Roy Rosenfeld has been honing his craft and building a cult following since he began producing electronic music in 2009. Known for his unique blend of diverse house music styles, Roy’s sound has resonated with audiences globally, earning him significant recognition.

Roy’s impressive discography includes releases on esteemed labels such as All Day I Dream, Lost & Found, and Rumors, with tracks like ‘Lift of Love,’ ‘Phase,’ and ‘No Drama’ becoming instant classics.

As he gears up for his upcoming performance at the All Day I Dream of San Francisco Cloud 9 event at Golden Gate Park on June 8th, we caught up with him to chat about what goes into creating a truly special party, the magic of All Day I Dream events, and the evolution of his own ‘No Drama’ party series.

WWD: Hi Roy, great to have you here. It’s been a while since we last spoke in 2020! How have you been?

Hello! Yes, it’s been a while. All is well on my end. 🙂

WWD: You’ve had a busy 2024 so far. What have been some of the highlights for you this year?

2024 has been an interesting year, and I anticipate the second half of 2024 to be exciting as well. I had a few amazing shows that are still stuck in my head. Playing the sunrise set at the ‘Reactor Venao’ festival in Panama was one of them; it was mind-blowing. Another incredible event was at ‘No Drama’ in Córdoba, Argentina, where I played a 6-hour All Night Long set. ‘Bar Americas’ recently in Guadalajara was special as well; I ended up playing for 7.5 hours for an incredible crowd.

WWD: All Day I Dream has become a global phenomenon. How did your journey with this label and event series begin, and what makes the music and these parties so special?

In 2017, I contacted Lee Burridge regarding some new music I made and thought it might fit ADID’s agenda, and I was right. He loved the music, and we decided to release it in early 2018. A few months later, I got a booking request from ADID to play in Dubai. Since 2018, I have found myself playing at ADID’s events, and there is definitely some magic that makes this event special. If you ask me personally, I think the uniqueness of these events is mostly related to the fanbase of the label and the artists, and the decision to throw these events during the day and summertime.

WWD: You’ve performed at numerous All Day I Dream events around the world. Are there any specific cities or venues that stand out to you, and why?

My absolute favorites were at Pikinic Montreal and at The Brooklyn Mirage in New York. The one in LA last year was really good too, and I’m looking forward to the one in SF on June 8th.

WWD: You have an upcoming performance at the All Day I Dream of San Francisco Cloud 9 event at the iconic Golden Gate Park on June 8th. What can attendees expect from your set?

MANY new summer tracks! 🙂

WWD: Can you tell us more about your own event series, No Drama? What inspired you to start it?

Starting your own event series is another way to express your musical and event production agendas, expanding engagement with more people around the world. For the first steps of the No Drama events, my team and I preferred to focus mainly on my home base audience and on creating a fanbase that could relate to my vision behind the event. We have some exciting announcements that, unfortunately, I must keep in the safe, BUT I can mention that we’re throwing a super special event in Lisbon on October 5th. So save the date, and stay tuned for the official announcements!

WWD: Creating a truly special event is no easy feat. In your opinion, what are the key elements that go into making an event unforgettable?

It’s about the music and the lineup. I’ve never been to an amazing event where the music was bad, but I’ve been to many events where the production was poor, although the people could still enjoy it very much because the DJ was great. Now, once you add a great lineup of DJs, a friendly environment—which is mainly the crowd, the sound system, and the layout of the venue—I think that would be the point where the attendees can title the event as an “unforgettable” one. For me, daytime outdoor events are happening to be the best.

Sounds like the event we’re throwing in Lisbon on October 5th. 😛

WWD: No Drama has hosted some pretty unique events, including a pool party and mini-festivals. Do you have a favorite memory or standout moment at No Drama?

Our events have been good since the first edition, and it feels like they are only getting better and better from one event to another. My favorite memory was the pool party on September 30th, 2023, where Sebastien Leger and I played an extended b2b set alongside Khen & Eli Nissan (b2b), Jinga, and more. It was an open-air event, with simply the best vibes I could ever wish for my own event.

WWD: As a world-touring musician, what are some of the common positive and negative observations you’ve made about events in the global electronic music scene today?

There are endless observations and aspects we can talk about, but I’d like to focus only on a couple of main ones. The ones that everyone should be aware of, whether it’s a fan/follower reading or a newcomer artist. The main positive one is that you do what you like and you get paid for it. So being thankful should be above everything.

The music industry changes its gears every few years, based on new trends and social conventions, which can be both good and bad. What I find positive here is that we are all being shifted into a new era of music and behaviors, getting our wills refreshed, instead of being stuck in the same “dark” place for many years.

The negative one is that the world has become terrifyingly “instant,” and many people have lost their patience and appreciation because of social network addictions. These are kind of ‘hard conditions’ to tell someone a nice story, which leaves them with the short and bad ones.

How does it reflect on the underground markets? Well, it’s great that music moves left and right because that is what keeps the artists inspired to create new sounds. On the other hand, many people or music consumers have no patience for new stories. That’s what I find negative, and I wish it would be balanced at some point before we all become algorithm slaves.

WWD: Looking ahead, what can fans expect from you in terms of new music or upcoming performances?

I’m coming back to the US and Mexico in the next two weekends to play some really cool shows in NY, SF, Seattle, CDMX, and Denver! Then back home for a couple of good shows in Tel Aviv. The summer looks pretty nice with new cities and venues I’ve never been to.

In terms of music releasing, I’ve been pretty quiet since last year, but I plan to release a lot of new tracks in the second half of 2024, kicking it off with ‘Panko Day,’ a track I made with my dear friend Sebastien Leger. It’ll be released on June 7th on his great “Lost Miracle” imprint!