One may say that Paul Conversano, the heavy bass-droppin’ DJ known as Ravenscoon, is an alchemist in the studio. Extracting influences from a multitude of genres, he blends hip-hop, death metal, and punk rock with soul-shaking bass creating a sound capable of blasting you deep into the ether. However, just as the San Fransico producer transforms waves of sound into face-melting beats, he has figured out how to live life by design and manifest his destiny.
Paulo Coelho once wrote in the iconic book The Alchemist, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” For Ravenscoon, truer words have never been spoken. Through years of strategic planning, intentional living, and hard work, he is now witnessing his dreams transform into reality. From announcing his forthcoming debut album PERIPHERY to revealing a 35+ city headlining tour, Ravenscoon is flying higher than ever before.
But, of course, all the success we see as fans didn’t come so easy. In The Alchemist, Coelho discusses how the universe tests those attempting to reach their dream. “Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we’ve learned as we’ve moved toward that dream. That’s the point at which most people give up,” Coelho wrote.
However, it’s clear that Ravenscoon never gave up. Battling everything from addiction to struggles with mental health, and the unrelenting grind of corporate America, he pushed through and not only achieved his dreams of making it in electronic music but became an instant inspiration along the way. With the upcoming album, his first official headlining tour, and a monstrous new single, Letting Go, with Trivecta, Ravenscoon is sitting on top of the world.
The Daily Frequency had the incredible opportunity to sit down with Ravenscoon and discuss the meaning behind PERIPHERY, expectations for tour, living with intention, and so much more.
Check out our exclusive interview with Ravenscoon below.
DF: You just dropped two massive announcements with your debut album, PERIPHERY, and a 35-city tour to follow! How are you feeling about life right now?
Ravenscoon: I feel great. I’m a perfectionist, despite my relaxed demeanor, so I don’t think I’ll feel fully satisfied until the tour goes smoothly and the album comes out. However, I’m beyond grateful to have successfully launched this tour and have such great support acts. It’s many, many thousands of hours in the making over years to get to this point. It honestly feels pretty surreal.
DF: It was just under a year ago, you announced you’d be embarking on your first-ever bus tour with Liquid Stranger on the Dimensions Tour, and now you’re headlining your own. Did you anticipate things to manifest so quickly?
Ravenscoon: A headline tour was the 3-year part of my 1-3-5 year plan that I wrote… 3 years ago now, so it has been in the works mentally – but actually getting there is really rewarding. I am blessed to have incredible fans and a really strong team on my side, which helps immensely. I’m a pretty driven person, and I’ve found music to be my higher calling, so while three years may seem short, I live and breathe this every single day. It feels like perfect timing.
DF: You’re bringing along some amazing artists that you’ve hand-picked yourself, from Meduso to Eazybaked, Cyber G, and more. What can fans expect when you roll through their city?
Ravenscoon: I spent A LOT of time and energy hand-picking the support for each stop of the tour, literally hand-picking every single stop’s lineup. It was a lot of extra work, but I wanted to make sure the sounds I was choosing fit each market, that I was giving the support shows that were generally regional so it didn’t break their bank (or mine) and that every lineup felt intentional. I wholeheartedly believe in every support act on the tour, so fans will have a lot of new music to look forward to. As for me, I have an 18-track album + probably 30 more unreleased tunes & edits, + all the usual goodies I play. I’ve written ten different sets, so there will be a ton of variety on the tour. Every stop will be unique and beautiful in its own way.
DF: What do you hope they get out of the experience?
Ravenscoon: I hope they leave feeling lighter, fulfilled, and happy, with hopefully a new friend or two. I want to take people on a journey and give them love – especially with how social media and the world seem so bleak these days.
DF: What does the title PERIPHERY mean to you, and what does the album represent as a whole?
Ravenscoon: Periphery is my reflection on what it means to be, what it means to be alive, the experience of being separated from your human body and sent all the way to the edge of perception & back again. I’ve included some dance-floor bangers, but I’ve also spent at least half of the album exploring long, luscious, melodic bass. I wanted to create songs that make you think.
DF: Unlike traditional album releases, you’re splitting up the project into four different EPs, each representing a different emotion and chapter of the story. What inspired you to create both a cinematic experience and unveil your work in this nature?
Ravenscoon: I’ve always been a huge fan of film & cinema – for the longest time, I wanted to be a screenwriter. Often times I want a visual component to my music, and I also want a story. Breaking the album into four parts lets the listeners better understand and digest each section and appreciate it in greater detail than if I just dumped 18 songs on them at once. This allows me to unfold the story of Periphery over the course of the entire tour, giving listeners and fans something to look forward to.
When I was writing the album, I wrote about 35 songs, and I categorized them into four categories that ended up becoming BODY, HEART, MIND, and SOUL. They were initially called something else, but they still fit the same vibe. I color-coded each section and then worked with my engineer Seth Drake to do a blind rating on each song – rating each one A to F. Anything below a B was basically not worth working on, and most Bs got cut from potentially being on the album. This basically allowed me to be picky about the sounds I was going to project via this album and sparked the idea to release it the same way that I wrote it.
DF: It wasn’t too long ago that you worked your last day in the corporate world. How has the freedom to focus solely on music helped your creative process and, more specifically, the trajectory of your album?
Ravenscoon: I quit my job on January 4th, 2022, and began writing my album in March 2022. I simply would not have been able to juggle both of those as I was working 50 or so hours a week and pretty much on call with my old job at any moment’s notice. Just doing music has allowed me to pour everything into the album and really delve deeper into my own creative process.
DF: Outside of music, you’re a huge role model for those battling with sobriety. How are you able to manage in a scene that’s so party-oriented?
Ravenscoon: I take things day by day. Thankfully at this point, I am 4+ years sober, so being in a “party” setting isn’t as triggering as it once was. I have a great support system and friends who look out for me, and I am not afraid to ask people in my green room, etc, to kindly do their stuff somewhere else if it starts making me uncomfortable. I’ve come a long way from where I was – and am still a work in progress.
DF: What would you say to someone who’s just starting out on their journey?
Ravenscoon: I’d tell someone who is just starting to not give up. It gets easier. It’s worth it. You may lose some friends and may be a bit lonely, but your body and mind will thank you – and with that, you will grow and heal. Take it day by day. You got this.
DF: You’re also a vocal advocate for things like mental health, harm reduction, therapy, and more. What inspired you to be so involved in the community, and do you feel like there’s an unspoken responsibility to use your platform to raise awareness on these issues?
Ravenscoon: I’ve struggled with mental health my entire life. Being diagnosed with Bipolar II a few years ago gave me some answers to why I have always struggled. I grew up in a loving household, however, there wasn’t a lot of acknowledgment around my mental health issues – a stigma that I think older generations still struggle with. I almost lost my life a few times to both mental health and substance abuse. I feel like my purpose here isn’t over yet. I feel a calling to let others know that things will be better and we can grow and be better people, even if our past selves weren’t good. I think each artist or anyone with a platform has some responsibility to use it for good, however, I don’t think there’s pressure on me that isn’t coming from within.
DF: You seem very intentional in everything you do, from leaving your corporate job and following your dreams to getting sober, working in the community, and creating music. How important is it to lead with intention in not only the creative process but with life in general?
Ravenscoon: I think it’s paramount to anyone looking to be a better version of themselves to embrace intention. I spent a lot of my life being the opposite of intentional – living completely at the whim of indulgence and impulsiveness. I didn’t put thought into what I was doing, saying, who I was hurting, nothing.
Through painful growth and healing myself – and being sober and present, I’ve been able to be way more intentional with myself and where I want to go and who I want to be. I’m definitely not perfect, but I am better than I once was. I think life is about continuing to grow into someone who we are proud of being.
DF: Lastly, you have such an inspiring story. Could you leave us with a quick quote that resonated with you along your journey that could inspire someone reading this interview?
Ravenscoon: Love is the bridge between you and everything. Take life one day at a time. It’s ok to slip up.
Keep up with Ravenscoon and grab tickets to the Periphery Tour HERE!
Check out more exclusive interviews with The Daily Frequency HERE!