ᯓ✦ untitled 909 podcast 221: rainmaker ᯓ✦

the medellín-based artist rainmaker has arrived to 909 with a mix that channels both his roots and where he is as an artist right now. it’s a pacy 58 minute session that lets the drums lead the way with heavy percussive rhythms and warped melodies that leaves your head in a spin.

rainmaker heads up the artificio imprint alongside pasq who we featured on 909 a few weeks ago. the pair came together to release a joint ep towards the end of last year and have been busy working away on the 2025 plans for the label with both artists giving their best ‘big things coming soon’ teaser within the accompanying interview answers. we’re super excited to see where they’re heading and this latest mix from rainmaker shows that he’s ready to command the dancefloors on a global scale with an eu tour firmly planted on his current vision board.

hey! how are you doing? what have you been up to lately?

everything's good right now. i've been focused on my master's thesis and organizing everything we have planned for artificio this year. i'm super excited about how much the label has grown—sometimes i daydream about it.

let's start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?

my dad was really into cds, and in the 2000s in colombia, there was a culture of selling cds with different genres and tracks. i remember one in particular that he gave me—it had hajime sorayama’s artwork on the cover. that cd had "burnin" by daft punk on it. i was really young, but i’d always let it play while i was playing zelda on my game boy. later, friends started introducing me to reggaeton and rap (huge genres in medellín), and i started wondering how music was actually made. that’s when i began downloading daws and playing around with loops.

who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?

i think it was madlib. i remember discovering his work as quasimoto and diving deep into everything he had done, especially his production techniques. a lot of those sampling techniques still influence me today. i’ve never had the chance to see him live, but i still follow everything he does. madvillainy was a really special album for me.

was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible dj set, that led you to this path?

one of the key moments for me was seeing shxcxchcxsh live at the now-closed 1984 club near downtown medellín. i remember being up front on the dance floor, which wasn’t too packed since, at the time, they were mostly known for experimental and ambient work—not super popular here. they started editing their well-known tracks into club-ready versions, and it was just mind-blowing. i left that night thinking, i need to do something like this.

where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?

honestly, just life in general. i’m always recording soundscapes, conversations, or even voice notes my friends send me. another huge source of inspiration for me is football—i go to the stadium whenever i can to support my team, atlético nacional. the energy at every match recharges me.

how has medellín influenced or informed your sense of self and artistic output?

medellín is a cultural hub, but not because of government support for local artists or the number of clubs or the music scene itself. medellín challenges you. you have to be really good at what you do to break out of the underground. that’s why some of the best djs and artists in colombia come from here. it definitely shapes you—it’s all about consistency and patience.

what has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?

as a sampling nerd, i’m always listening to new and weird music. my latest discovery is tangents, an electronic jazz group from sydney. i love how they go heavy on percussion while mixing in synths that give off this nostalgic 2000s vibe.

you’ve recently released a split ep with pasq on your shared label, artificio, what’s the story behind this release?

pascual and i have been friends for six years. we met through music and started a duo called slrsct, which was actually artificio’s first release. over time, our sounds have evolved in different directions, but they’ve always complemented each other. a fuego y a fondo is a colombian expression that doesn’t really have a literal translation, but in english, it would be something like "hard and all the way through." it reflects our vision for the label. this split series will probably become a regular thing on artificio.

you’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?

i think this is the first dj set i’ve recorded for radio since artificio had its own show on internet public radio. this mix is really special to me—i wanted to showcase how my sound has evolved, blending my roots with where i am now.

how does your approach to dj sets differ from studio mixes/radio shows? is there a narrative in mind that you’re always trying to tell through your sets?

yeah, i approach them differently. radio shows give me space to be more detailed and experimental—to showcase music and techniques that you wouldn’t normally hear in a club. in live sets, i focus more on delivering high energy and telling a story in cycles.

when was the last time you were on the dance floor?

lately, i haven’t been going out much—i’ve been focused on finishing my next ep, which will drop on artificio mid-year. but the last time i was at a club was last month at videoclub. i really enjoyed eddy lover and toby’s set—a mix of jungle, house, and rap, which isn’t something you hear often in that space.

what are you most excited about right now?

on a personal level, i’m hyped for the start of the copa libertadores. my team is competing again this year, and i really believe we can win it for the third time. on the artistic side, i’m super excited about the music i’m releasing soon and all the surprises and plans we have for artificio this year. 2025 is going to be one for the books.

what’s on your vision board at the moment?

finishing my master’s degree, that loewe jacket, a house in the mountains, and my first european tour.