An engineering postgraduate student from ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ has won an internationalDJing competition, beating thousandsof artists to become the ‘Sound of Tomorrow’. Ricardo Rodriguez, 25, from northern Spain, was crowned the winner of the after a live online DJ battle, judged by a panel of experts and a public vote. Ricardo, known as DJ Rikki, will perform his own DJ set at Tomorrowland 2021, release a remix on the Darklight Records labeland have his own residency at Tomorrowland’s One World Radio.
Ricardo is currently studying for a Thermal Power MSc at Cranfield, specialising in aerospace propulsion, and hopes to forge a career in engineering alongside producing music and DJing. He began studying at ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ after he was granted a prestigious scholarship from ITP Aero, a Rolls-Royce company, where he was working as an intern. He’s currently completing another internship in an engineering company whilst developing his research project.
Ricardo says: “My aim with the scholarship was to get my master’s at Cranfield and then work back at ITP Aero. The future is now more uncertain due to the Coronavirus outbreak – however, in the next year I will focus on producing music and working on One World Radio, together with working as an engineer if I get the chance.”
With stringent requirements and many phases to the DJ competition, Ricardo beat a competitive field to reach the finals on 7 July. The livestream was presented by Pepsi MAX and Tomorrowland and showcased the talents of four finalists from across Europe.
Describing his style as mainstream and emotional, Ricardo says: “Winning this contest was something I would have never imagined! It's a huge contest in which the whole world had the chance to vote, meaning I got the support of people from all over the globe. I feel incredibly excited because this will help me develop my artistic career in unimaginable ways.”
Ricardo took up DJing seven years ago when he started it as a hobby and was a popular resident DJ at the Cranfield Student Association.
Alison Whaley, Director of Student Experience at ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥, said: "What an amazing achievement for Ricardo - it's fantastic that he shared his musical talents with his fellow students too. Studying at Cranfield isn't just about the academic experience, it's also about creating connections and bringing a community together. I've no doubt Ricardo will engineer his way to more success both in music and industry."
You can watch Rikki’s successful live DJ set in the .
