INTERVIEW: Truant.J

With Ruminations, arriving October 17, Truant.J delivers his most refined and narrative-driven work yet — an EP that bridges emotional introspection with the hypnotic pulse of the club. Built around driving percussion, addictive leads, and a cleaner, more direct production approach, the record marks both a personal and technical evolution for the Vancouver-based artist. Inspired by cyber-futurist imagery, classic films like Metropolis and Blade Runner, and his own process of transformation, Ruminations unfolds as a story of resilience and rediscovery. It captures Truant.J’s ability to fuse raw emotion with forward-thinking sound design — a dark yet liberating reflection of his journey through challenge, growth, and creative clarity.

Every Truant.J record seems to carry a specific emotional weight. What was the core feeling or message you wanted to capture on Ruminations?

I think the whole EP comes from working through some challenging things in my life, and I really feel like "Ruminations" is an expression of conquering that and reaching a better place, and celebrating that. I hope that comes through in the progression of the tracks for listeners.

How did the creative process for Ruminations unfold — were there moments of struggle or clarity that particularly shaped the final outcome?

This EP was one of the easiest for me to write, as I simply leaned into the process. I've been focusing less on forcing sounds to fit and more on finding elements that naturally click together. I discovered this approach for most of the EP, which was quite novel for me. I believe that, to some degree, this truly unifies the narrative elements of the EP.

You’ve previously talked about sound as a way to process inner experiences. Was this EP born from a particular period of reflection or change in your life?

Certainly, I always try to put a bit of myself into my records. This EP is no different and is a way for me to celebrate growth, working through experiences in my past, and coming out better from them. These aren't new themes, but I certainly feel like I'm in a much better place, and from that, I was able to put that energy of escape and freedom into the stitching of this EP.

The textures in your tracks often balance tension and calm. How do you approach maintaining that equilibrium when producing — is it intuitive, or something you consciously sculpt?

I really appreciate that this comes through, as it's something I'm always working to improve; it's so important to this style of music. It really just comes from feel and experience, and is something I can continue to improve at. I feel like it's one of the most important things in techno, regardless of genre. I've learned to experiment more with different ways of listening, experimenting, and playing my tracks before releasing them to improve in that area.

Do you see Ruminations as a continuation of your sonic identity, or does it mark a turning point for Truant.J in terms of mood, sound, or artistic intention?

Both, this EP really feels like it's helped me find my stride in creating darker, driving techno, and I've already finished a bunch of music in a similar vein that I'm very happy with. That being said, I've also completed another EP that is in a very different direction, which I've been thinking about for a long time. I finally felt inspired to just do it and create something very different, and I'm very happy with it and can't wait to share it.

Finally, what do you hope listeners discover within Ruminations — beyond the beats and atmosphere — when they sit with it from start to finish?

More than anything, I hope people just get a bit of that sense of escape. Most avid techno listeners have probably felt that deep into a set by an artist they love at a venue they enjoy. I’d love to capture just a little bit of that.

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