i’d say making music for me is a very deep and introspective experience. i don’t approach it with the intention of “yeh i’m gonna make a banger today”, it’s more of a practice i use to enter a deeper space within myself, the music is just the medium through which i enter this space. i don’t know if that makes any sense haha, but hopefully you get the drift.
you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?
the mix is a slightly reworked version of a set i recorded for the subs&dubs show on radio hinter in amsterdam a few months ago. turned out to be a really nice selection of tracks and i wanted to push it out further into the world. it’s in my usual 85/170 bpm spectrum – sinister low-end pressure and hypnotic rhythms to drag you deeper into the void, one layer at a time.
when was the last time you were on the dance floor?
05/06 april 2025 – omen wapta weekender @ garage noord.