Ron Carroll, the talent behind the R.O.N.N. moniker, is seen by many as a legend of the House music movement. Based in Chicago, Ron is one of the scene’s most respected artists, thanks to his vast array of unique, top quality productions.
With a release catalogue that includes hit singles such as: ‘Way Back’, ‘Change For Me’, ‘Ride This’ and ‘Turn It Up’, and collaborating with the likes of: Axwell, Bob Sinclar and Robin S, it’s no wonder that Ron’s productions and DJ performances are highly sought after. We sat down with Ron to talk about his career to date.
Hi Ron, thanks for taking time to chat to us about your career in the music industry. For those who aren’t familiar with your work, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a producer, DJ, singer and songwriter from Chicago. I have worked with many well-known talents, such as: Axwell, Bob Sinclar and Louie Vega to name a few, and have worked with big labels, such as: Axtone, Defected, Spinnin, Ministry Of Sound, Universal… the list goes on and on.
When and how did you become involved in the industry?
I became involved in the industry in 1991 when my first track was released on Clubhouse Records, called ‘My Prayer’. From that moment I was hooked on wanting to touch the world with my voice and sound.
Why did you decide to pursue a career as a DJ and producer? Was there one stand out moment for you that made you decide ‘I want to be a DJ and producer’?
This is funny, because I initially wanted to become a DJ to get girls and be popular in my school…lol, but as I learned more about the craft and saw people like Frankie Knuckles and Lil Louis play, it made me want to do this thing for life.
Have you had to make a lot of sacrifices to get to where you are today?
I went through a lot for the music. Family hated it, lost friends, girlfriends, wife, and so so much to get where I am today. But it’s impossible to get far without some sort of sacrifice. It’s just part of life in general. I love it.
Where do you get your inspiration from when producing?
I find that my inspiration comes from the past, like the disco era. I simply love the way songs were created and how sounds were manipulated to give the dance floor a certain feeling. It’s an amazing moment in music history.
You’ve been involved with hits such as sacrifice ‘What A Wondeful World’ with Axwell & Bob Sinclar and ‘Lucky Star’ with Superfunk. What was it like working with these artists and how did the collaborations come about?
Working with these guys was so great. They all at this moment in time, loved to just create. It was a producer friend of mine, named: Mazi who introduced me to Superfunk, and from the success of ‘Lucky Star’ my connections with Bob and Ax were born.
Do you feel the collaborations helped with you with your production career under the alias of R.O.N.N.?
The alias R.O.N.N. came about due to the fact that a lot of people really just looked at Ron Carroll as a singer and nothing else. So I decided to come up with an alias to begin my producer side of things. So far, so good and I feel that I will soon connect with people in a major way through my alias.
If you had to pick one artist to collaborate with, who would it be?
I would really love to collaborate with Kanye on some dope raw House; just raw and dirty with an amazing break for him to just let loose. It would be magical for me.
What’s been your most proudest and favourite release(s) to date?
The release I am most proud of is ‘Walking Down The Street’, because it was something I produced and wrote. For it to have the impact it did, it made me so very proud of myself.
You’ve just released ‘Fever’, a collaboration with Aires Adora, how did the collaboration come about and what made you want to work with her?
Aires Adora is my musical partner. We are a team that decided to work together about a year and a half ago. She’s amazing, and we came together with the mindset of creating disco magic. We also want to create with no boundaries of genre and or popularity contest. So we came up with “Fever”.
Can we see a follow up track coming soon?
Aires and I have so many amazing follow-ups coming out this year. We’re both excited to see the world’s reaction to what we have.
In terms of releases, what have you got planned for the rest of this year? My label #SYSMusic will host a great deal of amazing releases from up and coming producers and artist. I want to help out those underdog producers out there and give their music light.
Any exciting plans in terms of gigs and tours?
My Tour brand is ‘#futurelife’ and I just finished an Australian Tour that was amazing. We are getting ready to do a 2 month tourthrough Europe in June & July. I’m really excited for this year.
What can we expect to see coming from the Ron Carroll and R.O.N.N. camps this year?
Expect to see a lot of up front house and disco magic. No holds barred grooves. Expect to see a lot of R.O.N.N. & AIRES ADORA.