BRINGING BACK THE DJ MIXTAPE
UK DJ PRODUCER RIOLEVAL DROPS NEW LO FI HOUSE MIX WITH 95% OF HIS OWN MUSIC
Rioleval , a rising UK based artist who has been building an enviable release catalogue and delicately homing his skills across a wide range of residencies. Inspired by the 90s and classic house sound he brings a blend of lofi, jazzy, soulful vibes with a deep texture and added minimal elements to create his own unique sound that meanders from downtempo through to pulsing and uplifting grooves. Read about it here:
1.Tell me about Rioleval…
Hi, I’m Valerio AKA Rioleval which is an anagram of my own name. I’m from a British, Italian background, born in the UK to Italian parents giving me the best of both cultures growing up. I was always surrounded by music as a child. My father is very musical and he played a number of instruments given me an interest in music from a young age. Growing up, my older siblings would play cassette tapes listening to all kinds of electronic music genres like hip hop, hardcore, Jungle, D&B, garage and house music. Listening to these styles of electronic music really inspired me. I would record individual tracks onto blank cassette tapes experimenting and creating my first mixtapes that would later lead me into buying turntables and start collecting records in all of those genre styles. I would go raving at the weekends adding to my music knowledge and watch DJs spin records and spend time mixing at home.
What’s your background and who are you really inspired by?
I remember going to fabric in London. I remember the night it was like yesterday maybe it was Laurent Garnier and he dropped the track HFoundation – hear ‘dis sound’ and the place went off!
He was mixing different styles seamlessly all night, this experience was the tipping point for me and I realised I wanted to DJ like he was, blending these music genres creating a journey that locked you in, hours seemed like minutes and everyone was vibing to his solid grooves all night. 3 years later my first proper DJ booking was back in 2004 to an empty dancefloor (obviously on the warming up duties haha) This led into more bookings and residences throughout the UK and Australia. Today, I still get inspiration from listening to a wide range of music and I’m constantly searching for inspiration.
In your own words what is your individual production and DJ style and sound?
I would put my production into a Deep Jazzy Groove style. Whereas my Djing style has a blend of all House styles depending on set time and where I’m playing, House Music would be my DJ style in a nutshell as I blend house subgenres together leaning more towards deep and jazzy house in my sets. I was djing the other weekend and it’s a great feeling when, everyone is fully locked into your journey.
You are now a well-established artist, tell me about some of the significant success you have achieved, your Spotify profile, and the tracks that have the most listens. What have been your main achievements as an artist?
I was always a DJ first and became a producer later with my first release in 2020. Currently I have around 20 releases, some are available through my Bandcamp page and others are on SoSure Music, who I’m currently signed to. My first achievement was producing and releasing the records. The second achievement was getting signed to SoSure Music. Spotify has been a great outlet for me and the reach your music can have globally through a platform like that is incredible. Closing The Big Top Stage, 2am – 5am at We Out Here festival in the UK was a highlight for as a DJ .That set was one set that really stood out for me, where I come away saying to myself that was epic. I remember the crowed being locked in for 3 solid hours. I was blending between deep house and disco edits keeping momentum with the grooves, I had the energy bang on the button, another result was the bar was inside the tent and the bar staff had quick serving skills that kept people happy and returning to the dancefloor and carry on raving, I could see hands up, heads down. As a dj you know when the vibe is going well and you feel the energy from the crowed come straight back at you.
Which tracks are you particularly proud of releasing.
I’m proud of my releases so far. i’m super,super excited about my next records too. ‘Improvise At Noon’ really take me back to my adolescence and the artwork features the bridge on my Nonna’s street. ‘Teebee03′ is also a record I really love with the the acid elements taking me back to my early days of clubbing in London. ‘MoodSwing’ was track turned out really turned out well too. It was recorded in one session and I was having a really shit week while my father was in hospital and all emotion come flooding out that day.
You are about to release a DJ Mixtape os SoSure Music. What was the thinking and attraction around this especially when we are in a world where people consume music with short attention spans?
SoSure Music approached me and asked if I’d be interested in putting together the next release in their InFocus series. I got to put a lot of my own productions on the release as well as working on some four brand new remixes for it. I also got the opportunity to dig through the SoSure Music catalogue and include some music . It’s the perfect opportunity to showcase what I have been up to musically over the last four years as well as showcasing my style as a DJ.
Will the tracks from the mixtape be available for individual download?
Yes – all tracks and the DJ mix will available via all major digital platforms for download and streaming. The full album will also be on my Bandcamp page.
Do you think that there has been a resurgence in the slower downtempo style of DJ mixing and DJ sets? Where is this sound played and do you think the DJ landscape in terms of clubs and clubbing is changing?
These days you can seek all styles of music that inspire you. The internet really makes it so easy to track down music movements, locations and styles. The same goes for online promotion, if you use it correctly it can be a powerful source regarding reach on a worldwide scale. Going back to your question, the more downtempo style fits in the earlier set times, festival tents, sunrise or sunset views always go down well with a downtempo style in my experiences anyway.
Where can we see you DJing?
You can catch me DJing at a number of festivals next summer and I have a residency for a rooftop party called Deep Burnt in Cambridge every bank bank holiday Sunday starting April. Stay tuned for more news on all of this.
What do you have in the pipeline for 2025?
I’m going to be focused on an artist album in 2025. Lots of writing and production. Putting together my debut album is a really exciting prospect.
For more information on Rioleval visit:
About InFocus Vol 2
The mixtape is alive and kicking! With a plethora of DJs now publishing their own selection, mixes (are for sure) easily accessible to listen to and enjoy. Here the inFocus mix series from SoSure Music stands out from the crowd due to is unique offering; featuring 95% of the the artist’s own productions and remixes, selected from the SoSure Music catalogue and beautifully blended to give a sonic snapshot of the DJ.
The inFocus mix series is specially curated by an individual artist with this new volume featuring superbly crafted deep, soulful and energetic house grooves which can be enjoyed in any setting. The mixtape also has two samplers available for download featuring key tracks from the mix providing a great tool for any DJ set.
‘inFocus Vol 2′ is brought to you by Rioleval , a rising UK based artist who has been building an enviable release catalogue and delicately homing his skills across a wide range of local and international residencies. Inspired by the 90s and classic house sound he brings a blend of lofi, jazzy, soulful vibes with a deep texture and added minimal elements to create his own unique sound that meanders from downtempo through to pulsing and uplifting grooves.
Over the last three years, Rioleval has been building production catalogue which has gathered over 15m streams. Release such as ‘Reminisce Avenue’ and ‘Improvise At Noon’ have both built up significant momentum and exemplify his unique blend of mellow, refined deep House vibes. With an ever growing global following, Rioleval currently entertains over 220,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone. This compilation also features four brand new and exclusive remixes where Rioleval has added his touch to records that caught his ear. Danism + Train (Ndisole), Rucks (Lover), Groovyman (High So High) and Sofa King (Softest Touch) all get the remix treatment. With 2025 has already been earmarked as a big year for Rioleval with a prospective debut artist album.
With dance culture constantly changing its setting from the club to the bar, electronic lounge music is enjoying a renaissance. It’s that energetic but mellow house sound that sets the scene in many bars and restaurants where the vibes are the utmost importance.