“People Come to the Dancefloor in Need of Healing”: A Conversation with Rimarkable

Behind the decks at UltraMaroon, Season 6 at Blue Midtown.

Fresh off a soul-affirming trip to Europe, the multi-hyphenate DJ, producer, vocalist, professor, radio host, and artist, Rimarkable, was keen to discuss a topic close to her heart — the indelible, restorative power of music.

In the weeks prior, Rimarkable had taken to the stage at Hï Ibiza for Glitterbox’s Sunday summer residency, embarked on a sabbatical in Lisbon, during which she had the opportunity to produce with the psychedelic soul-savant, jitwam, and spun for her second time at Djoon Club in Paris – a preeminent global institution for soulful house.

Refreshed and ready to hit the decks for Season Six of UltraMaroon in New York, Rimarkable sat down with Sainte Francis for a conversation on the transcendent, healing properties of the dancefloor.

Sainte Francis:

It’s always a pleasure to get to chat with you! You’ve been up to quite a lot this year. What have been some of the highlights?

Rimarkable:

This year has been a whirlwind. Movement Detroit was definitely highlight, where I played a record five sets in my hometown, one of which being a six-hour set at Spotlite for Glitterbox.

I just finished an amazing, life-affirming trip to Europe. That doesn’t always happen when traveling overseas, which can be a bit stressful especially when the world is blowing up around us. Recently, I’ve just been very grateful to be alive, and to be exploring and expounding on my career.

During the trip, I also got to take a sabbatical in Lisbon and had the opportunity to make music with one of my soul brothers who’s making noise in the industry, jitwam, then play at world-famous Djoon Club in Paris, the home of soulful house. Djoon is a unique, special, warm and inviting club where you’re going to see actual dancers. Phenomenal, legendary sets happen at Djoon. I was grateful to play there again.

Sainte Francis:

What about this trip was so soul affirming?

Rimarkable:

This trip allowed me to quiet my mind and reflect on why I am doing this work. When you’ve been in the game for a while, you start to get pulled in so many different directions. It can throw you off balance.

But I have been in the game this long because I've made it an act of service.

As an artist, sometimes you can get caught up in promoting shows and creating content and whatnot. But as DJs, we must remember that we have a duty behind these decks.

I'm truly in this to bless people. I talk about this in my class at NYU: People come to the dancefloor sick, in need of healing. Whether or not they know they’re being impacted by their environments, the chaos of the world, et cetera. We’re all connected. We’re all bringing something onto the dancefloor. And music is such a powerful healer. To be able to manipulate sound in a way that can be transformational and healing? It’s a privilege—and it’s my life’s work. 

Sainte Francis:

That’s beautiful. And a perfect segue into your work as a professor. You’ve been an adjunct at NYU since 2022. You were back this spring semester teaching your “The Alchemy of DJing” class. Tell us more about that.

Rimarkable:

I’ve actually been teaching this class for 14 years, both privately and through higher education. Recently, I even taught it online for the first time through Waajeed’s Underground Music Academy based in Detroit.

The course is about several things; It’s a technical introduction to the art of DJing; It’s about the history of dance music and DJing; And it’s a psycho-spiritual introduction to what happens to the body when music is playing.

Different sounds affect our chakras and different points in our bodies (these are called solfeggio frequencies). These frequencies relate to our technical skill as DJs when it comes to things like EQ-ing and how high, mid, and low frequencies affect dancers – just as one example.

Sainte Francis:

This makes me want to go back to school! What else is part of the curriculum? 

Rimarkable:

The class is also about having your mind, your spirit, your heart, and your intention ready as a DJ. I think finding your intention is something that separates folks in the swelling crowd.

The course culminates in a final exam where we throw a party. My students get to invite their friends and family, and they perform in front of people. I also make everyone do a back-to-back (B2B) set, which – as you know – can be high-stakes and a lot of pressure. You need to know how to transition from any genre, at any speed and learn to troubleshoot and collaborate with other performers.

Sainte Francis:

Speaking of collaboration, you recently collaborated with one of my all-time favorites and recurring UltraMaroon DJs, Tedd Patterson, for your “Metallurgency” remix, and released “People Were Dancing” with Keys N Krates on Melé’s imprint, Club Bad. How did these tracks come about?

Rimarkable:

I’ve released four great tracks this year. With “Metallurgency,” I knew I had something special. I kept shopping it around until it eventually landed with Nervous Records, which I’ve loved since the 90s. Tedd has a relationship with Nervous, too, so they were very supportive of him doing the remix. I’m so grateful for his love for me. I’m grateful that he was willing to put his hand on the song make it into something even bigger.

For “People Were Dancing,” I closed for Keys N Krates, my collaborators on the track, in December of 2023. We became friends and they invited me to Toronto a couple months later, where that track came about. Melé’s label Club Bad picked it up because they knew it was a firecracker. They knew it was a rocket.

Sainte Francis:

It’s been a pleasure to watch your success as a DJ, producer, professor, and all-around artist this year. What’s next on the horizon? 

Rimarkable:

I’ll be travelling around the country in the next few months. But one of my plans for 2025 is actually to do a small- and mid-sized city tour. 

Earlier this year, I was in Greensboro, North Carolina for an event called Dance From Above. I decided to do it because I had old school roots in Greensboro and spent a lot of time there as a younger adult.

They treated me like a queen, and the reception to see me was crazy! There was a line down the street to see me perform.

It was very refreshing to experience. People were so appreciative and loving towards me. I realized, I don't necessarily need to have an entire career of just playing festivals and gigantic clubs. I want to play for these folks, too – the ones who come to these smaller cities, make plans, and show up every time something is on the calendar.

People, everywhere, need music. It's kind of like a church. In this world of chaos, we need that.