An engineering postgraduate student from Cranfield University 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 Tomorrowland competition 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 Cranfield University 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 Cranfield University, 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 video of the finals on YouTube.
