INTERVIEW: RIVA STARR

From his days spent in the Jungle and Breaks scenes, to his current position at the heart of the London club scene, Riva Starr’s meteoric rise in the past couple of years has seen him play across the globe, hook up with Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird label and consistently be name dropped as a prime mover in modern House music.

Ahead of his appearance at this years Eastern Electrics New Year Eve’s, we exchanged a few email questions to see how he’s found 2009…

Hyponik.com: Mr. Starr, how are you doing?
Riva Starr: COOOOOL!

H.com: What have you been up to recently?
RS: Lotsa studio work and gigging around testing my new album shizzle and my forthcoming label releases too… all bangers!

H.com: As a tech-house bod, what do you make of the massive resurgence of bass driven music - Dubstep, Funky, UK Garage - in recent years, and where do you see it heading?
RS: I love some of them as I come from Breaks, Hip Hop, Dn’B. I love everything bass related. I don’t love it when people with no creativity just jump on the bandwagon for a pure $$$ thang - ruining the scene!

H.com: You blend up a lot of different styles in both your tracks and your mixes. Which artists influence your work, and which of them would you like to work with?
RS: As I said before my style has a lot of influences in it because of my musical background. Let’s say that I don’t like rules! My fave’s are the outsiders…

H.com: What’s been happening in the studio recently? The I Was Drunk EP is taking beatport by storm. What have we got to look forward to from you in the future?
RS: Well I ve got a few remixes coming for the likes of Von Stroke, Reboot, Lionrock, Xpress2 and more… Plus I’ve got my new label to launch in March with some amazing pieces from the likes of David Keno, Donk Boys and a few ongoing collaborations (a second tune with Noze as well).

H.com: It’s been a mad couple of years for you, rising rapidly through the ranks of house producers to become one of the most in demand DJs on the planet. How have you found it?
RS: Exciting! I guess it’s what I was looking for…

H.com: Which artists are really driving house music forward in your opinion?
RS: Made To Play and Dirtybird artists are really killing it for me at the mo.

H.com: You’re playing at Eastern Electrics NYE party, nicely rounding up a busy year. What’ve been the highlights of 2009 for you?
RS: Well, I ve done a lot of exciting gigs. A very huge one at Circus with Fatboy Slim - that was epic.

H.com: You used to make techy breaks under the guise Madox, what do you make of the “death” of breaks? What do you think made the scene so stagnant that many artists, yourself included decided to take a new direction?
RS: No creativity, formulaic tunes, no space for new producers because of the Breaks elite mafia!!

H.com: As a native Italian, how do you like London? Where are your favourite nightspots? Any discoveries you’d like to share with us?
RS: I love London, there are a few nice spots. If you want to get a good pizza pop by Brick Lane there a nice Italian restaurant that is killing it!

H.com: What do you do with your time off? How do you relax?
RS: I love spending time with my girfriend - time is such a precious thing nowadays.

H.com: What would the world be like without music?
RS: BAAAAAAAAAD!

Catch Riva Starr playing in the Man Make Music arch at the Eastern Electrics New Years Eve - hit HERE for more information.