Interview: Five Minutes with Rich Nxt
UK based producer Rich Nxt is releasing his latest EP DANSE 4 JOY today, July 19th, via AVOTRE. The artist began creating music when he was only 10 years old, with his passion for the art and industry only growing as he did. He became involved in the London Rave scene in the mid-2000s, going on to become an integral part in creating FUSE. Rich Nxt also went on to launch his own imprint NxT Records in 2016.
To be the first to get your hands on his latest album, follow the link below:
You can listen to a sneak peek of the album below:
Hi Rich, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. It looks like you’ve had a busy year so far. How’s it been going for you?
It’s been going well thanks! I have had a busy year playing, by far my busiest to date. I have certainly learnt how much more of a challenge it is to keep up with the studio work doing even a modest amount of touring that I have done. I have a lot of respect for those who are on the road constantly and still managing to get the music done. I was also without a studio for the first 6 months of the year, due to moving house. I still was able to do a few remixes using a cut-down setup and headphones, but am so enjoying having my full range of gear to use now that the new studio is ready. I was lucky that I did a ton of music last year which has seen me through release wise for this year. Without that, I would be panicking a bit now.
Tell us about your journey in music, how long have you been producing? What inspired you to start?
Actually, it all dates back to when my mum surprised me with electronic organ lessons round about my 10th birthday. I have always liked music as a kid and did recorder at school like everybody else, but these lessons were my first time really realising how much I liked playing. So fast forward through my teenage years and college playing instruments, in bands whilst dabbling in music technology, you find my mid 20’s finally getting my first turntables, clubbing and this is when it all finally started coming together. At this stage, I was very much experimenting in producing with the only outlet being my creativity. I was DJ-ing a lot. Not until FUSE started another 8 years later did the final piece of the puzzle drop in, which was a place to take this music, a use for it.
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when you put music together?
For me, it all starts with bass. I work the bottom end first, kick and however many basslines it needs to properly groove. My aim is that my tracks don’t lose all their energy when you take the high hats and percussion out. These should be the icing on the cake, not what makes the track groove. If you have a strong bottom end and bass groove it’s bound to keep things ticking along in a really reliable and rhythmic way.
Are there any key pieces of equipment that you are using to define your sound?
I am taking good inspiration from my grooveboxes this year with units like the Roland mc303. It’s great for sparks of inspiration in the same way that you might use a sample pack. Often it’s actually the case that some of the sounds don’t even end up in the final track or I might replay something so it fits better but to help evolve ideas it’s really useful.
We see you’ve been travelling quite a lot this year, from Australia to Brazil, to Lithuania and many other places in between. What has been your favourite gig so far and why?
Such a hard question to name one so I’ll name a few! My 4th tour of Australia back in Easter was really good and I was also able to play in the beautiful New Caledonia this time. For the SASH 8th Birthday in Sydney, I was lucky enough to play 3 sets across the day and night, in different rooms of the clubs. Really enjoyed this. Cocoon In The Park is a festival I have wanted to play for years and I finally got to do this last week back to back with Enzo. It’s one of my dreams to have played there, the whole thing is slick, well organised and great fun. Of course, Fuse London at Fabric was a really special event, getting to close room was another of my big wishes. Also like you mentioned I was playing in Sao Paolo earlier this year and it was one of the times when my family could make it on the trip too so this is also a favourite.
You have had a very fruitful year in terms of releases, what keeps you motivated and inspired? How much emotional energy do you invest in the public reception of your creative output?
I have always just loved making music, ever since my first experiments back in the day on the Atari ST. This is my motivation, the feeling I get when I make it. As I was saying, I was without a studio this year for 6 months and I’ll be honest, when I finally finished it I surprised myself in that I got stuck straight in. It took a while to acclimatise to it. Of course, it didn’t take long and I was right back in the zone. My motivation and inspiration are everywhere, from music and books to the gigs that I do, my other half is my best critic and we in our FUSE family always help and encourage each other. In so far as emotional energy in my music goes, I invest a lot of energy in getting my music to sound right and as I want it in a club and on record.. It can be disappointing when your track doesn’t quite bang as it is intended to and you just have to go back into the studio and change some stuff around. As for my tracks themselves, if no one else in the world liked them I would probably think everyone was crazy and just listen to them on my own!
You’re scheduled to perform at Fuse Barcelona at INPUT this weekend. What are you looking forward to most about this? What can those in attendance expect from you?
INPUT is one of the best clubs in the world for me. The layout and sound are perfect for FUSE and this will be our 3rd or 4th off week showcase. The parties there are always very intense. The layout of the room brings everyone together so pretty much all the way through there is a concentrated momentum to that party. It is traditionally one of the last parties of the week and people are always surprised to see the amount of energy that fizzes away at this one!
What’s in the pipeline for you for the rest of the year? Any upcoming releases we should know about?
I have been working hard for the past couple of weeks getting the pipeline going for next year. Meanwhile, for the rest of this year, I have scheduled for release 2 tracks with Enzo Siragusa on the FUSE10 Decade of Rave Part 2, EPs on FUSE London and NxT Records (with remixes from Malin Genie and Argy). Remixes for Steve Bug on Snatch, and Darius Syrossian on Moxy, I also have remixes on the SASH record label, Deeperfect and Leftroom.
Upcoming Events:
In Barcelona, Spain – 21st July:
INPUT High Fidelity Dance Club
In Ibiza, Spain – 2nd August:
Follow Rich NxT
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