Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 217: Clash]

"Why is the service at this hotel so terrible?" Hardwell recalled the way the server had shoved the tray into his arms, slightly baffled. "Maybe you forgot to tip her," Ryan replied, his eyes glued to the computer screen, chuckling.

Hardwell set the tray aside and focused on Ryan's production process.

Ryan meticulously enhanced the melody with various effects, including reverb, chorus, tremolo, and distortion. This sparked plenty of inspiration for Hardwell.

How did I not think of that? Combining tremolo with slides would definitely enhance the overall effect.

Then, Hardwell noticed Ryan cutting out the entire intro of the song.

"The name of this song is Power, but it needs more strength. The phrase 'this is power' should repeat four times," Ryan explained.

These were just little tricks that Hardwell hadn't yet mastered.

"That's true," Hardwell said, like a student observing a teacher.

Ryan took off his headphones and let Hardwell listen.

"Cool!" Hardwell's expression became one of disbelief.

"You've added magic to this melody; it's gone from dull to amazing, and it feels so much better!" Hardwell excitedly exclaimed.

"Do you have any ideas for the second verse lyrics?"

"Not yet, I'm not good at writing lyrics," Hardwell shook his head.

"I know someone who can help with that," Ryan said as he reached for his phone.

...

After a few rings, Taylor answered, sounding a bit groggy. "What's up, darling? It's a bit early for you to be missing me today."

"I'm working on a new song with a friend, but we're hitting a bit of a snag with the lyrics," Ryan replied.

"You and your friend didn't sleep?" Taylor was now wide awake.

"I just got up too."

"What kind of song? What's the theme? What are you trying to express?" Taylor struggled to sit up in bed.

"Power; that's the whole theme. I already have the first verse, and I just need the second one now," Ryan recited a few lines.

"Hang on, let me write that down... Bone, break, darker, grey, warm, fade... These imagery words are okay, they are rhyming enough. If we're writing the second verse, let's use similar words, like soul, heart..." Taylor mused.

"fire, cold, rock, hold" Ryan added.

"Yes, that's it! Let me put those together..." Taylor scribbled on her side of the line.

"Listen to these lines..."

♫ I'll give you every heart of a hundred soulsYou can be the fire to kill the coldI'll break you like a rock that could never hold ♫

"That's it," Ryan nodded. This kind of lyrical exercise shouldn't be hard for Taylor; it was almost easy for her. He jotted the lyrics down on a sticky note.

"Alright, I'm going back to sleep for a bit. I still have a show tonight, but I'll call you when I wake up. Just let me know if you need anything," Taylor yawned.

"Talk later." Ryan hung up and handed the lyrics to Hardwell.

...

"Wow, this is beautiful! Who wrote it?" Hardwell looked up, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Who else could it be? The boss lady," Ryan said.

"Isn't she in the bed room?" Hardwell blurted out.

Ryan chuckled. "Once you finish packing and come to Florida, we'll start recording in earnest."

"Okay, I'll see you in Orlando then," Hardwell nodded.

"And next time, remember to call me at a reasonable hour," Ryan stood up, picked up the coffee from the tray, and took a sip.

"Sorry, I guess I just got a little hyped up from too much Red Bull," Hardwell said sheepishly.

"All good, go catch some sleep. Don't wear yourself down over work," Ryan patted his shoulder.

...

Both of them walked out of the study. In the hall, they spotted Daddario clearing her table, making her look oddly like a server.

Hardwell remembered Ryan's earlier "lesson" and pulled out a ten-dollar bill, walking over to Daddario.

"What are you doing?" Daddario looked up and shot Hardwell a confused glare.

Feeling flustered, Hardwell dug out another bill, now making it twenty dollars.

"That's all I have on me," Hardwell said, nodding awkwardly.

Daddario, confused by where Ryan found this naive kid, declared, "I'm your little boss here!"

Hardwell suddenly realized he had made a mistake and quickly said, "Sorry, sorry, I mistook you for someone else."

"Just remember to be careful about mistaking women's identities next time," Daddario responded.

"Got it," Hardwell nodded repeatedly like a little chick pecking at grains, then left the room.

...

Shortly after, Teresa also woke up.

Daddario called her over to join Ryan for breakfast, having brought two plates while Hardwell had barely eaten any.

Daddario then mentioned the mix-up Hardwell had made.

"You're just not well-known enough, simple as that. I'm arranging for you to have a manager, and once the first season of the show wraps up, you have to audition for other movies," Ryan thought aloud.

The show would take four or five months, and during the rest of the time, he needed to keep her busy since he didn't have enough time to dedicate to her.

Plus, as the show aired, Daddario would at least start to gain some fame, and Ryan could then set up a management company to make some profit.

As for a manager, he planned to let Marvin recommend someone reliable.

"But that sounds tiring, and I'll be running around constantly," Daddario said, no longer keen on becoming a star. She just wanted to be by Ryan's side.

"What's tiring about it? You'll have an assistant to take care of everything. A driver will drive you, and the manager will set up your work schedule. Or would you prefer to work as a server at a nightclub for a few days and experience it firsthand?" Ryan teased.

"Fine," Daddario reluctantly agreed, visibly less excited but still nodded.

"And Teresa, look for a chance to return to acting as well," Ryan suggested, mentioning plans for Teresa's next steps.

Making her his assistant would indeed be eye-catching, but it felt like a waste of talent.

"Alright," Teresa nodded.

...

After breakfast, Ryan received a call from Alex.

"Louis wants to talk to you; he's reconsidering," Alex said.

It was clear that the "carnival" announcement had put pressure on him; he knew Ryan was orchestrating this, but felt cornered, as he and Ryan weren't even in the same league regarding appeal.

His apparent nonchalance was simply a facade. If not, he wouldn't have had Ryan speak at the winter music conference; Ryan was fully aware of his thoughts from the beginning.

...

That afternoon, Ryan met with Louis again. He directly proposed merging the "Winter Music Conference" into the Bad Room Carnival as part of the event.

In return, the name of the winter music conference would continue on, and Louis himself would become the conference director, receiving a salary while handling industry connections and supplier communication.

Alex was appointed as the "Festival Director," taking over Russell's responsibilities. He'd need to rehire staff that previously worked for Ultra Music Festival.

On the surface, it might have looked like he lost out on a lucrative deal, swapping it for a supervisory position, but in reality, he salvaged his own career.

In the original timeline, Alex had brought a 30 million dollar civil lawsuit against Russell and his two associates. However, the night before the hearing, he tragically died, leaving his family without further claims for compensation. From that moment on, Russell felt freed and was able to expand Ultra beyond the winter conference, branching out into other cities globally.

...

"We have a whole year to build the team; that's plenty of time," Alex remarked.

"You don't have a year; the first Bad Room Carnival is this summer!" Ryan reminded, emphasizing that he couldn't let the organization run idle for a year, as the costs would be too high.

"This summer? It's already April!" Alex felt the pressure mount.

"And it coincides with the international music summit in Ibiza," Alex added, visibly anxious.

"There's a ton of films that clash every year; do you think that's what studios enjoy?" Ryan countered.

"Alright... let's aim for this summer then," Alex exhaled deeply.

*****

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