Simmering within the overcrowded Berlin circuit there’s a name that has continually caught our eye, not due to their festive reference, but the refined style of electro, techno and house they continue to champion in a city defined by it’s brutalist ‘musical architecture’.

Rudolf C is part of the Aussie stringent bringing their purified high energy to EU states. The Melbourne native now runs his own label ‘Salt Mines’ which in his own words; ’started out because Shedbug and I just felt like getting stuff out there and had a release or two that got some fairly good feedback from the online community we were involved in.’

As with many new labels its a plunge into the much overpopulated abyss, learning as you go, Rudolf explains ‘neither of us really knew anything about doing it, nor did we plan it at all, and by a stroke of luck the first releases did very well, which allowed us to keep the ball rolling and flesh Salt Mines out into what we have today.’

A move in 2018 from Down Under to Berlin allowed the Salt Mines duo the opportunity to streamline their production process, rather than dealing with currency conversion & time zones they could be ‘more readily available, and of course, the allure of more bookings was a big part’.

Creating a signature sound is something that many spend entire careers doing, Rudolf suggests he somewhat stumbled into the circles he now navigates; ’I was always interested in loopier stuff, be it hip hop or punk etc but I never really knew where to look or how to translate that into dance music. Especially over the past few months, I've found I'm honing in on a sound that I think is a good snapshot of what I want my music to sound like. The scene here definitely has inspired it to a degree too, lots of after hours dare I say.’ 

With coronavirus lockdowns beginning to ease in some parts of the world and UK, we remain thirsty for the first sight of a dance, one with Rudolf and the Salt Mines crew!

What have you been up to in the last few months? 
Over the past few months, like everyone, I've been at home.  I've spent a vast majority of that time writing new music, finishing old stuff, trying to keep up with whats going on and staying sane.  As of recently the lockdowns have eased here and I've gone back to work which is nice.  Feels a bit odd but it is also nice to know what day of the week it is again. 

Where and how did you record this mix? 
The mix was made on my computer in my kitchen! 

Could you tell us was there any specific direction or idea behind the mix? 
There's no real overarching theme, it's basically just a combination of tracks I was playing towards the end of last year and some stuff I've found recently, around 25 mins is Auf Wiederschön by Der Dritte Raum, and I think that might be my favourite track of the past few months, I haven't really stopped listening to it.  

There is a serious movement and sound coming from down under, its energetic, fun, blends the old with new... yet will take you on many different journeys, what’s it like being part of this and how has the underground scene in Australia merged/influenced with the underground scene in Europe? 
Yeah theres definitely something in the water down there.. It's a great community to be a part of, the support everyone shows is pretty amazing, especially as of late, last year with the bushfire crisis and now with the coronavirus.  I think the Australian scene really influences underground scenes across the world, theres always been a strong Australian presence and now with a new wave of artists coming up, its great to see friends and colleagues of mine getting well deserved recognition in a larger scale. 

Really hate to ask, but whats your summer looking like as of now? 
As of now, summer looks like I'll be working and writing as much music as possible.  Taking it a bit slower with Salt Mines, but always working on new stuff.  Going to the park, probs have a swim at some point too I guess, all kind of up in the air hey! 

Whats next for Rudolf C? 
Have just wrapped up an EP set for release at the end of the year, got a few appearances on VA's plus a remix due out over the course of summer I believe.  Other than that just keepin on keepin on :) 

Photo Credit - @rudolf_cee
Words - Luke Baker

RUDOLF C MIXX