His new album will get your feet burning. It’s fiesta time
Riva Starr has been cooking up a special batch…’Batería Fantástica’ is set for release on Snatch! in April and features a special blend of exclusive and original South American flavoured cuts made especially for you by some of the coolest producers on the planet. Heavily influenced by the cultural and musical history of the South, and homage to the early Miami days, label head honcho Riva Starr called upon some of his favourite producers to create and collide, to form a unique and rich cultural flavour that is unlike their usual sound. The big man reveals all…
Words : Dan Prince
Wow. What a journey you have had young man. It has to be said, all your hard work has well and truly paid off. How are you feeling about the last two years now that things are really flying?
“It has been fantastic to have been able to travel all around the world and push my own stuff. Also the launch of my label SNATCH has been a milestone for my career.”
Your phenomenal remix of Azari & III’s ‘Reckless (With Your Love)’ has smashed it’s way to the top of The Buzz Chart. Tell us about your mix and your take on the tune…
“Thx…I just wanted to give it a different feel from the original that is very cool and deep. So I tried to bring a bit of the oldschool disco stab action back to the game!”
Your sound from your superb Snatch! label has DJs as widespread as Carl Cox, Tiesto, Annie Mac, Claude VonStroke and Pete Tong bigging it up. Why do you think your music attracts such a widespread array of DJs?
“Not sure…I always like to put all my influences in my music…I like to play with it in the studio. That’s always been my focus point as Riva Starr and even before as Madox. I don’t pay much attention to the questions re if a certain DJ would play a certain track if I use different kind of sounds or synths or samples or whatever. I just produce what I like. If you like it then well otherwise maybe you will enjoy one of my next ones…”
What are your favourite Snatch! releases to date?
“You can’t ask a father to choose his favourite son, can you?”
Your label is called “Snatch” because you say you like to snatch different styles and genres. What styles do you get influences from that you think some producers may shy away from?
“All the styles that even the most daring of producer/DJ shy away from!”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Riva Starr & Fatboy Slim – Get Naked (Alli Borem, Rainer Weichhold & Namito, Fabian Argomedo rmxs)
Mihalis Safras – Green
Pirupa – Party Don t Stop
Jet Project feat. Robert Owens – Say The Word
Andrea Oliva – Low Profile
Kink & Romboy – No Sports
Gonzalez & Gonzalo – La Fiesta
El Pocho – A Mi Amigo
Cox & Rundell – Caipiroska
Butch – Sherlock Homos
You spent New Years Eve in Manchester with Annie Mac, Jaguar Skills and Fake Blood – what was that little mad night like?
“It was amazing, The Warehouse Project is always in my top 5 parties to play at and that night was crazy…A good vibe and raving crowd!”
How old were you when you first got hooked by dance music, when did you start this clubbing lark?
“I guess around 13 years old. I was a bit more rock/early electro/hiphop oriented at the time…then I moved to dnb/breaks then house…”
You are from Naples originally, now a London resident. What do you miss about Naples?
“Well, Naples!”
Your air miles must be mind boggling now. What country that you have ventured to in the last 12 months for the first time really blew you away?
“South Africa – that was crazy. An 11 hour trip with almost no time difference. Weird and amazing.The landscapes are incredible, people friendly and the crowd always up for it.”
And what country do you always love playing in around the world?
“Well I love playing pretty much everywhere, but everytime I go to Japan it is always something special. There is something with the crowd and the way the connect to the DJ that makes it incredibly good.”
With two albums under your belt, what do you think is your finest piece of production to date?
“A dancehall track called Sensimilla 90 bpm.”
What new producers and DJs that you spied on your travels should we be looking out for this year?
“Definitely Jet Project, Pirupa and Alli Borem.”
What big shows are you looking forward to in 2012?
“Every single one!”
A brand new album just in time for Miami. “Bateria Fantastica will be coming out in April on Snatch!
Talk us through this album, undoubtedly inspired by South American flavas…
“Yes! I’ve always been into sounds from the south of the world and I thought Miami WMC could be a good opportunity to create a special project based on those influences involving some of my fave producers, incidentally also friends. So Bateria Fantastica was born. The cool thing is, everyone created an original exclusive tune for this album – trying to produce something halfway between their style and the album sound theme…I am very happy with result!”
How difficult was it to choose the producers you wanted to create and collide with?
“Very easy. I had to leave out a few tracks as I had too many but I will release some of them as exclusives for the bundle version or the Itunes release so don’t miss them…all of them are club bangers, no fillers.”
How long has the album taken to make?
“Roughly five months between concept setup, producers brainstorming and production time. Everyone was busy doing their own thing so I really appreciate the effort everyone made to work on this lil beauty!”
Where is the launch party in Miami and who will be playing?
“The launch party will be at the Mokai club on Matchj 22nd with a strong lineup made up of b2b between me and Sneak, Pirupa and Ramon Tapia, then Guti Live and Leon. You don t really wanna miss this, advanced tickets are selling fast!”
What else production wise is forthcoming?
“Other than my new album, there are a few collab with Dop, Tapia and some voice featurings…all about bangers and…songs!”
You became a blog superstar which helped pave the way for your success, what advice can you give to aspiring producers reading this?
“Try to find your style and sound, then you will be recognized even if you talk with a potato in your mouth.”
And finally, you once said…”House music is like a magician hat – you can put your hand in there and you wont know what will come out of it next…
“And that’s what I like about it. No boundaries… At least for me.”
Tracklisting:
01) Riva Starr & DJ Sneak – Manduka (Riva Starr Cut) + Manduka (DJ Sneak Cut) DJ Tool
02) El Pocho – A Mi Amigo (Original Mix)
03) Gonzalez & Gonzalo – La Fiesta (Original Mix)
04) Carl Cox & Jon Rundell – Caipiroska (Original Mix)
05) 2000 and One & DJ Madskillz – Los Olvidados (Original Mix)
06) Aldo Cadiz – Negrito Ven (Riva Starr Cut)
07) Pirupa & Spada – Carioca (Original Mix)
08) Toto La Momposina – Oye Mulata (El Pocho Remix)
09) Riva Starr & Guti – La Orquesta De La Buena Voluntad (Original Mix)
10) Ramon Tapia – The Clash (Original Mix) + La Orquesta DJ Tool
11) Ricky Rozay – Bada Pre Good (Original Mix)
12) Nouveau Yorican – Quiere Mas (Original Mix)
13) &ME – Dios (Original Mix)
14) Butch – Sherlock Homos (Original Mix)
Tour Dates
3rd March – Lima, Washington DC, USA
9th March – Pacha NY, NY, USA
10th March – Beta, Denver, USA
12th March – Monday Social, LA, USA
15th March – Vessel, San Francisco, USA
16th March – Celebrities, Vancouver, Canada
17th March – Rain at the Palms Hotel, Las Vegas, USA
18th March – Set, Miami, USA
22nd March – Launch @ Mokai, Miami, USA
24th March – Nikki Beach, Miami, USA
31st March – Drop/Arenile, Napoli, Italy
7th April – Living Club, Lecce, Italy
8th April – Jubilee Club, Bari, Italy
14th April – Warehouse, Birmingham, UK
21st April – I’m a Beatfreak, Berlin, Germany
28th April – Strom.Club, P, Vienna, Austria
12th May – Alter Ego, Verona, Italy
25th May – Sankeys, Manchester, UK
27th May – Open Air Festival, Amsterdam, NL
3rd June – Bateria Fantastica @ El Row, Barcelona, Spain
www.rivastarr.com
