A staple of the LA scene routinely playing Space Yacht and hosting a forward-thinking desert campouts via his organization The Jackson Collective, Ocean Roulette has been lauded for his crips productions that Daily Beat describe as “Zany, psychedelic, and fun.” For his debut release on Psycho Disco!, the producer has put together a two-track EP titled ‘Froze Up/Wicked.’ Lead single “Froze Up” launches a bonafide dance floor assault shoe barraging breakdown might cause one to freeze up. Following, “Wicked” invokes the sound of 90s house with its synthi heavy construction. A multi-layer production, the most captivating aspect of “Wicked” is it’s seamless balance of the myriad of sound elements that Ocean Roulette managed to squeeze into the six-minute head bopper.

MiLLENNiAL sat down with Ocean Roulette to discuss his work.

Tell us about ‘Froze Up/ Wicked’.

Froze Up/Wicked were both tracks that came out quickly but ended up morphing into completely different tracks. Where as some tracks can be created and finished up quickly, these were worked on for long periods of time giving it a mix/mash feel of a lot of different sounds. The lyrics for Froze Up were made when both my computer and phone froze and had a technological meltdown. Wicked however started off as a track that sampled 3 different vocal pieces but in the end I decided to record my own voice saying “party” and chopping that up.

What inspire this debut?

This debut was inspired by all the things that I love about music and art. I love dissonant and strange forms of creativity and I wanted to create something that was obscure but still personal and dance floor friendly.

There are many genres of electronic music, where does yours fall into?

I would say my music falls into the genre of tech-house.

Share your experience of becoming part of the Psycho Disco! family.

Treasure Fingers was one of the first house artists I began following a long time ago and although I used to make trap music, I was a sucker for his melodic disco and deep house mixes. When I saw that he had begun Psycho Disco!, I was just starting to sink my teeth into making house music myself and I knew that one of my goals would be to get good enough to land a spot on his label. Ever since he chose these tracks it has been a dream come true joining this family of artists whether they are some that I had already known or some that I am just meeting, everyone has been very supportive which is inspiration to keep on pushing.

What is your favorite part of being a DJ?

My favorite part about being a DJ is getting to bring friends and family out to my shows. I love mixing for my friends that have seen me 359874539873 times because it means I have to always keep it fresh and interesting!

Take us back to your first days of making music, how was your life like?

When I first began making music I thought that layering electronic drum loops and recording guitar parts was the most fascinating thing ever. I had previously played in a rock band so using electronic synths and samples on Garage Band felt like a big “f*ck you” to the concept of being a musician. I wanted to be a one-man-band but then I went to my first rave EDC 2010 and saw artists like Kaskade and Deadmau5 perform and I decided that EDM was going to be my focus.

Discuss the meaning behind your name ‘Ocean Roulette’.

I came up with the name Ocean Roulette because it felt like a combination of influences. I have always resonated with the ocean and water in general whether it be swimming in a pool or trying to meditate in the shower. Roulette wheels remind me of casinos, something I became infatuated with after attending my second EDC in Las Vegas. I also always feel inspired after watching the films “Ocean’s Eleven”, “Casino”, and other gambling films – to me it seems like the ultimate form of nightlife.

Who are your musical influences and why?

The Whitest Boy Alive is one of my biggest influences. They are extremely minimal in arrangement yet the way each band member performs creates an extremely explosive and dance-worthy energy. A lot of their music has a house feel with its minimalism and strong grooves, but at the same time they have a lot of influence from jazz and are not afraid to fall into jams between their versus and choruses. They’re one of the best blends between dance music and traditional rock.

What do you hope to achieve with your musical career?

In the future I want to be able to create a cohesive album and eventually a full discography with my musical career. Even though I make and DJ house music I find the genre limiting at times and I someday want to move away from making just house and work on a full length with vocalists and instrumentalists that I love.