What can I say about my good friend Olivier? What can I say? I can say he is a good friend. In every sense of the word. At a time in our lives as men (our middle age, perhaps?) its typically more difficult to find kindred spirits and actually give them time and a piece of yourself…. but Olivier did this for me. Hopefully I’ve done the same for him. I might have written about this before, but I’ll go for it again, and try to keep it short.
I met Rodriguez Jr. the first time I photographed him playing at Heart Nightclub, October 28, 2016. It might have been the first time I photographed and/or saw someone play “live.” It was on another level. I have the utmost respect for many many DJs and producers. I have always maintained that a proper DJ performance IS musicianship. Well, a live DJ set, as I already said, is something else. It’s on another level. I was immediately a fan.
Bastidas, Rodriguez Jr., Donnie Lowe, & Travis Rogers at Heart Nightclub. on October 28,2016
He asked me for my business card that evening, and I excitedly handed him one. He had mentioned he needed some process and promotional images, and that I might be able to help out. I never heard from him. Fast forward to the ill-fated BPM 2017 in Playa del Carmen Mexico… my final gig of the week was at a rooftop party where Olivier would be playing. (Here’s the dramatized version as I choose to remember it) We see one another across the room ,and he waves at me. I walked over, and he pulls my business card out of his wallet. This was almost 6 months later. “Stuart! I’ve been trying to reach out, and I haven’t heard back!” I asked to see the card…. /facepalm Moo printed my email address incorrectly on the card. instead of stuart@stuarttracte,photography, they left a t out. in Stuart Tracte. /facepalm. We shared a laugh, and immediately had a stupid moment to create a friendly bond. Olivier would play Heart Nightclub once more before it sadly closed in 2018, and I had the pleasure of photographing him yet again. We then scheduled a press/promo shoot and had not only a wonderful time, but our friendship was growing. I gotta say… its super cool when someone who’s art you respect so much does the same in return. Im still a huge fan to this day, but I can say with 100000% assurance, I’m a now both friend and a fan. I always look forward to my time hanging with Olivier, and even more so for the hangs in years to come. So, now that I’m done gushing…Here’s an image from the second Heart visit.
Rodriguez Jr. at Heart Nightclub. January 6, 2018.
We did one studio shoot that came out great and Olivier used for a few years. We’d become good friends in between those time, having a few meals, attending the christening of his newborn son, smoking cigars on the deck of his home in Miami…. Recently, he had mentioned he’d need another shoot for the cover of Mixmag. What an honor. Not only an opportunity to work with a friend &respected artist, but also to have another shot at a Mixmag cover., Without further ado, here are the images from the shoot, and the PDF of the final pages of the magazine.
(click images to enlarge)
