Riva Starr

Riva Starr has been shaking up the world of dance music with his eclectic and unpredict able palette of sounds and styles for over a decade. Over the years, he has racked up numerous accolades and achievements including releasing 3 acclaimed albums, having a myriad of single/EP releases on some of dance music’s most established labels and amassing an impressive remix resume of artists including Audion, Groove Armada, Dennis Ferrer, Usher, Estelle, London Grammar, Fatboy Slim, Reboot and David Morales. DMCWORLD checks in with the Italian born London based producer as he releases his fourth album, ‘Curveballs’ via Adam Beyer’s revered  Truesoul Records…

 

Stef, welcome back to DMC World. Where are you in the world today?

Thx! Right now I’m in Milan for a Halloween party and just back from the States!

So, your fourth LP Curveballs has recently dropped via Adam Beyer’s Truesoul imprint. Please tell us a bit about the project and how it compares to your previous LPs?

Well it’s just a way to show (firstly to myself) where my sound is at right now, I just wanted to make an album showcasing my current sound with its wide palette. I come from a hiphop/breakbeat/jungle background and you can hear it strong on some of the tunes. I also think that being very eclectic gives me that need to actually produce a full album and try to include the different faces of my sound in one project, that’s why I love doing them!

The album features the legendary house diva Jocelyn Brown on ‘Always’, how did that collaboration come about?

In all honesty the vocals are part of a song made by a friend of mine years ago (in a different style) and while I was discussing with him about the tune we decided to try and give the vocals a new life. She was very happy with it and here is how it was born.

What album tracks are you most fond of and why?

I love a different track everyday… they have been carefully selected between 40+ demos, that means that I’m 100% fond of all of them!

Why do you think albums are still relevant within the current climate in dance music?

Not sure if in our circuit they are still relevant or not and I don’t really think this matters to me. As I’ve said before, I like to give this experience to myself and to the people that are ready to feel it to the other side, it gives me the chance to show sides that usually are hard to include in a normal single or EP.

You’re lucky enough to DJ all over the world but which countries/cities do you find react the best to your music?

I’ve gotta say that pretty much everywhere I get a very good response, lately I’m playing more often in South America and we have a great following there also thanks to my label Snatch… but Ibiza, UK, Italy, Japan, Australia, States etc…all react greatly too!

What are the 5 hottest tracks in your DJ sets at the moment?

Santos – You Wanna Hear

Santos - You Wanna Hear (Original Mix)

Ciclo – Groove Talent

Ciclo - Groove Talent [Snatch! Records]

Taraval – Aardvark

Taraval - Aardvark

Superchumbo – This Beat Peace (divisio rmx)

This Beat Is (Peace Division Deeper Mix) - Superchumbo

Anthony Naples – OTT

For those that don’t know, you’re also the owner of the established house label Snatch!, how has 2018 been for the label as a whole?

2018 has been superb so far! We keep on releasing the music that we like without thinking about trends and stuff. Lots of kids follow us and always tell us we inspire them which is the biggest compliment!

What’s next for Riva Starr?

Already working on a new album!

*****

Curveballs is out now via Truesoul Records

Beatport order link : www.beatport.com/release/curveballs/2398443

Riva Starr links…

www.facebook.com/rivastarr

https://soundcloud.com/rivastarr

https://twitter.com/rivastarr

Truesoul Records links…

https://truesoul.se/music

https://soundcloud.com/truesoul

https://www.facebook.com/TruesoulRecords

https://twitter.com/TruesoulRecords