Victor Ruiz has never been interested in staying within the boundaries of a single genre. Rooted in Techno but constantly exploring the wider electronic spectrum, the Brazilian-born, Portugal-based artist has built a global career through powerful productions, emotionally charged DJ sets and a distinctive sound of his own. From Tomorrowland and Awakenings to Time Warp and EDC Las Vegas, Ruiz has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages while continuing to push his artistic vision through VOLTA, his own label and platform for forward-thinking electronic music. Now, with his debut album VICTOR, he reveals a deeply personal side of his journey, transforming a difficult period of rejection, self-doubt and feeling lost into creative freedom and a new sense of authenticity. LoudLife caught up with Victor Ruiz to talk about the story behind VICTOR, stepping beyond the Techno sound that made him famous, his collaboration with Perry Farrell, protecting his mental health in an increasingly overwhelming world and why, after everything he has experienced, he feels like his journey as an artist has only just begun.
Interview With Victor Ruiz:
Hi Victor, welcome to LoudLife! It’s great to finally have you with us. Congratulations on the release of “Sundance”. The track feels uplifting, emotional and quite different from what many fans might expect from Victor Ruiz. So let’s jump right in, what made this the right moment in your career to create an album like ‘VICTOR’?
Thank you, it’s a pleasure to talk to you guys.
This album has been in the making – partially without realising – for many years. I guess it really began in early 2023 when I felt really lost in my career. I was going through many challenges with way less bookings than I was used to, a lot of rejection and the music I was making was not so “hyped” anymore, so I started to feel unimportant, that I didn’t matter. Almost as if the world was against me, if I’m honest but now I see it was something I had to go through, as an artist and as a person. With that “victim” mentality I kind of rebelled and started to make music I wanted to do and the first one that came out was “Alone”, one of the first songs of the album. It was a super short studio session, and I mostly finished it in a day. Same week I did another tune, “Skyfall”. It just felt right to do all that music even realising that probably I would never release all that music. So I kept going, expressing myself. Creating this album was very therapeutic. It helped me to become who I am today, and I’ll tell you why. Going through this victim way of living was the way I lived, even if it didn’t look like, and this was not serving me at all. It was way easier to blame other people and circumstances than to look myself in the mirror and do the self-work I had to do. Being confronted with past trauma and having to deal with, the music I started to create in the process was healing. I remember when my wife told me “Victor, I think you’re making an album without noticing”, and she was right. When I felt that I needed to express something deeper, I’d go to the studio and and idea or a whole new song would come out, and all that came from that is my first album “VICTOR”.
Perry Farrell is one of the most iconic voices in alternative rock. How did this collaboration come together, and what was your first reaction when he agreed to be part of the track?
During the pandemic I got the chance to remix one of Perry’s song “Mend”, which even is a collaboration with one of my favourite drummers of all time Taylor Hawkings. I guess Perry really liked the remix and I got a request from his team that he was looking for some ideas to collaborate with, and I just had revived an old project of mine that I did in 2010 that I found in old archives. I sent him and didn’t hear back for a month or so and then they sent me back with his vocals. I almost cried, it was beyond beautiful and more than I imagined. We kept the song for a special moment and once I decided I was doing this album I kindly asked if I could include it and he said yes. Super happy about it!
What have you learned about yourself by moving away from the sound that originally made you famous?
It’s funny you ask me this, because the whole point of the album for me is to show the world that I’m not just a Techno DJ, I’m much more than that. I’m a musician, I’m a producer, I’m an artist and I like to take risks. I think this album is all of that. The music came so naturally out of me and I had so much fun doing it. I don’t think this is my “future sound”, just a creative output that I felt it needed to come out and see the light of day.
What was the biggest personal transformation you experienced while creating this project?
I chose the name “VICTOR” as a title not because it’s my name. There is this quote that I love that says, “in life you either are a victim or a victor” and that really represents my personal process through these past years. I was a victim and through my process of becoming who I am now, a person that is not afraid of what people will say about me, authentic, I know the true values that really matter in life such as family, friendship, honesty, loyalty, generosity, charity. So yeah, I became a victor. Of course it’s pretty cool my name is Victor too, hehe. So I would say this is by far was my biggest transformation.
Summer is finally here, and festival season is in full swing. What are you most looking forward to every year when festival season begins?
I always try to just live day by day and enjoy the now, so whatever life brings me I’ll take it. This summer has been good as I’m playing lots of shows in Europe again – which is quite funny because this was what triggered this whole process 3 years ago. I’m not playing the main big festivals this years, but I’m doing my debut at Lollapalooza in Berlin which I’m super excited about and I’ll have a super special guest to sing a song with me. I guess you can imagine who 😉 I’m also super excited to enjoy my time in Portugal, where I live, with my wife and friends. Make more music, go to the beach, exercise, eat healthy and sleep well. These are the important things to me.
In a world that feels increasingly fast and overwhelming, how do you stay grounded and protect your mental well-being?
Social life is very important. Spend time with friends. Also spending time alone in meditation, exercising and reading. But I’ll have to say the biggest one, that had the biggest impact on me, I don’t have any social media on my phone or computer. I’m aware I have to post things and create content for social media, but I have a team that do that for me. Doom scrolling and too much screen time fucks up with my mental health, so I decided to stay away from it. It’s been a few months and I just love how I feel. I recommend!
After everything you’ve experienced so far, what still excites you most about making music?
Oh, man, everything! I still love what I do and I have just begun, that’s how it feels. I’m free to make the music I want to make, and the more I apply this, the more people connect with me, because I’m being honest, I’m being myself. Victor! I’m also venturing in other sounds and producing artists. Recently I co-produced an album from this amazing singer that is my friend, and the whole experience brought so much more depth into my life as a producer. I learned so much and definitely incorporated new things into my own music because of this experience. I wanna do more of that!
