Ever since his departure from the Krewella sisters back in September of 2014, producer Rain Man has flown under the radar among much of the dance music community. He has begun to release a steady roster of original works under his own name, most of his tracks coming as unique and unbound creations that distance him from the iconic sound of his previous group. Despite his newfound success and reinvention, however, the controversies that plagued his previous two years still remain a source of conversation for the producer today.
In an interview with We Got This Covered, Rain Man discussed his evolution as a music maker and human being ever since he began a career on his own. During the discussion he touches on the details behind his new association with label Dim Mak, as well as a recently released single with Buygore called “Visionary.”
“Visionary” was great because Sirah, the vocalist, had a mutual friend with me from Chicago named Matt Devine whom I’ve known for ten years now. He’s a really great songwriter from a band called Kill Hannah. I was with Matt in the studio and I showed him this beat. I had kind of the outline of “Visionary – the trap part was there, the intro was there, and the chords were there, but there was no hook. He said, “You know who you should work with is my girl Sirah, she loves this kind of stuff.” He asked her if she wanted to work with me, and she was like “Rain Man? Fuck yeah, let’s do it.” Sirah and I were kind of at the same place in our lives a little bit at that point. She had a Grammy but she had just been dropped by her management so she was kind of searching, and I had just gone through being a superstar and now doing my own thing. We were both feeling this in-the-corner kind of thing. We were on the same exact page.
He then moves on to discuss the more pressing areas of personal growth and maturity he’s embarked on during the last two years. His previous problem with alcohol consumption, he said, is something that is now under his control.
I have to be completely honest: I’m not straight edge or sober at all, but I’ve gotten over – I definitely had a problem for a while. I was drinking a bottle of Jamo a day there. Like, I’m having a beer or two right now, but I keep it chill. I know it’s not a recommended thing, at least in the program, but I’m a musician over here and I live my own life. I make my own choices and I don’t subscribe to anything – but I appreciate your support.
Despite his improvement, however, the partying and substance usage both behind the curtain and in the crowd are things that Rain Man doesn’t believe he needs to stand against.
I think that the DJs themselves – the successful ones – are keeping their shit completely together, so I don’t see any excess behind the scenes. I want people to party more behind the scenes. I want it to be like the Stones back in the day. I’ll be the first to say I’m not a role model, right? I’m not here to say “Be responsible,” but I’d say, “Don’t drink ‘until you’re 21,” sure. I think that behind the scenes it’s very responsible and everyone’s on top of their shit – but at the festivals, if you’re gonna explore different substances you’re bound to run into a situation where you might get sick or something like that. — I think there actually is a lot being done to take care of the situation. You can’t eliminate drugs, but you can do other things – and care for people as opposed to punishing them when something bad does happen.
As for his relationship with Krewella, Rain Man kept it short and direct.
I would say I’ve moved on and made peace. I wish them absolutely the best. I’ve heard a couple snippets online and they have some bangers, and I’m excited to hear their stuff. More power to ‘em. I think that it’s time to just move on with my life.
Source: We Got This Covered
