Rrose is the latest incarnation of Seth Horvitz, an inter-disciplinary artist from California (currently residing in London) whose 25+ year musical history weaves in and out of academic circles and electronic music culture. Their work is informed by ongoing interests in microtonality, the limits of perception, and the idiosyncrasies of machines, which serve to create a distinctly detailed, sensual and hallucinogenic form of techno that challenges the mind and body in equal measure. His visuals explore the tension between the micro and the macro. This fascination with recurring forms across scales also fuels his musical work, where he observes similar structures in sound frequencies. His approach is that of a patient observer rather than a creator. He takes extensive series of photographs to select just a single image, allowing the subject—often still, ordinary, and within reach—to reveal its own texture.
On stage, Rrose often stands in the shadows, using the pronouns “he” and “she” interchangeably (the name and image of Rrose allude to Marcel Duchamp’s female alter ego), an implicit questioning of gender norms and the norms of art, albeit with a touch of dark humor.
Prior to starting the Rrose project, Seth was active throughout the 1990s as a club and radio DJ, promoter, and producer in the San Francisco Bay Area while earning a bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science at the University of California, Berkeley. After several years producing and touring under the name Sutekh, Seth returned to academia to earn a master's degree in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College in Oakland. Upon completion of the program in 2010, Seth began working on new material in collaboration with composer Bob Ostertag and his Buchla 200E synthesizer which would become the seed for the Rrose project.
Rrose's first release in 2011 on Sandwell District came cloaked in mystery as to its creator, as did the string of vinyl releases that followed on her own Eaux label starting in 2012. In 2019, after releasing more than a dozen solo EPs and even more remixes, Rrose released their debut solo album "Hymn to Moisture" to wide acclaim. As a performer, Rrose is revered for both their DJ sets and live sets which are crafted like finely woven sonic tapestries. Her performances have taken place for seated audiences in historic theaters and museums as well as for sweaty dancefloors in some of the most revered nightclubs and electronic music festivals in the world, including Berghain, Unsound, Labyrinth, Movement, and Mutek.
Rrose
United Kingdom
Rrose is the latest incarnation of Seth Horvitz, an inter-disciplinary artist from California (currently residing in London) whose 25+ year musical history weaves in and out of academic circles and electronic music culture. Their work is informed by ongoing interests in microtonality, the limits of perception, and the idiosyncrasies of machines, which serve to create a distinctly detailed, sensual and hallucinogenic form of techno that challenges the mind and body in equal measure. His visuals explore the tension between the micro and the macro. This fascination with recurring forms across scales also fuels his musical work, where he observes similar structures in sound frequencies. His approach is that of a patient observer rather than a creator. He takes extensive series of photographs to select just a single image, allowing the subject—often still, ordinary, and within reach—to reveal its own texture.
On stage, Rrose often stands in the shadows, using the pronouns “he” and “she” interchangeably (the name and image of Rrose allude to Marcel Duchamp’s female alter ego), an implicit questioning of gender norms and the norms of art, albeit with a touch of dark humor.
Prior to starting the Rrose project, Seth was active throughout the 1990s as a club and radio DJ, promoter, and producer in the San Francisco Bay Area while earning a bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science at the University of California, Berkeley. After several years producing and touring under the name Sutekh, Seth returned to academia to earn a master's degree in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College in Oakland. Upon completion of the program in 2010, Seth began working on new material in collaboration with composer Bob Ostertag and his Buchla 200E synthesizer which would become the seed for the Rrose project.
Rrose's first release in 2011 on Sandwell District came cloaked in mystery as to its creator, as did the string of vinyl releases that followed on her own Eaux label starting in 2012. In 2019, after releasing more than a dozen solo EPs and even more remixes, Rrose released their debut solo album "Hymn to Moisture" to wide acclaim. As a performer, Rrose is revered for both their DJ sets and live sets which are crafted like finely woven sonic tapestries. Her performances have taken place for seated audiences in historic theaters and museums as well as for sweaty dancefloors in some of the most revered nightclubs and electronic music festivals in the world, including Berghain, Unsound, Labyrinth, Movement, and Mutek.
