Rone (born Erwan Castex, 20 June 1980) is a French electronic music producer and artist.

Early career

Erwan Castex was born in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...

, France. He grew up in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. His first EP, "Bora", came out in 2008 on the French label InFiné. French DJ/Producer

Agoria Agoria, previously known as Fabrimetal, is a Belgian employers' organization and member of the Federation of Belgian Enterprises. Description Agoria connects over 1900 technologically inspired companies active in Belgium (2019) that striv ...

selected the track for his mix compilation "At the Controls", attracting support from the UK (

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

's 3D, Sasha and London's Fabric resident DJ

Lee Burridge Lee Burridge (born November 1968) is a British DJ and producer who was influential in the underground club scene in Hong Kong in the 1990s, where he also helped established the nightclub Neptune's. Burridge later became a member of England's T ...

2009–2010: Debut album ''Spanish Breakfast''

In 2009, Rone released a new maxi, entitled "La Dame Blanche". The track was later remixed by

LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem is an American Dance-punk#Contemporary dance-punk, dance-punk revival band from Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy (electronic musician), James Murphy, of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals ...

's bass player Tyler Pope and Austrian electronic music artist Clara Moto. The same year he brought out his first album ''Spanish Breakfast'', also on Infiné.

Electronic Beats Telekom Electronic Beats (TEB) is an international music marketing program of Deutsche Telekom focusing on electronic music and international club culture. The program was founded in 2000. It comprises a media portfolio and has been organizing event ...

ranked him in their top 25 Best Albums of 2009.

2011–2012: Berlin, new inspiration, new album

In 2011, in search of new inspiration, Rone left his hometown of Paris for Berlin. This led in the spring of 2011 to the release of the EP So So So. A second album entitled '' Tohu Bohu'' (Biblical Hebrew expression meaning chaos) followed in October 2012, likewise on Infiné. The album featured the single "Let's Go", with vocals by US rapper High Priest from New York's

Antipop Consortium Antipop Consortium is an American alternative hip hop group. The group formed in 1997, when Beans, High Priest, M. Sayyid, and producer Earl Blaize met at a poetry slam in New York City. They are notable for their stream-of-consciousness lyri ...

. Resident Advisor gave the album 4 out of 5 and Rone won three 2012 Trax Magazine awards: Best French Artist, Best Album and Best Music Video. Tohu Bohu gave rise to three singles: "Parade", "Bye Bye Macadam" and "Let's Go". All three singles were promoted by videos, the most successful, "Bye Bye Macadam", having been viewed more than 40 million times on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

and been shown on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...

and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

's ''

Off the Air In broadcasting, a dark television station or silent radio station is one that has gone off the air for an indefinite period of time. Usually unlike dead air (broadcasting only silence), a station that is dark or silent does not even transmit a ...

'' episode "

Worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...

2013: Tohu Bohu Tour, collaborations and Tohu Bonus

Early in 2013, the US indie band The National asked Rone to add some electronic sequences to their new album ''

Trouble Will Find Me ''Trouble Will Find Me'' is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band the National, released on May 17, 2013, on 4AD. Produced by band members Aaron and Bryce Dessner, the album features appearances from St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, ...

'' on

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

. The National's lead singer

Matt Berninger Matthew Donald Berninger (, born February 13, 1971) is an American singer, primarily known as the frontman and lyricist of indie rock band The National. In 2014, he also formed the EL VY project with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and Menomena. ...

said in an interview, "Rone's work has brought something fresh to our sound, I’m not saying we re-invented ourselves as a band, but we’ve opened new doors". The same year,

Gabriel & Dresden Gabriel & Dresden is an American electronic music duo comprising Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden, formed in San Francisco, California. They collaborated from 2001 to 2008, then again from 2011 to the present. During that time, they have created nu ...

Juan Atkins Juan Atkins (born September 12, 1962), also known as Model 500 and Infiniti, is an American record producer and DJ from Detroit, Michigan. ''Mixmag'' has described him as "the original pioneer of Detroit techno." He has been a member of the Belle ...

Clark (musician) Christopher Stephen Clark (born 29 August 1979) is a British electronic music, electronic musician, performing under the mononym Clark. He has produced music for his own albums, as well as music for television, films and video games, having co ...

and Dominik Eulberg remixed respectively the tracks "Bye Bye Macadam", "Let's Go", and "Parade".

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the Electronic music, electronic, Ambient music, ambient and New-age music, new-age genres, and is known for organising out ...

selected two of his tracks to feature on the compilation "Infiné by JMJ". The album Tohu Bohu was later re-released with a bonus disc with 6 unreleased tracks; one of them features John Stanier on drums.

2014: Apache EP – North American tour

2014 saw the release of the Apache EP, in April. Simultaneously Rone toured North America for the first time, finishing with an appearance at

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colora ...

's The Do LaB Stage. In the same year, Rone made remixes for French pop singer Etienne Daho and the band

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

Testing new technologies

Rone also collaborated with sound engineers from Radio France on binaural versions of the tracks "Apache", "Quitter la ville" and "Acid Reflux", reproducing an audio 3D effect.

2015 : Third album: ''Creatures''

After tours around the world, Rone returned to Paris and released his third album, ''Creatures'', on 9 February 2015. Various artists collaborated on this album:

Étienne Daho Étienne Daho (; ; born 14 January 1956) is a French singer-songwriter. He has released a number of synth-driven and rock- surf influenced pop hit singles since 1981. Career Daho was born in Oran, French Algeria. He sings in a low, whispery vo ...

, François Marry (leader of pop group Frànçois and The Atlas Mountains), cellist Gaspar Claus,

Bryce Dessner Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, and a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother, Aaron is also a member of the group. Together, they write the music in collabo ...

(co-leader of the group The National), and trumpet player Toshinori Kondo. Rone also released a 360° virtual reality project, ''Quitter La Ville'', in collaboration with La Blogothèque. The video was one of the first digital simulation clips, making him a pioneer in the Virtual Reality field.

2017: La Philharmonie de Paris / Fourth album: ''Mirapolis''

On 14 January 2017, Rone performed a bespoke piece at the

Philharmonie de Paris The Philharmonie de Paris () () is a complex of concert halls in Paris, France. The buildings also house exhibition spaces and rehearsal rooms. The main buildings are all located in the Parc de la Villette at the northeastern edge of Paris in the ...

for which he invited various guest artists: the drummer John Stanier of the group Battles, the science-fiction writer

Alain Damasio Alain Damasio (born Alain Raymond, 1 August 1969) is a French writer of sci-fi and fantasy. He also works as a scriptwriter for comics, radio fictions, movie and TV series. He is also notable as an audio and spoken word artist. Biography A ...

, and the leader of Frànçois and The Atlas Mountains François Marry. On 23 March 2017, Castex received the French honorary decoration of Chevalier de l'

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

. On 3 November 2017, Rone released his fourth album ''Mirapolis''. The title was inspired by his childhood memories at the

Mirapolis Mirapolis was a theme park located in Courdimanche (Val-d'Oise, France), which was based on elements from French literature (novels and fables) and culture. Mirapolis was opened in 1987. Spanning , the park was described as being 'France's fi ...

theme park, which closed in 1991. For ''Mirapolis'', Castex pushed further his collaborative work, working alongside film director

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

who illustrated the album cover. His fourth album also includes various international collaborators: John Stanier, the drummer of the

Battles A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

, Kazu Makino from the vocal trio

Blonde Redhead Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Kazu Makino (vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar) and identical twin brothers Simone (drums, keyboards) and Amedeo Pace (lead guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals) that formed in New York ...

, the guitarist of The National, and

Baxter Dury Baxter Dury (born 18 December 1971) is an English indie music, indie musician, originally signed to Rough Trade Records. Early life Baxter Dury is the son of Ian Dury and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" Rathmell. As a young boy he appeared on the ...

2020: ''Room With A View''

Invited by Ruth Mackenzie, the artistic director of

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

, Rone received a carte blanche for 9 performances, from March 5 to 14. Rone decided to collaborate with the collective for ''Room With A View''. This project was both a musical and choreographic piece, performed by 18 dancers from the

Ballet national de Marseille The Ballet National de Marseille is a dance company based in Marseille, France. The company combines modern dance and classical ballet. Overview The Ballet National de Marseille was founded by the dancer and choreographer Roland Petit in 1972. T ...

. This creative project mainly addresses the messages of climate change. Simultaneously, ''Room With A View'' became the artist's fifth album. In 2020, Rone composed the original soundtrack for the feature film '' Night Ride''. The score led to him being awarded the prize for best original soundtrack at the ''Festival International du film de Saint- Jean-de Luzz'' and at the ''Festival de La Baule''. Rone also took home the 2021

César Award for Best Original Music This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Original Music (). Before 2000, the award was called "César Award for Best Music". With three awards out of eleven nominations, Alexandre Desplat is both the most nominated and ...

2021: ''Rone & Friends - L(oo)ping''

After previous projects being held back due to the

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic, Rone decided to produce a collaborative album with his vocalists Odezenne, Georgia,

Jehnny Beth Jehnny Beth (born Camille Berthomier, 24 December 1984) is a French musician and actress originally from Poitiers and based in London, England since 2006. She came to notability within Europe as one half of the indie rock duo John & Jehn, and ...

Dominique A Dominique Ané (born 6 October 1968), better known as "Dominique A", is a French songwriter and singer. Early life Born on 6 October 1968 in Provins, France, Dominique Ané is the only child of a teacher and a homemaker. He was passionate about ...

, Laura Etchgoyhen,

, Mood, Flavien Berger,

Yael Naim Yael Naim (; born 6 February 1978) is a French-born Israeli singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2008 in the US after her hit single "New Soul" was used by Apple Inc., Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The song peaked at N ...

, Malibu,

Camélia Jordana Camélia Jordana Aliouane (born 15 September 1992) is a French pop singer. She rose to fame after participating in the television show ''Nouvelle Star'', the French version of ''Pop Idol'', in 2009, where she placed Nouvelle Star#Awards by season ...

, Casper Clausen, Melissa Laveaux and

Roya Arab Roya Arab (born 1967) is a British musician and archaeologist. Born in Tehran, she is an exile of the Iranian Revolution. Early life and education Roya Arab was born in Tehran, Iran. She attended Maktabe Tarbiat school in Tehran, while also stu ...

. On 25 and 26 June 2021, Rone released ''L(oo)ping'', an electro-classic concert, held at the

Auditorium Maurice-Ravel The Maurice Ravel Auditorium is a concert hall located in Part-Dieu, the 3rd district of Lyon. It was originally built for the National Orchestra of Lyon and is their residence hall. It is also one of the first buildings in France to be built wit ...

, accompanied by 81 musicians from the

Orchestre national de Lyon The Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL) is a French orchestra based in Lyon. Its primary concert venue is the Maurice Ravel Auditorium. The orchestra operates with the help of a subsidy from the Ministry of Culture (France), French Ministry of Cult ...

, the pianist

Vanessa Wagner Vanessa Wagner (born 11 June 1973, in Rennes) is a French classical pianist. Biography She studied in the class of Dominique Merlet at the Conservatoire de Paris. At 17, she won the first prize, and went on to study with Jean-François Heisser. ...

and the choir Bostgehio, under the direction of the Belgian conductor Dirk Brossé.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Remixes

Collaborations

Filmography

* 2010: ''The Cord Woman'' (

Original soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...

) * 2014: ''The Beast (short film)'' (Original soundtrack) * 2016 : Half Sister, Full Love,

Opening credits In a motion picture, television program or video game, the opening credits or opening titles are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank scree ...

(''Bye Bye Macadam'') * 2016 : ''I, Philip'' (Original soundtrack) * 2016 : ''I Want Pluto to be a planet again'' (Original soundtrack) * 2020 : '' Night Ride'' (Original soundtrack) * 2021 : ''Paris, 13th District (feature film)'' / '

Les Olympiades Les Olympiades () is a district of residential towers located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, 13th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built from 1969 to 1974, the district consists of a dozen towers built along a huge esplanade, elevated eight ...

'' (Original soundtrack) * 2024 : '' The Mohican'' (Original soundtrack)

Choreographic pieces

*2020: ''Room With A View'', (La)Horde & Rode with the

Ballet National de Marseille The Ballet National de Marseille is a dance company based in Marseille, France. The company combines modern dance and classical ballet. Overview The Ballet National de Marseille was founded by the dancer and choreographer Roland Petit in 1972. T ...

at the

Distinctions

*2016:

Berlin Music Video Awards The Berlin Music Video Awards is an annual international festival held in Berlin, Germany to celebrate the art of music videos. The festival brings together music video enthusiasts, directors, producers, and musicians worldwide to showcase their ...

, nominated for Best Experimental for his work ACID REFLUX *2021:

, winner for Best Experimental for his work Room With a View *2017:

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

*2020: Grand Prix SACEM for electronic music *2019:

, nominated for Best Narrative for his work 'Wave' ft. Noga Erez *2021—

46th César Awards The 46th César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, took place on 12 March 2021 to honour the best French films of 2020. Roschdy Zem presided, and Marina Foïs hosted the show for the first time. Winn ...

: Disque d'Or of Cannes Soundtrack Award (Festival de Cannes) for the original soundtrack of ''

''. *2022—

47th César Awards The 47th César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, took place on 25 February 2022 honouring the best French films of 2021. Screenwriter and director Danièle Thompson presided the ceremony that was host ...

: nominated for

for ''

''.

References

External links

Rone homepage

Rone discography on Discogs
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rone 1980 births Artists from Boulogne-Billancourt French electronic musicians French film score composers Sorbonne Nouvelle University Paris 3 alumni Pseudonyms Living people Musicians from Boulogne-Billancourt