1. Name: JC Lobo / Ritualz

2. Location: Mexico City

3. Can you tell us about this track?:

This is a studio version of the updated live version of my old song “KVLTSTEP” from my very first release. Every tour I update old songs a bit to make them work in a set with the new stuff I'm playing live, but because my set ended up being way more industrial than I originally intended, this track didn't make the setlist in the end. I've wanted to share these new versions in some way or form since then and this seemed like a great opportunity for that.

4. What's your process?

I usually get an idea of what I want to do for the next album or EP and find a way to do it. I'll spend a long time collecting the right sounds and experimenting with mood, structure, melodies. Just making a lot of demos until I manage to do what I had in mind.

From that point on it's just finding ways to transform that idea again into different versions of itself, the rest of the record. That makes the original concept change sometimes so I'll go back to the start and change things up again and repeat the process until I have an album. It's a fun process to make music. I don't like when every song in an album sounds the same so every song has to have its own personality.

5. Can you tell us about your scene?

I'm not sure I belong to any scene. I do feel a kinship with the goths and industrial people mostly, but really it's with all alternative people on some level I think. I just don't like normal.

Ritualz started out online in 2010 connecting with people from around the world and everyone was very different to each other. Yeah, we had similar interests, that's how we became friends, but what brought us together was our internet habits. It wasn't location—a sound, maybe an aesthetic in some cases—but mainly it was that we found each other on random websites. I don't know if you can call that a scene. It was a very weird and unique time.

As the internet changed and I got older my interests changed and became more specific and I kind of lost touch with all that. I got more involved with music in the real world too but it was always kind of random. I still connect with people online but it's just what everyone does these days. Living in Mexico and touring in the USA and Europe I have to reach out to everyone online first so that will always be part of this project.

Locally I'm trying to get some things going again the same way I did back when I started this project. Booking interesting bands, trying to get a new monthly party going, I might do a podcast instead of a website this time. I don't know. Maybe it ends up creating a new scene or maybe it will just be a fun time everyone can be a part of for a while.

6. Who are your biggest influences?

Skinny Puppy, Coil, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins, Burzum, Kanye, Aphex Twin, The Prodigy, Ministry, Trance music, Nu metal. I feel it's a bit reductive to leave it at that. There's stuff I love and is very important and influential to me but I'm always on the lookout for new music and art that inspires me, I can't stop finding new things I like.

I also like to read books and watch documentaries about music constantly, about legendary bands or scenes, biographies of people that interest me, etc. That's a big source of inspiration. I'm really into the minds of everyone in Throbbing Gristle these days. I like the music obviously, but their ideas really resonate with me lately, that's where I'm at right now.

7. Who's your favorite artist on Nina?

Me!

8. Any shoutouts?

Shout out to Brandon Nickell for thinking of me for this and follow me and my label MALIGNA on instagram @ritualz, @maligna.mx

You can follow Ritualz on Nina, Instagram, and Twitter.

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