An Inspired Chat with Ristore of Hollywood

Ristore shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Ristore, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day involve me waking up, and taking a shower. Then I go grab some coffee, and write in my journal for 30 minutes. I write what I like to call “thought vomit”. It is basically 30 minutes of writing down whatever comes to/is on my mind, with no rhyme or reason. We have so much going on in our brain that getting it cleared out and on paper is a great way to clear up space for creativity. After this, I will sit down at my computer and do 15 minutes of ear training, practicing hearing intervals, chords, scales and so on. After this, I will open a new ableton project, and set a 30 minute timer. I will work on a song until this timer goes out, and delete the project after, no matter how good or bad. I find doing this is a very good way to kickstart my brain into creative mode!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ristore, and I am a techno producer and dj. I have always loved music, and have been playing the cello since I was around 8 years old. I began producing back in 2021, starting with pop music and rock for my friends who were aspiring singers and in bands. Shortly after this, I realized that while it was creative, I was never going to be able to share MY art if I kept down this path. I decided to start making electronic music, as I have always loved and been inspired by the EDM scene as a whole.

My favorite genres have always been progressive house, classic 90s trance and techno, so, I thought to myself “why not combine elements of all 3 and create my own unique sound”. This is how my “Ristore” project was born. The idea behind it is to capture the energy of techno, the emotions of progressive house and the addicting vocal top-lines from 90s trance.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
While it is not really MY memory of feeling powerful in the moment, a profound feeling of potential power came when I was 15. I was watching a livestream set from Alesso at Tomorrowland, and he played his classic progressive house track “Calling”. This remains my favorite piece of music to date. The feeling I got when I saw the audience singing every word, the fireworks going off, Alesso jumping up and down was short of total euphoria. I remember thinking to myself, “that is going to be me one day”. The feeling of influencing people with love and art is something I chase every single day.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering has taught me a lot. The main lesson I take away from any time I have any type of suffering enter my life is that it will get better. I know this sounds cliche, but I truly believe that without dark there is no light. Without hardships in life, but more specifically in music (getting rejected from labels, clubs and so on) the feeling of finally getting a track signed, or playing a stage you have wanted to your whole life would not feel special without the rejection that comes alongside it.

If every track I submitted got signed to my dream label, it would just be another day, no cause for celebration, no feeling of success.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Unfortunatley, the biggest lie the music indsutry as a whole tells itself (and everyone in it), is that if you are talented, you will be recognized. There are so many people that I know of, and see on big stages, labels, clubs and so on, that are in no way as talented as people I know, and even myself. It is simply because they knew the right people to get there. This is not a bad thing in and of itself, because of course you have to know the right people to get to the right places, but telling young or new artist that if they are very talented, they will be successful is simply a lie that hurts the next generation of musicians.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel the most peace both when I am in my studio, or on stage. Being in my studio, creating art, makes me feel like I am in a different world, like nothing else matters accept making something that I love. Being on stage is the same in a sense, but the peace I draw from being on stage is different. The peace that comes with being on stage is from being surrounded by people who love me for what I have created. It is a real time demonstration of how I am changing peoples lives through the art I create, as it is very easy to see this online, via social media. Feet on the ground, breathing and dancing in front of me is the only true way I know that I am making a difference, no matter how small, in peoples lives through my music.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ristoremusic/
• Facebook: ristoremusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ristoremusic
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ristoremusic

Image Credits
All Credits IG @devan_tlg