Rhythm Roulette.
A chat with Dimosoundz.
This month’s release features someone we met through ATØNAL (DDP012) during the Breakfast Club party series, which he co-runs with Sonia Imseng at Le Bourg. We’ve actually been following Dimosoundz for a few years, though we hadn’t realised this coincided with the start of his music production journey. Nevertheless, last December, ATØNAL booked Dimosoundz, alongside Esti, another creative from Neuchâtel. The music that night was a meticulously curated blend of forward-thinking rhythms, roaring through Le Bourg’s speakers. The atmosphere was playful and impish, musically accessible yet challenging at times; exactly what we’ve come to expect from Breakfast Club’s distinctive curation.
This mesmerising experience convinced us to invite him to contribute something special for Dee Dee’s Picks. Dimosoundz delivered an eclectic yet cohesive selection of tracks, blending Baile Funk, Jungle, and Trap with subtle nods to genres like Goa, Grime, and Techno. « HTGSW (How To Grow Sea Weed) » can be seen as a recipe book of sorts, encapsulating all the influences that have shaped him during his time on the Neuchâtel scene. Perhaps this release could also aptly be titled « How To Gauge Sound Waves », as it tells the story of someone who found his passion for bass through skateboarding and breakdancing, rather than the rave scene, seamlessly weaving these influences into a compelling and genre-agnostic blend of electronic dance music.
In the quiet waters of a pond, tiny green spheres float each with a cluster of cells working together in perfect harmony. This is Volvox, a simple multicellular algae organism, nurturing new colonies in its heart, waiting to grow and flourish. Similarly, in the vibrant skateboarding and music scene of French-speaking Switzerland, a young producer named Dimosoundz emerged from within a tight-knit community. Like the Volvox, he absorbed the influences around him, growing his own creative voice from the heart of this dynamic environment. This premise, both visually and sonically representative, marks the release before you.
Dimosoundz is the creative force behind Dimitri Roulin, embodying his musical ethos by fusing personal influences into a rhythmic experience grounded in his passion for bass-heavy music. Although his background as a breakdancer served a subconscious basis towards his current signature style, his journey as a producer began with a unique academic project that merged skateboarding, electronic and sampled sounds. From being deeply rooted in the Romandy skate scene is where he discovered 90s jungle and related sister genres, drawing inspiration from the community’s emphasis on autonomy, support, and authenticity which cemented the release before you.
Much like his lifelong fascination with water and its mysterious underworld, Dimosoundz explores vast, unknown realms in his music through obscure samples and non-musical elements whilst infusing his work with a playful, exploratory spirit. For him, music, skateboarding and underwater exploration are paths of creativity and discovery—parallel journeys of digging beneath the surface to find something new. Though seemingly fresh out of the water but already making waves within the Helvetian scene, Dimosoundz brings an original perspective, blending his unique experiences into a sound distinctly his own.
Who are you in your own words? Who is Dimosoundz?
The name Dimosoundz just kind of happened, really. My friends call me “Dimos”, so adding the "Soundz" part was a natural fit. It’s simple and straightforward, but it works. I want to convey that the music you're hearing comes from one person, pieces of my personality transformed into rhythmic sounds. It’s about the sounds that inspire me and the styles that have influenced me—old and new—reworked into something unique that I hope people can connect with. Dimosoundz is Dimitri Roulin, the artistic side of me that I want to share with the world.
And what are you listening to these days?
Pretty much what you’ll hear on my latest release—a mix of UK Bass, breaks, Baile Funk, and anything related to SoundSystem culture, like dub music. It’s all about creating a style that’s a bit of everything.
So, you're part of the Romandy skate scene, a DJ, and a producer. Which came first? Do they connect in some way?
Producing came first, hands down. I’ve always had a deep connection to music, whether it’s through my parents, who are big music lovers, or from my own experiences with a more formal music education. My background is pretty eclectic and rhythm-focused, which I think comes in part from my mom’s influence since she’s into contemporary dance.
For my final year in school, I had to do a graduation project, so I decided to combine skateboarding and sound. I sampled my skateboard, the wheels, and the tricks, capturing all those unique sounds to make an original sonic palette to then synchronise them with some dynamic video footage. It was a cool experience because eventually through skateboarding is how I discovered 90s jungle and its related genres through a skate collective in Biel/Bienne. This group did a lot of skateboard video edits with those kinds of soundtracks, and seeing how the audio and visuals worked together really had an impact on me. It opened up a creative path that led me to dive deep into the origins of this music—how it travelled from Jamaica to England, how it was made, and the cultural impact it’s had over the last 30 years. Given that I had a more formal/traditional music education when I was younger, I thought it was super interesting to see electronic music rhythms behaving like live drumming—improvised and keeping you on your toes.
Looking back, I think my background in breakdancing really influenced my love for this music. A lot of breakdancing is done to the same breaks used in breakbeats, like James Brown’s stuff, Apache, and Amen—timeless classics. It reconnected me with my youth and had a huge impact on me. It's like unconsciously discovering something nostalgic.
Why do you think this style fits your creative expression so well?
That’s a good question, one I haven’t really thought about much. I don’t think it’s about my heritage or background, aside from what I mentioned earlier. It’s more of a social thing. Since I’m involved in the Romandy (the french speaking part of Switzerland) skate scene, I’ve developed this connection with a niche community. The autonomy, self-development, and support for your peers in that community really resonated with me. I love the no-ego vibe you get from it—at least in the Neuchâtel scene I’m part of. It’s all about learning a few things and then contributing back and growing together. There’s something special about thriving within a group, even though you can skate or create music on your own.
Do you think your music would change if you stopped skateboarding?
That’s a tough one. While skating and music are closely connected for me, I don’t think they’re inseparably tied. For example, skateboarding is full of transient moments, which ties in with the kind of music I make, but to be honest, it’s something that time will tell, I guess. Right now, I can’t imagine giving up either. They definitely influence each other, but I’d probably still be into this kind of music even without skating. It just so happened that they came into my life around the same time.
Considering you’ve mostly released singles and EPs, how did it feel to do a more in-depth release with Dee Dee’s Picks? Did you face any challenges or learn anything new about yourself?
Working on a project with a more defined theme was definitely a challenge, but not a stressful one. I was lucky to have a free month to focus on it, and while I wasn’t cranking out hits every day, it was steady progress. My production process involves setting a solid foundation across several tracks and then bouncing between them. This way, I can borrow elements from one track to improve another. There were frustrating moments, but you have to know when to let go and move on. Some days just don’t work out, and that’s okay. It’s all part of the creative process.
What was really interesting for me with this release was the idea of recontextualising sound. A friend shared a bunch of samples with me, including obscure soundbanks from retro video games and documentaries. I found it really fun to incorporate these elements from an era I didn’t live through into my music. The same idea applied to using non-musical elements like water. That’s actually where the theme of this release came from—not so much a theme, but an atmosphere. I’ve always been fascinated by water and its surrounding mysteries. For instance, there’s so much we still don’t know about the oceans, and that unknown really captivates me. Some people find oceans terrifying whereas for me, water is my comfort zone. Being immersed in it is my therapy—absolute serenity and freedom. I’m not sure how well I conveyed that feeling in this release, but there’s definitely a marine atmosphere there, at least for me. We’ll let the listeners decide for themselves.
The aquatic theme was also a metaphor for my creative process. Just like the oceans are vast and full of unknowns, so is my approach to making music. It’s about exploring the unknown and finding unexpected results—like a modern-day sonic Jacques Cousteau.
The logo for this release is a whale diving, which ties into your fascination with the ocean. Given your love for bass music, have you ever thought about making music with whale sub-frequencies, maybe as a hidden message for listeners?
That’s a funny idea! I haven’t specifically thought of that, but I could totally see myself doing a track or even a release with that concept. I’ve used whale sounds before, as well as other “water-related” animal sounds like seagulls or frogs. But I usually process the sounds so much that you wouldn’t recognise the original source. With this release, I went for a mix of subtle and obvious aquatic themes. The subtle part was in the music’s atmosphere, and the obvious part was in the visuals, like the artwork, logo, and track titles. The acronym of the release, HTGSW, stands for “How To Grow Sea Weed”, and the song titles are playful wordplays related to that theme. For example, “Stream Operator” refers to both controlling water flow for seaweed to thrive and how a music producer controls the flow of sound. It’s not to say that I spent a lot of time behind the titles though, but I definitely like my music to have a light-hearted, comical side—not to be taken too seriously, but still with little winks to who I am.
As someone involved in both the Romandy skate scene and music making, what’s one skill or philosophy that a skateboarder could teach a music maker, and vice versa?
I find the skate community to be more open and less judgmental than the music scene. At least in my experience, people in the skate community are more willing to help you out and avoid gatekeeping. Sure, you’re expected to develop your own style, but there’s more encouragement and support compared to the elitism you sometimes find in the music world, like DJs not sharing their track ideas or production tricks. But this is just my personal experience, and it could change over time.
It’s a tough question because I think these two worlds are more connected than we realise. There’s beauty in everything if you dig deep enough, and thus avenues for creative exploration. Anything worth doing has layers beneath the surface. You have to dive deeper, maybe step out of your comfort zone, to really uncover something new. Everything’s been done, yet nothing’s been done, so you might as well explore and see what you can bring back to the surface to share with others. Even if it’s been done before, we all bring our own backgrounds and perspectives, so there’s always something new to unravel. For me, that’s the biggest skill I’ve developed over the years. Even though I’m rather new to the scene, I make what you’d call club music without being an expert in this field in the traditional sense. My connection to club music is indirect, through breakdancing and skateboarding, rather than raves or the typical club scene. I don’t have the background or education in that, but that’s okay—I’m just doing my own thing.
Dimosoundz with the Parazar Club.
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