We chat with Riva Starr about his chart-topping house collaboration with Todd Terry, “This Is The Sound,” which just reached Beatport’s overall top spot.
Greetings and congratulations on your new Beatport #1, “This Is The Sound”! How are you two celebrating this awesome accomplishment?
Riva: I’m taking Todd to the best pizza place in town!
Before working together as a pair, you first remixed each other’s solo productions. Can you tell us a bit more about these remixes? When did the two of you first meet?
Riva: Well, in reality, we did another collaboration together, with me producing under my Soul Speech moniker. The track was called “Feelin’“, and it was released on my label Snatch! I think we met in the club somewhere and then we kept in touch… Now we share the same management, so it’s a family thang.
How did the idea behind this new collaboration first come together?
Riva: We just felt that the time was right to fish into one of Todd’s most iconic tunes (him releasing as Black Riot) and add a bit of a modern twist to it. Then we always talked about doing more stuff together, I mean, for me, it is a HUGE honour to be able to share some studio time with the legend that is Todd, plus he is a lovely, lovely man to hang out with.
What were some of the key components that went into the production of “This Is The Sound”?
Riva: We kept it simple, rolling thumping groove, funky bassline and an old-school sample to show a bit of the past flavour to the new generations. No major drum rolls or mad FX; back to basics.
Can you tell us a bit more about the record’s b-side, “Creators”?
Riva: I made it during lock-down during some of my live sessions in the studio where I would connect some of the machines (in this case, my trusty TB-303 and a Jomox drum machine + some samples from the Pioneer Toraiz 16 sampler) and record a long session… I would then edit the live session on the computer.
Any plans to get together for some more collaborations in the future?
Riva: Never say never!
Are there any other new releases you have in the works that you would like to tell us about?
Riva: I have a new EP titled Love Will Remain as Star B — the project I share with my brother in funk, Mark Broom. This time we leave our home at Snatch! Records to release on one of our favourite labels… Radioslave’s Rekids.
I also have a remix pack of “Love Divine” on Glitterbox with remixes from Jamie 3:26 and Mark Broom himself… plus a juicy Floorplan remix of our Star B track “House Sound” that we released a few weeks ago. I also have a BIG project coming out in March, but it’s too early to announce.
