Page 27 - Zone Magazine Issue 018

__________________________________________________________________________________
It just has not worked out for me personally. I am a go- getter.IfIwantit,Ijusttrytogoandgetit. Ifindaway,beit through the contacts and relationships I have fostered in the last twenty years or, simply by making it up as I go along. My wife always gives me good solutions as well. However, I understand that “no man is an island” and that we always need the help of others. I just have learned the hard way that you have to be extremely careful in this industry because there are a lot of con artists and “BSers” out there looking to advance their own agenda and fill their coffers.
You’re one of the most active artists in the industry, juggling gigs and production. It’s amazing to see how many releases you have each month. How much time do you set aside each week in the studio?
Thank you. I do like to stay active with music productions and performances. I make time for everything but it’s not always that easy. I get a lot of ideas and use my phone assistant to remind me of all the tracks I want to do and all of the pending remixes. I work fast in the studio, as I do not require that much gear to produce a full track. I also work with a mastering engineer that makes my music sound hot and fresh and he works fast as well. I try to be in the studio at least 3 times a week. The rest of the week basically consists of a nine to five desk job.
I try to get all the managerial and desk-work done fast at the beginning of the week so I can clear certain days and hours to solely produce music. That is my favorite part. It doesn’t necessarily always work out that way but I try. Then the weekend comes and the traveling begins. I never stop working and hustling to stay relevant. The key is to never stop. Never give up.
Do you work on music from home as well as the studio?
I work from home. I have a small studio with Apple’s Logic and a few more plugins. If I need vocals, I contact some of my songwriters in different cities in the US or Europe. They produce the vocal demo and then, if I like it, they record it in their own studio and then I put it all together at home. You gotta love
technology and the internet!
What’s your ‘go to’ plug in that you couldn’t live without?
The Nexus plugin. It has so many great sounds!
You’ve released music under various aliases over the years, what made you use alter egos for some of your releases?
I use aliases so I can release more music. If I don’t, there might be too many Robbie Rivera releases in one month and that affects both streaming and sales negatively. I am working on revamping and refreshing my alias “68 Beats”. I used it a lot when I started my career. I also have a few more that I will keep secret for now.
Now that Juicy Music has teamed up with Armada Music, how has that changed the direction of Juicy?
With Armada, I look forward to growing the brand and getting more exposure for the artists on the label. I believe we can achieve that goal with their distribution power and social media team. The direction of Juicy Music has not changed much. I like to release many singles but we are focusing on more compilations and releasing singles that appeal more to the Spotify format as well as to hard-core dance music lovers.
Where can we expect to see you perform during September?
I will be performing in Philadelphia, Colombia, South Carolina, Miami and, Canada
Where in the world is your favourite place to DJ and why?
My favorite place is Pacha in Ibiza. I have played there so many times since the year 2001 and the vibe is always the same. People love the real house music sound or what many people call tech house or even techno these days. I don’t know what it is but I feel great playing at Pacha because there is always a happy vibe. I also love the Amnesia terrace but I haven’t played there in a while.