Between Worlds, Between Frequencies: A Conversation with Rigopolar
Rigopolar
When UltraMaroon connected with Rigopolar for this interview, he wasn’t calling from a Miami rooftop or a club green room. He was at his family’s country house in Baja, Mexico — the sound of donkeys drifting through the air and a lush landscape stretching in all directions. The setting felt symbolic. His work lives in liminal space: between Miami and Mexico, between light and shadow, between disco, house, and something harder to name.
From Baja’s open air to UltraMaroon’s dancefloor, Rigopolar (real name: Manuel Castaneda) carries that same philosophy — movement, contrast, intention. His set won’t sit in one genre or one mood. It will travel. And if our conversation was any indication, it will be as thoughtful as it is kinetic.
Ahead of his upcoming UltraMaroon appearance, Rigopolar sat down with Sainte Francis for a conversation about not fitting neatly into scenes, rediscovering live performance at Burning Man with Mayan Warrior, the philosophy behind his label Tour De Infinite, and why mixing — not just production — is where true identity in electronic music lives.
Sainte Francis
It’s great to speak with you! You’re based in Miami now, right?
Rigopolar
Yes, it’s great to connect! I’m based in Miami right now — but not at this exact moment. I’m at my parents’ country house in Baja, Mexico. You might hear some donkeys in the background.
Sainte Francis
That’s much better than the dirty snow outside my New York window.
Rigopolar:
I used to complain about the cold when I was living New York, but when I’m not there, I miss it.
Sainte Francis
Well, we’re excited to welcome you back in a couple of weeks! For those discovering you for the first time, how would you describe yourself as an artist?
Rigopolar
I’m a Mexican DJ and producer, probably more producer than DJ. I’ve been making music for about 25 years, but the Rigopolar project began around 12 years ago. In the beginning, I was inspired by disco — but not the obvious parts. I was more interested in percussion, in the rhythm, in very simple drums. I wasn’t drawn to the big strings or the festive piano moments. My taste has always leaned a bit darker.
Over time, I started bringing in elements of house, some of the strange textures of techno, more psychedelic sound design. I don’t feel like I belong to one genre. I take small things from many places and build something that feels honest to me. It was never a strategy. I tried to follow genres before, but it never felt natural.
Sainte Francis:
That almost mirrors what you’ve described about scenes, not quite fitting in one single place. You lived in New York from 2017 to 2021 — what was that like for you?
Rigopolar:
New York is very complex. It felt like many mini-scenes. For me, it was like everything is moving very fast on a highway, and you are trying to enter the highway but you don’t see the space to merge. That’s how I see the music scene sometimes.
It happened in Miami too. I have friends everywhere, but I never felt fully part of a movement. I’m usually in my studio. It’s funny — sometimes when I move away from a city, that’s when I start playing there more.
At some point, I stopped chasing that feeling of belonging in a scene. I belong in the music. That’s enough.
Sainte Francis
You speak about music in a very technical but also spiritual way — especially when it comes to mixing. You’ve said mixing is half the personality of a track.
Rigopolar
At least half. Composition can be emotional. Arrangement can be interesting. But mixing is identity.
Electronic music is very accessible now. There are loops everywhere. It’s easy to build something. But sculpting the sound — shaping the frequencies, deciding how elements breathe together — that’s where intention lives. I’ve spent many years studying mixing techniques because that’s where I feel I can express personality.
Sainte Francis
Let’s talk about your live sets. I remember watching the recording of your live set with Mayan Warrior at Burning Man. What did that moment represent for you?
Rigopolar
It was very important. I used to play live sets about ten years ago when I lived in Mexico City, but I stopped because traveling with equipment was complicated. When Pablo from Mayan Warrior reached out, he specifically asked for a live set. He said my sound would fit the cosmic sunset energy — but darker.
The first year I was invited was the same year the original Mayan Warrior art car burned down. So, everything was postponed. That gave me time to prepare something with intention.
When I finally played in 2025, it felt aligned. The Mayan Warrior team cares about design, proportion, even the golden ratio. I’ve studied biogeometry and energy frequencies — how sound affects space — so I connected with that deeply. It felt like an energetic exchange, not just a performance. Magical is the right word.
Sainte Francis
There’s a clear throughline of intention in everything you do — which makes sense when we talk about your label, Tour De Infinite. What does that platform represent for you?
Rigopolar
The idea came when I lived in New York. At first, I just wanted to understand how labels work behind the scenes. I also needed a home for tracks that didn’t fit elsewhere.
But now it’s more about meaning. When artists send demos, I ask them about the story behind the music. What were they living? What does this track represent?
I feel sometimes there is emptiness in electronic music. Not always, but often. It’s easy to chase success, aesthetics, trends. I’m more interested in authenticity — even darkness, even discomfort. The name Tour De Infinite reflects that endless cycle of life and death. Nothing truly ends. Energy continues. That’s what I want the label to carry.
Sainte Francis
Bringing it back to UltraMaroon — what kind of journey are you imagining for this set?
Rigopolar
I never fully plan a DJ set. I organize my music carefully so I can move in any direction, but I decide in the room. It will probably be festive but still cerebral. Cosmic. Psychedelic. House-driven with disco touches. I like contrast. You appreciate the sun more after darkness. So, I move between energies — light, shadow, warmth, tension. It won’t be one color.
Sainte Francis
Looking ahead, what are you most excited about this year?
Rigopolar
I’m releasing a seven-track project called Cordillera, which means mountain range. It’s darker and more organic, with natural percussion. I worked on it for three years and became a little obsessed with perfecting the mix. Now it’s time to let it go.
I also have new ideas coming, and sometimes I think of it like baby teeth. The new tracks start pushing the older ones out. If you hold onto the old music too long, it changes direction. So, I need to release it while it still feels true to the moment I created it.
I’m also developing my live set further — giving it more flexibility, more color. And for 2027, I’m revisiting music I made 20 years ago — ambient, guitar-based sketches. I’m re-producing them now through the lens of Rigopolar. It feels like producing my younger self.
Sainte Francis
That’s a beautiful way to think about it — letting the work move through you when it’s ready.
Rigopolar
Exactly. That’s perfect.
Sainte Francis
So excited to meet you in New York at UltraMaroon.
Rigopolar
Yes, see you there!
Catch Rigopolar with Juliet Mendoza at UltraMaroon on Friday, March 13 at Eden NYC.
