05.06 (Tue)
ONEMAN LIVE "Project" After Party-Special Guest Performance / eyden
Riton aka Henry Smithson is hailed as one of the UK’s brightest talents. Whether it’s his pulsating DJ sets, genre crashing team ups (Carte Blanche, Die Verboten) or the multitude of original productions and remixes under his belt, Riton has gathered accolades from every corner.
Knowing no boundaries, his enchanting remix touch has breathed 4/4 life into artists from M.I.A to Kylie Minogue.
Not content with providing the soundtrack to the nation’s nights out, 2008 release ‘Eine Kleine Nacht Musik’ was a more down tempo homage to his Krautrock influences, aptly showcasing another side to Riton’s prolific musical creativity.
The second half of 2009 saw another stunning collaboration, this time with Primary 1 on ‘Who’s There’ (released on Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound label), and a slew of incredible remixes ? his take on Kid Sister’s ‘Right Hand Hi’ caused chaos in clubs.
Riton and DJ Medhi’s brainchild, Carte Blanche was born in 2009 and soon enough Ed Banger honcho Busy P snatched the mp3s that were bouncing back and forth across the Channel for a release on the label. The result? ‘Black Billionaires’ EP, mixed by bass master Alex Gopher. Five tracks of Chicago house flavour and neck-breaking breaks. A shout-out to the masters, with no nostalgia whatsoever. The record includes club monster ‘Gare Du Nord’ as well as the catchy ‘Do! Do! Do!’ featuring Kid Sister. Booking a world tour before it was even released, ‘Black Billionaires’ EP did not disappoint. Then came the ‘Fun Never Stops’ Tour, as well as dark and downright dirty remixes for the likes of the Chromeo, Scissor Sisters and Uffie. 2010 was a good year.
Carte Blanche have now stepped it up with a fresh EP, mixtape and the ‘Carte Blanche Revue’ world tour. They‘ve even got proper dancing girls who can actually dance on rollerskates! And with the release of the new ‘White Man on the Moon’ EP, the fun is still very much far from stopping. The four-track, groove infused affair delves further into their love of house music and includes the banging ‘Jack on the Moon’ and ‘With You’ featuring Hot Chip’s, Alexis Taylor. Not forgetting the mixtape, ‘House Party 2: The Pyjama Jam’, another genre-infusing monster.
Carte Blanche success aside, Riton as a sole entity is still very much continuing on as one of the UK’s most exciting beat makers. He is currently working on his new album; a more r&b and hip hop inspired adventure with features from the likes of fast spitting UK grime MC, Scrufizzer and Connie Mitchell of Sneaky Sound System. A man of modesty, Riton describes it as “vocal, but with my thing coming through with the music”. Understatement surely.
www.ritontime.com
