INTERVIEW | Rome In Silver Talks New ‘Like Lightning’ EP, How To Overcome Industry Pressure, & More

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Rome In Silver has simply dazzled us with his wide-ranging sounds this year. The way he constructs his tracks is one-of-a-kind, and keeps the listener on their toes awaiting vivid twists and turns around each corner. We’ve become enamored with his sound, and cannot get enough of what he’s putting out.

Today the quickly rising up-and-comer debuts his full Like Lightning EP on bitbird, and we’re pumped to finally listen to it in its entirety. From hip-hop to drum & bass to house, this EP has everything you’re looking for and more. We’re familiar with the first three tracks on the EP, but the bass-heavy “You Don’t Know” is a brand new slap.

We wanted to get to know the man behind the beats more personally, so we sat down with Rome for a conversation about his process, the industry, and how much he loves cheesecake.

Check out Rome In Silver’s Like Lightning EP below, along with our interview with the blossoming producer. Enjoy!

Rome In Silver – Like Lightning EP

Current favorite artists: Some artists heavy in my rotation right now are Robotaki, Posij, Wajatta, Ardalan, Protial, Tsuruda, Tokimonsta, Vide, & JKuch just to name a few!
Most recent Google search: A friend told me to watch “The Autopsy of Jane Doe” so I had to google it. Sounds interesting to say the least.
Favorite quarantine pastime: Cooking for sure. I might as well become a chef after this whole thing is over. Also there’s a lot of parallels between cooking and making music, more than you might think!
Favorite post-set snack: Cheesecake. Unfortunately it’s quite hard to find late at night. I should probably put it on my rider. Sounds delicious right about now.

This new EP is amazingly versatile. Is there a specific genre that you connect with the most?

Thank you so much! I’d say I’ve always been into the 4 on the floor style beats. Not necessarily like house music, or midtempo but maybe somewhere in between. I’ve been making a lot of stuff like that. Funky, groovy, 4 on the floor beats that get people moving.

Is there a certain moment you look back on when creating this project that you’re most proud of?

Most definitely. One thing I’m proud of is how much some of these songs have held up over time. “Yoko” was a song I released in 2016 but it didn’t get much attention back then. So to re-release it 4 years later to a bigger audience is so cool. I’m stoked that bitbird was down to do that.

What’s the best way to listen to ​Like Lightning?​

I grew up in the high desert so naturally I’d say driving through the desert at night would be the best way to experience it.

When did you first realize you wanted to fully pursue music?

It actually wasn’t until I was about 21 when I realized it could be turned into a career. I had already been making beats for years but I still had the mentality of going to school so that I could get what my parent’s called a “real job”. When I was about 21 I realized there was such a strong passion in music and that I’ve only got one life so I may as well do something I absolutely love. I’m 26 now and enjoying every minute of it.

What’s been the most important thing you’ve learned while coming up in the music industry?

One thing I’ve learned is to not let the pressure bring you down. There’s always so much going on around us in this community of producers. A lot of noise, a lot of what feels like is “competition”. I think when I’m most comfortable is when I have a clean schedule and I have nothing to work on. It can be hard though because you feel like you’re falling behind, but if you can get past that and just work on your own terms when you’re truly in the zone then your quality of work will be much better. The hardest part is detaching yourself from all that noise, but if you can you will be so much better off.

Who are your dream collabs? Pick one electronic and one non-electronic artist.

This is always a tough one for me but if I had to pick, in this very moment, I’d say:

  • Electronic artist: ZHU
  • Non-electronic: Vince Staples

Someone passes you the aux at a house party. It’s 2:00am and things are starting to die down. What do you play?

I’d say let’s keep this party going and then throw on Kaytranada’s album 99.9% and just let it run. Perfect party vibes. Gets people groovin every time.

If you could play a set anywhere in the world with no restriction, where would it be?

This one might sound obvious but I’d say in Rome. I think it would be so crazy to do a massive show there one day. Maybe I can perform in the Coliseum or something wild like that.