Rave Rae on Risk, Crowd Signals, and the Moments That Shape His Sets
Rave Rae’s new EP hit the platforms this month, and it lines up with a moment where he’s been pushing himself to take bigger swings in his sets. The conversations around risk, crowd attention, and how DJs adapt to shifting expectations run through a lot of what he’s thinking about right now. Talking with him made it clear that these ideas aren’t theoretical for him. They show up in how he plays, how he tests ideas, and how he reacts when a room stops sending clear signals.
He walked through recent moments where a gamble reshaped the energy, why he still aims for tension instead of safety, and how he reads the difference between a distracted crowd and a crowd waiting for a pivot. His explanations were direct, grounded in experience, and tied to the real adjustments he’s making behind the decks. There’s no abstract language here. He talks through specific choices, concrete scenarios, and the shifts he makes when the atmosphere feels fragile.
This interview gives a clear window into how he balances instinct with preparation. He’s thinking about groove, surprise, long-form tension, and how to create moments that people carry out of the club. And since the EP is already out, this felt like the right time to sit down with him and dig into what shapes the decisions he makes when everything comes down to a single track choice.
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Interview With Rave Rae
What’s the last track you played that felt like a real gamble—and what made you do it anyway?
My remixes & bootlegs feel more like gambles because they often come together quickly from being inspired by the original idea while putting my own twist on them. Playing them out is rewarding because it incorporates the music that I love. In an ideal world, every track you play should be somewhat of a gamble.
The whole point of making music is to push yourself and get uncomfortable.
How do you decide when a track is worth risking the vibe of the room for?
I think it is important to get out of your comfort zone and push the set in a direction that could surprise the crowd. It is worth the risk when that track gives you the dopamine to pump even more energy into the set and room. If you love what you are playing, the crowd will feed off that energy you are giving. It’s much easier to be risky but real than comfortable but fake.
Do you ever feel like you have to earn the crowd’s trust before you can take that kind of risk?
Yes and no. Once you establish some consistency, then you can lead them into less mainstream territory. However, like I’ve been saying, it’s important to be comfortable being uncomfortable. If you just play the top 10 tracks all the DJ’s are playing right now, what is going to make the crowd remember you when the night is over?
Has a “risky” track ever completely changed the energy of a set for the better?
Yes, often those tracks are the ones that end up defining the set.
That reminds me of when Martin Garrix a month ago admitted that when he dropped “In The Name of Love” for the first time the crowd did not react. And now it is his biggest song. Sometimes a listener doesn’t realize they love a song until the song is ending because special tracks take a minute for us to process.
How do you balance playing something emotionally risky with keeping the dancefloor locked in?
It’s all about giving the crowd a healthy mix of emotion and groove. The best sets have moments that make you want to smile or cry and moments that make you want to rave. I think about it like swimming. If you give the crowd something that is so emotional and engaging, they have been submersed so to speak for a few minutes and need to come up for a breath and you can give them that breath with something more stripped back.
Do you think those moments of unpredictability are part of what makes a DJ unforgettable?
Absolutely. In a world full of imitation, being unpredictable is the way to stand out from everyone else. Those unpredictable moments give the crowd something to remember you by. As a musician and songwriter, it’s important to use tension, silence, and twists to be unpredictable and also as a DJ to use those same ideas of unpredictability in your sets.
Is there a track in your crate right now that you want to play—but haven’t yet found the right moment?
I have a track that is harder than what I normally make somewhere in between tech and bass house that I’m dying to play out but I just haven’t polished it quite up yet. I need to put some finishing touches on it. Also, I have been feeling more nostalgic as of late. I miss the 2010s EDM scene such as DJ Snake (Lean On) and Seeb (Pill In Ibiza). I want to figure out a way to incorporate that era into my sound. But you go through phases as an artist so I’ll see if that sticks.
