Daily Inspiration: Meet Robin Richardson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Richardson.

Hi Robin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been involved in music since I was a kid—raised in a family of musicians and exposed to music at a young age, involved in band and string orchestra in school, staying up late on weeknights and getting up early on weekends to play around and explore in music production software. I now produce experimental dance music and DJ as twofold—a project I affectionately call my brainchild—which began in 2019 on my scrappy overheated laptop, laying in bed between classes in my university dorm room in Marietta. The DJing part happened a bit later in 2022, first when I connected with friends in the city that I had met online, and then building connections by showing up to dance nights in the EAV, the West End and at Underground. I now am a resident DJ and organizer for an experimental arts group called SACRAMENT, and we also put on both dance nights and community workshops/panel events with our friends at VLSC Records and pencil__skirt. I’ve been able to put out a lot of good music, but it’s been more fulfilling to be able to give back, bond with friends, and break amazing new music from all over the world for anyone willing to listen.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest obstacle in my journey has been myself. I get bored, I get burnt out, I get writer’s block. Like any artist or creative, I have really high expectations for myself, and it’s hard to feel like I’m doing my best when I’m always focused on being my own worst critic. In the same vein, sometimes it’s hard not to feel like I’m just going through the motions and doing more of the same, even when everyone around me is encouraging me to keep creating. And sometimes I just feel like nobody is going to get what I want to do (working in lots of different experimental niches will do that to you).

When I start feeling this way the remedy is to give myself a little grace and celebrate the wins—big and small—and to try to remind myself: I like what I do, that’s more than enough to justify doing it, and nobody else is going to do it for me, so it’s up to me to make the art I want to see in the world. And having unrealistically high expectations does have an upshot, in that I’m actually proud of every track I put out, and each new release and performance is more and more exciting than the last. And just sitting with and centering the pure enjoyment of creating and performing music usually brings me back to reality. All the problems melt away when it’s just you and your practice.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I produce and DJ dance music. I specialize in exploring experimental, industrial, and deconstructed forms of club music, as well as regional and specifically Black/Afro diasporic club music and battle dance music scenes from all over the globe. Dance music is an incredibly rich and diverse set of sounds and cultures. It’s impossible to limit it to one thing—for any preconceived notion or stereotype one might have about dance music, there are ten or twenty parties that are ready to disprove it. I’m interested in documenting, showcasing and paying it forward to the scenes that are often under-represented, misconstrued and gentrified.

I love being able to connect different eras, places and cultures by blending them together in DJ performances. The music I make is informed by that too, and I’m always trying to find new ways to tie different genres and influences together. I’m very focused on percussion and rhythm; I always say that the main emotion in my music is movement, and there’s a lot of energetic pressure that builds up and ramps down in the beats of each song I make. There’s also a very futuristic element to the music too, in that I play with a lot of sci-fi or cinematic elements that bring a theatrical flair to the work.

Something I take a lot of pride in is the craft of the work. I’m always trying to perfect the sound of each track, pushing my critical listening skills forward and learning about new technology, tools and techniques. I also put a lot of energy into staying true to my artistic voice and my roots and influences, rather than getting lost in worrying about what other people are doing right now—everybody else does what they do best, so all I need to do is show up as my authentic self, both in the studio and on the decks.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck has played a very big part in my creative career. Most of the exposure I’ve gotten and connections I’ve made have been through total chance in one way or another. I’m also lucky in that I was privileged enough to get through school relatively hassle-free and am now able to support my creative endeavors with a day job that I actually like. I think it’s possible to give yourself good luck if you foster the conditions for good things to happen to you. Being open to new experiences, meeting new people, and saying “yes” more often are some of the things that have brought some luck into my life. I think it’s also important not to let bad luck stop you from doing what you do—things happen, and rather than holding it against anyone or dwelling on the negative, I just try to learn the lessons and move on.

Pricing:

• DJ performances: Contact for more info
• Music production/co-prod.: Contact for more info
• Music mixing/mastering services: $20-50/song
• Song mix feedback: Free!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @2xtwofold
• Twitter: @2xtwofold
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/2xtwofold
• Other: https://2xtwofold.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Personal photo: Lola Scott Art
Additional photos: Jordan Young Creative