The new album nicely bridges the gap between his previous two efforts; providing the requisite in-your-face electro bang of classic Boys Noize on tracks like "What You Want", "Rocky 2" and "XTC", or more melodic songs like "Ich R U" and "Reality". At a time when mainstream electronic music--particularly the pervasive cultures of EDM and dubstep--have moved dance music out of the clubs and into the stadiums, Ridha is quick to acknowledge the old school house and acid records that shaped him as a DJ; the very same records that continue to bubble up as an influence on Out of the Black.
"I never compromise when it comes to creative or musical things," says Ridha. "I only do what I think is cool and what I like. It's not about what the market wants or what people expect. Maintaining artistic freedom has always been the most important thing to me -- for my own music or for anyone on my label." As for the title of his new record, Ridha explains that this music isn't coming from out of the blue. In fact, it's the opposite. "I tend to make and produce music only at night," he says. "I also generally only perform at night, so this is music that's coming totally out of the black. Also, they say the color black can absorb all other colors, which is a cool way to think about making music. You absorb every other kind of music--every possible sound--and what comes out of you is something new, something out of the black."
