ricky retro

In 2018 the DJ and producer Ricky Retro threaded an over-the-top rural-American character through tech-house productions, weaving references to stock-car racing and Southern-rock guitar lines into his hypnotic electronic pieces. That year the outsized figure’s visibility rose with the arrival of singles including “BAD,” “1977,” and the Icona Pop collaboration “Freak on Me.”

Ricky Retro first surfaced in 2018 as a Stetson-wearing, Budweiser-drinking caricature of a heartland party animal whose visual persona sat at odds with the music. The throbbing tech-house tracks nevertheless stood apart through generous samples of his own thick Southern accent and occasional Lynyrd Skynyrd-style guitar riffs. Early cuts such as “OMG” and “’Merica” appeared in 2018, after which the artist moved on to festival stages and opening slots for Skrillex the next year. Additional singles followed in 2019 with “Cocaine Cowboy,” “DALE”—a nod to Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt—and a second Icona Pop-featured track, “Freak on Me.”