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RUSSELL! Puts His Creative Process on Display With PATRÓN Tequila
PATRÓN Tequila brought the art of music-making into full view in Toronto with Crafted Live, a two-day experience celebrating the time, creativity and craftsmanship that goes into making music from scratch.
Over the course of 48 hours, the pair wrote, produced and recorded an entirely new song inside a glass recording studio at Front and Spadina, inviting audiences to watch the creative process unfold in real time.
The experience brought PATRÓN’s dedication to craft together with RUSSELL!’s own hands-on approach to music, spotlighting the passion and process behind the finished product.
Gabriel Di Sante
Made by hand and crafted by passion, PATRÓN Tequila is produced at Hacienda PATRÓN in Jalisco, Mexico, where master artisans come together with a shared purpose: to create authentically Mexican, super premium tequila. Using traditional, time-tested methods and just three natural ingredients 100% Blue Weber Agave, water and yeast, over 60 hands contribute to every bottle from beginning to end. For RUSSELL!, that connection felt particularly organic.
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“Just like PATRÓN tequila, it’s made all in-house. It’s homegrown from step one,” he says.
That, from-the-ground-up mentality, has long been part of RUSSELL!’s creative process. The independent artist, who has amassed more than 45 million lifetime streams, remains closely involved across his music, from songwriting and recording, to production.
“I’m a DIY musician, so I make all my own stuff. I engineer myself, I write everything, I help produce things,” he says.
Gabriel Di Sante
Crafted Live presented by PATRÓN offered a different way to experience that work. With the studio open to public view, audiences could see the track taking shape across the two days, revealing the ideas, skills and decisions that are often invisible by the time a finished song reaches listeners.
A parallel comparison for PATRÓN Tequila. Behind every bottle is a meticulous process that begins with carefully selected Blue Weber Agave. The agave is hand-chopped, baked in small brick ovens and crushed using both a two-ton volcanic stone Tahona wheel and a roller mill, before being fermented and distilled in small batches.
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While the pair had 48 hours to complete the challenge, RUSSELL! is no stranger to working quickly.
“I make songs in like 30 to 45 minutes. I work very fast,” he says. “But I also think it’s great to take my time and really craft.”
The extended process also gave RUSSELL! and Nari the chance to translate the spirit of the experience itself into the track.
The result is “On The Rocks,” which carries the spirit of classic 2000s R&B. It's smooth, fun and full of hooks – a perfect Millennial party starter.
“I want to spread the vibe of PATRÓN Tequila, to capture that in the music,” RUSSELL! says. “I want to make the soundtrack of what this sounds like, what it smells like, what it feels like…Like the PATRÓN Perfect Margarita. Some lime, some agave, sweet and sour.”
Like the artisans behind PATRÓN, RUSSELL! and Nari transformed a few essential elements into something layered and distinctive. Crafted Live brought the two creative processes together, demonstrating that whether crafting premium tequila or an original track, the finished product is defined by the hands, passion and precision behind it.
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And while the glass studio was only in Toronto for two days, the result will live beyond it.
RUSSELL! and Nari’s Crafted Live collaboration, “On The Rocks,” has officially been released and is available on SoundCloud. Find the original track “On The Rocks” here.
Gabriel Di Sante
*THE PERFECT WAY TO ENJOY PATRÓN IS RESPONSIBLY. ©2026. PATRÓN, ITS TRADE DRESS, THE BEE LOGO & SIMPLY PERFECT ARE TRADEMARKS. HANDCRAFTED IN MEXICO. TEQUILA – 40% ALC./VOL. MUST BE LEGAL DRINKING AGE.
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