With RONI, it’s almost as if suddenly a storm hit the city one evening, and then she was just about on a flyer everywhere. May it be the exposure to a culturally mixed French-Malaysian upbringing, her poised supremely-femme personality, or the bottomless pit of exhilarating sweat-soaked late-night rendezvous she initiates—all of it exudes an aura that undoubtedly intrigues many.
I first stumbled upon RONI’s Instagram at the beginning of 2023 via a running order post for a long night of partying in Berlin’s RSO, the revered venue formerly known as Griessmühle. Admittedly, I was a bit late to know her, for she was by then a staple in the burgeoning Paris underground, alongside a Rinse FM residency, establishing on-the-go Nehza Records while without-rest populating clubs all over Europe/ Asia as an effervescent touring DJ.
RONI’s sound curation is rooted in the continuous discovery of herself and her ravers—she ignites a euphoric connection with the crowd through a tense and undulated exchange of energies. A force of nature driving through the thicket, the dance floor swims deep in layers of UK-inspired, bass-heavy, massive-dub heaters, and cherry on top—angelic, shimmery textures for a transcendental surprise.
The same applies to the IA MIX 379, curated with much adoration by RONI herself. Pulsating rhythmic structures, machine-gun percussion, and switching tempos serve as a real treat for the journey into the delicate sonic fantasy world behind a fiercely passionate mind – get to know RONI.
Interview by Asmi Shetty
"I like to make the audience lose their landmark at first, to do a sort of reset, but also to place them in a state of open mindedness ready to take in new things"
RONI, we are very pleased to have you on the IA MIX Series. Thank you, kindly, for this extra-fun and super-femme delivery. It was a delight to listen to—how was the curation process for you? When and where did you record it?
Thank you so much for having me, I love Inverted Audio and have been wanting to do a mix for a long time. I wanted to explore sounds that are extra deep and got obviously inspired by IA’s vibe.
I wanted to play unreleased tracks that have deep bass, textures and also interesting constructions. I included few upcoming tracks from the upcoming Nehza Records compilation coming out May 3rd (Leyka, Lia Catreux, Burna), and lots of french artists to showcase our scene like De Grandi, Sylvere, Modern Collapse, Subsism, Neida amongst others.
I recorded the mix on the 19th March, which was the day Aries season started: new beginnings, high energy. This mix feels is an exploration of who I am at the moment, a very deep side finding balance into great light. It also feels at the moment like Spring in Paris, so a bit of a ‘coming out of my shell’ kind of vibe.
Would you say it’s a classic RONI set? What elements/ textures make a mix feel like you’ve got complete control of the steering wheel?
I felt it was the opportunity to explore a darker side of my sound. I built this mix in three stages. The first one is bass-oriented, deconstructed, dubstep inspired and quite trippy, a form of long winding intro. The second is more what I play in the club, energetic and dynamic. The third is explorations of 160 BPM tracks, jungle-inspired / high energy vibe.
I like to make the audience lose their landmark at first, to do a sort of reset, but also to place them in a state of open mindedness ready to take in new things. It’s a bit like a ticket entry, you need to show curiosity to access the real fun. It’s also for me a way to really access the present moment.
Once I have your attention, I like to do a dance floor ‘tout-droit’ , bass face tracks, and it often feels more fluent. Global bass, Latin core, ghetto tek, techno. If I manage to surprise you between bangers, the creative act is accomplished for me.
Before we get deeper, let’s step back to where it all began. Tell us about your personal history with music growing up in France and the influence of your Parisian-Malaysian roots on the journey.
I grew up with a jazz / nu-soul/ psychedelic rock fan Father, a Malaysian Mother fond of Indian movies and R&B, and a Caribbean stepmother. So you can imagine I’ve received lots of different influences as a young girl. I started going out to clubs with my mum around 12, was listening a lot to radios and to Gilles Peterson’s show. And my first trip to London at age 14 got me hooked.
The music culture was much more connected to what I loved at the time than what was happening around me and In France. That’s when I realised I had so much to discover, and just needed to dig and explore as much as possible. So I was doing solo UK trips, clubbing alone in Paris. Sometimes doing ⅔ clubs per night to see DJ’s or producers I had heard of and was curious about. I had a scooter and was riding the city from Wednesday to Sunday. When you go out alone, you meet a lot of people :) That’s how it started for me.
"I built this mix in three stages. The first is bass-oriented, deconstructed, dubstep inspired and quite trippy, a form of long winding intro. The second is what I play in the club, energetic and dynamic. The third is explorations of 160 BPM tracks, jungle-inspired / high energy vibe."
Between the club nights, your Rinse FM radio residency, and heading Nehza Records from the top—when did your love for music transition to a professional adventure? curious to know what you were doing before the DJ storm.
It took me some time to figure it out. I never thought I could DJ although it was a secret dream. I went to fashion school and worked in this industry for a while with an Art Director first then as a celebrity PR until I burnt out.
I knew I was not fulfilling my creative path and needed art in my life, but I couldn’t accept to quit. Until my body did it for me and stopped functioning. I lost my memory, my focus and any form of energy. To recover I knew I needed to do something that would have a real meaning for my soul.
Music was the only thing that made sense and that I was able to do. I started learning how to DJ to heal myself, to make my heart and my brain function again. I was really doing this for myself, started posting mixes on Facebook, had a pirate radio until Manaré from Rinse France offered me to come do this at the radio, and have my own show, which took me 6 months as I was too afraid.
Now I think maybe it was destiny, as I kept having people supporting me along the way until I reached who I am today. It’s a real blessing I cherish everyday, and now all I think about is to grow more as an artist.
What was your first DJ gig like? When and where was it?
It was great and terrible at the same time of course. It was in 2018 in a basement called Panic Room in Paris, in front of 15 people, mostly my friends. It was great because I felt secure as it was not a big audience, I played well enough (according to me at the time) and managed to beat match properly throughout the set.
Terrible because I had bad quality tracks (ripped ones from Kazakstan websites) and of course the sound was awful, that’s when I realised I wanted to do this seriously. It became a key moment, that night I realised I was able to DJ, loved it and wanted professionalize myself.
How has the music you play evolved over the years? Who were your major influences in the early days versus now?
It has evolved so much. I started with more slow and house-inspired music, then moved to UK breaks old school rave stuff, then went really up into BPM’s exploring techno, jungle inspired stuff, then bass music and post-club, then I discovered global bass, Latin core and now I feel I’m stabilising finally and finding a pace that feels more grounded.
I grew up listening to the Masters at Work, Kerri Chandler, Carl Craig etc. When I started to DJ at first a big influence was Photek, Theo Parrish, Martyn and still are but maybe I feel that today it’s more varied, it can be artists like Objekt or LCY, but also older generations like Goldie, Skeptical although I realise my influences can come from a very young unknown DJ, as much as a legend.
Of course the craft will always come from artists that have been doing this for a long time, but I also realise sometimes it’s just about the energy, the risks, the unexpected. That’s also what excites and inspires me.
"The craft will always come from artists that have been doing this for a long time, but I also realise sometimes it’s just about the energy, the risks, the unexpected. That’s also what excites and inspires me."
You’ve been on this roller coaster for a while—how has it been embracing a change in lifestyle with being a touring DJ? What brings a smile to your face? Or, maybe a few tears?
It took me a while to find balance, or even realise that I needed to create a routine to be able to do it properly. I had to learn and create a disciplined schedule throughout my week (sleep, sport, fresh air, music) to be able to enjoy everything that is around touring like travel, stress, fatigue, hangovers, loneliness and hotels. It was not easy at first. But now I know how to do it and really love it.
I love discovering cities and their cultural landscape. But what I love the most is to check-out people ‘s style and behaviour in clubs, their personality, the innocence they can feel on a dancefloor, you know this moment where you’re just about the music and how you feel. This is what really warms my heart.
No doubt a good club night can be ecstatic. Any recent club highlights where you peaked in energy with connection to the crowd and space?
Manchester at Soup, Ormside Project in London and of course RSO in Berlin. I really felt everything was in tune. The vibe, the crowd, me and the music. I weirdly feel quite grounded at the moment and realised it’s so important as a DJ to fully be present and sure of yourself even if sometimes you can feel insecure. Self trust is to me key to a great night. It’s as if people were feeling/ seeing it.
Thanks much for taking us through your world. What’s 2024 looking like for you?
It’s a year where I want to thrive. From gigs to production / music process. I’ve refocused myself fully on my work and there are few things I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, I’m making space for. Piano lessons, using my voice and much more.
I have a single ‘Fault Lines’ coming out end of April on Amaliah’ Borne Fruits V/A, and have few other releases lined up throughout the year that I can’t speak about yet :)
I’m celebrating the 3 years anniversary of Nehza Records with a Tratratrax x Nehza night La Machine du Moulin Rouge on the 3rd May, followed by a European Nehza Tour in October, and two compilations on the label.
Playing at Nuits Sonores, Astropolis Festival, Waterworks among others. And probably so much more to come, I love manifesting and things keep popping.
TRACKLIST
1. De Grandi – M.A.P.
2. Leyka – Sirocco (Unreleased) [Nehza Records]
3. Roaming Data – Discotheque Modula
4. Kid Kun – Recharge
5. Neida – Trainwreck (Subsism Remix) [Bad Tips]
6. Axle – Assault [SPE:C]
7. Dj Physical – Midnight Marauders [Raw Poetry]
8. Maara – Who Let The Girls Out? [MARICAS Records]
9. Yas Reven – Suis Moi (Unreleased) [Nehza Records]
10. Burna – Pitcher (Unreleased) [Nehza Records]
11. Somilat – Lane Breaker
12. Skorri – Hoppdansi (Kuss Remix) [Multi-Pass Records]
13. Blâme – Infinity Drums (An Avrin Remix) [[re]sources]
14. DJ Physical – They Just Want Pictures
15. Gimela – Booty Bounce (Aleroj Uwu Remix) [Bogoture Records]
16. 666 – Alarma (Sylvere Bouyon Edit) [Sylvere]
17. Lia Catreux – Holy Fall (Unreleased) [Nehza Records]
18. Kid Kun – Saturn
19. Modern Collapse – FUCK TOYOTA!!!
