From residencies in Cambridge (UK) to Perth (Australia), DJ and producer Rioleval has been delicately honing his skills in a club setting for many years. Learning his craft and detailing the nuances whilst educating himself on how to control a crowd, across a multitude of genres and styles. Initially inspired by the 90’s club scene, Rioleval naturally explored the evolution and history of dance music, withthe classic house sound clearly represented on his debut production for SoSure Music. Since those early days,Rioleval has been able to immerse himself in the growing genres and scenes that have since developed,taking influence and inspiration from a wide range of artists and musicians.
Armed with that knowledge, he now takes his first steps into music production. Fusing together a range of influences from funk, soul and jazz with a classic house sensibility, he’s set to release his second EP ‘Improvise At Noon’on SoSure Music on the 26th February. DMCWORLD sat down to talk with him following the release of his debut EP the aptly named, ‘The Beginning’EP – which you can listen to here
A huge welcome to DMC World! You have just released your first EP on SoSure Music, with another lined up for the end of February. Can you tell us a little about them?
Hey, great to talk to you. Yes, super excited about these first releases. DJing and music production have long been passions of mine, but actually releasing my own music has been a long journey. I had wanted to tell my story and journey through music from the beginning, hence the unsurprising first title ‘The Beginning’! It all starts with this release.
“The Beginning” goes retro with four to the floor 90s house beat and stabbing jazzy piano chords built around a classic saxophone sample. It’s intended to create a swinging groove for the dance floor.
“Concept Phunk”, the second track, is 4×4 drum loop again, but this track is deeper with a dubby groove and a latin influenced breakdown that builds into a funky percussive drop. This track is also for the dance floor.
The “Improvise At Noon” EP release introduces my diversity with production concepts. “Improvise” has a minimal drum loop and rolling baseline, adding different elements creating a slow build up. It includes airy pads and a recognisable chopped up vocal that brings you into a half time break down, growing intensity before the drop kicks in. This record is more for the listeners ear than the dance floor. The record reminds me of the hot summer noon it was created on.
“Mini Drive” is that track you stick on in the car when collecting friends, stopping to get refreshments before heading back to a house party on a hot summer day. It really is a simple broken-down track with a rolling groove.
Can you tell us where the influences came from for ‘The Beginning’ & ‘Improvise At Noon’ EP’s?
The EP is influenced by the sounds and genres I was inspired by from the mid-late 90s. This inspiration was driven by electronic music genres like US House, Garage, Drum & Bass, Deep and Soulful House. Both EPs have all these ingredients blended together around inspired samples.
Describe your production style in three words:
Ninetiesrollingdrums deepjazzysoulfulgrooves & diversity. You said 3 word’s, right?
How does it feel to be finally releasing music after DJ’ing for such a long period?
Honestly, I can’t express how excited I am, so I will try to express it with my music! There’s years’ worth of inspiration and crazy concepts that I will try and interact with one another, and share once I’m satisfied with the finished projects.
Following these two releases, do you have any more planned/lined up?
Let’s imagine you have 20 years of menu recipes on a shelf and you have been shoping to buy all the ingredients needed. Now all you have to do is put these ingredients in the pot and get cooking and just hope some people like the taste.
You started promoting parties in your hometown of Cambridge, can you tell us how you got into the scene?
My clubbing days started early at 16 when we used fake IDs to get past the doormen to gain entry in the clubs! My older friends were putting parties on around the city and I was helping promoter’s flyer gigs to gain free entry to the events. Working my way up the ladder, I secured my first club DJ set when I was 19. I have always been involved with some sort of event, from DJing, promoting, or supplying and setting up sound systems for gigs around the city, and I still get involved with setting up sound systems.
Growing up in the 90’s club scene in the UK must have had some effect on you musically, do you feel like this is represented in your music – If so, how?
Without a doubt! You’re always inspired by music influences and it’s a part of growing up. Music really is a second language to me, I think it gives us the ability to express our inner- selves, engage with our moods and share moments. Music brings memories and I use some of these memories in my music. It might mean something to me, but not to the listener as much, maybe? Or perhaps people will really connect with it and love it, I hope so!
We read that you travelled to Australia too and promoted parties there, was this just a natural way for you to express yourself whilst living there?
Absolutely. No matter where you are in the world, you can’t escape yourself. You will attract the same habits, hobbies or passion that you follow, also meeting people who share these passions as well. I travelled around Australia and once I got to Perth WA and found a base, I started playing at house parties before getting DJ bookings and promoting for smaller gigs.
You’ve played at festivals such as We Out Here Festival, Meadows In The Mountains and Secret Garden Party – What has been your favourite festival to play at?
All three festivals are fantastic with just the best vibe you could ask for. You can really tell when hard work is put into these events to achieve the best atmosphere. All 3 are pretty different festivals. But We Out Here is one of my highlights because I closed the big top stage on the Saturday 3-5am and that was a pretty magical vibe.
Are you looking forward to being back in a DJ booth when the time is right?
Yes Yes Yes! I can’t wait until we can get back to normality. When? Who knows? The industry needs to bounce back, especially for our people that rely on the industry to pay the bills. I’m currently keeping my head down spending a lot more time in the studio and will continue to achieve my goals and trying to stay positive about the industry. Let’s hope we can all get back in the fields and on the dance floor pretty soon.
Thanks for having the chat, it’s been a pleasure. Stay positive. Peace – Rioleval.
