Ruckus Roboticus

Ever the diligent record spelunker, Dayton, OH's Ruckus Roboticus has found his niche by digging through the dustiest out-of-the-way thrift store crates in search of underground kid-centric vinyl. Mixing Sesame Street and Fat Albert with hip-hop breakbeats, he creates a whimsical, danceable mash-up of pop culture and electro-funk, but unlike the similar-minded the Go! Team, who incorporate a blend of live instrumentation and samples, he relies strictly on his wheels of steel to scratch together his… Show more sound collages.
Picking up a pair of turntables in 1998, Ruckus Roboticus started obsessively collecting records. Within a few years he had several thousand rarities and began using his newfound sound samples to puzzle-piece together a rough concept album about a kid who uses music to escape from the trials and tribulations of growing up. A semi-autographical endeavor, he buried himself in music for nearly two years, and started rifling through his albums in 2004 to meticulously compose and mix down Playing with Scratches. As the record neared completion, he released several spin-offs, including an instrumental version and an alternate mix of Playing with Scratches, and an entirely new mix of kids' TV themes and pop samples called The Music Machine. Once the album was officially released in late 2007 on Grease Records, he decided to take a break from perusing his record collection to play the role of a producer, making freelance beats for Nickelodeon, MTV, and The Disney Family Channel, and remixing other artist's songs including Bloc Party's "Hunting for Witches". ~ Jason Lymangrover, All Music Guide

* Members and instruments played: Ruckus Roboticus – Everything
* Years active: 9 years
* Random fact: Earliest memory involving music: 5 years old, listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller cassette on family road trips
* If you had a musical motto, what would it be? I have a motto and it's, "Going out of business since 1998!"
* If you could've written any famous song, what would it be and why? "Imagine" by John Lennon. It's a perfect a song. It's simple, beautiful and timeless. Its lyrics are effortless, yet so powerful and meaningful. It is a work of art, yet still has mass appeal. I like it when outstanding songs are recognized by the world, especially when the songs are genuine, and have a political message. It's a perfect song that no one could ignore. It embodies all the qualities in a song that I cherish.
* If you could seek musical advice from one music icon, who would it be and what would you ask? James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. I'd ask, "Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently when it came to your music career?"
* If you could recommend one of your CDs, which one would it be and why? Playing With Scratches … because it's my only one!
* If you were forced to choose, which two famous acts would you say your sound most resembles? I mostly sound like un-famous acts, but if I had to choose two famous acts … I would say Deee-Lite and Beck.

Compiled by Don Thrasher

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