When most people think of DJs, they imagine a booming, bass-heavy sound. For a DJ like Sol Rising, it’s all about transcendent, spiritual and uplifting music that is light and groovy. Check out track “The Journey” to hear his unique mix. For more on Sol Rising, visit solrising.com. It’s only right that Sol Rising would be performing at the Tahoe Yoga Festival, a day of meditation, music and more happening Sunday, Aug. 13, at the Heavenly Mountain Resort. Tickets start at $120. For tickets and more information, visit omnitahoe.com.
What was the first concert you attended?
Green Day.
What was the first album you owned?
It was either a cassette tape of Nirvana, Nevermind, or an LL Cool J tape. It was a long time ago.
What bands are you listening to right now?
I mostly listen to electronic music: ODESZA, Bonobo and a lot of chill artists like Tycho. I like a variety of music, and those are some of my favorite groups.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I don’t know how to answer that one, because I don’t know what’s trending right now.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I saw them live, but ODESZA. That was epic. I don’t listen to Taylor Swift, but I’m curious what the hype is about with her tour right now. I hear it’s going to make over a billion dollars, so that would be kind of interesting to see.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
Sometimes I’ll just hear a pop song that I don’t want to admit that I’m listening to, but I might find it catchy.
What’s your favorite music venue?
I can tell you the venue I want to go to the most: Red Rocks in Colorado. I’ve never actually been there, but it just looks amazing, so how about that?
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
Diplo’s “On My Mind.”
What band or artist changed your life? How?
I was in ninth grade, and I got this mixtape by this DJ that had a lot of old-school ’90s hip hop. It just changed everything for me; it opened up a whole new world of music. I just got really into that genre and the whole underground hip-hop scene. That was pretty pivotal for me, because at the time, I was mostly just listening to what was on the radio.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
For ODESZA, I’d probably ask for some advice on their key to success and how they got to where they are, and probably just ask about some of their production techniques and plugins and instruments and stuff like that.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Probably some Sanskrit mantras—not a song, but something spiritual in nature.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
There are too many to actually name one.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
Go listen to my new album, Melodies of the Heart.
