Bringing an unlikely exaggerated country-boy persona to tech-house tracks, DJ/producer Ricky Retro laced his hypnotic electronic compositions with references to Nascar and Southern rock guitar riffs. Singles like "BAD," "1977," and the Icona Pop-featuring "Freak on Me" began appearing in 2018 as the larger-than-life DJ's profile grew. Ricky Retro appeared first in 2018 as a cowboy hat wearing, Budweiser-swilling caricature of a middle American party animal. His image didn't exactly line up with his music, but his throbbing tech-house tracks were set apart by samples of his own thick Southern accent and occasional Lynyrd Skynyrd-guitar riffs. Early tracks like "OMG" and "'Merica" first showed up in 2018, and the DJ was playing festivals and opening for Skrillex by the next year. 2019 saw the release of singles like "Cocaine Cowboy," "DALE" (a reference to Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt), and "Freak on Me," a song featuring guest vocals from Icona Pop. ~ Fred Thomas