Trying to write with any authority on Ricardo feels a bit icky. l don’t keep up on the constant stream of solo and collab records bearing his name and I’ve never seen him play. Word is visa issues and a general distaste for the US have made appearances here rare. When he does come he seems to phone it in or play bigroom cheese. Recon from his Art Basil set last year said two different 45 minute studio jams were played in full (boss move tbh). But even from a distance it’s hard to ignore the man’s impact. I’ll go in on some Ric – mixes like Tresor 2001 and Clubnight 2001 are classics and I will always stan “Theogenese” as an all-time jam and DJ tool par excellence.
That said, you can generally skip me with the mnml-era tunes. The E’s-up, K-down productions of his early career are much more my speed. There’s well-known hits like “Heike” and “Logohitz” and the extremely un-frugal Chirurgie Boutique 12” (with Tobais Menguser) and its “808 the Bass Queen” prototype. While the CB 12” holds up to this day, Ric’s solo material from the era hasn’t aged as well. Most spiral into a 160 bpm acid / Goa trance zone. The video below sums his vibe nicely.
Thankfully Ric surrounded himself with people like Tobias Menguser, who may not have succeeded in chilling him out, but did contribute great tunes to sit alongside Ric’s own. (Sidebar: Tobias has recently gotten some deserved shine with the reissue of his Apollo Jazz EP on Eukahouse.) This era of early collabs is the jump-off point for our journey into the RV Extended Universe. I’ve written about four plates below. To scale the paywall and enter the Sanctum of Frugality, please become a paid subscriber.