Interview: Riffioso on the evolution of the remix – Reflix?

Riffioso is quickly making a name for himself online, some of his ‘Reflix’ video remixes have been viral hits and it’s seems like he has been constantly in the music press for the last few months. We caught up with the man himself to find out a bit more about what he’s doing and how he is evolving the remix!

SoundPlate: Tell us about your take on remixing and why you think the art needed to evolve..

Riffioso: When it comes to art and creativity I don’t believe in limits. I’m a natural explorer and I want to see what is beyond the known world. I think the art of remixing has been nearly perfected as I see many great styles of remixes coming from all over the world. However, duty as a creator is to give the listener something new so when I see tracks like ‘Gangnam Style’ having over 500 remixes in all sorts of genres I don’t feel the need to remix these songs. I want to do something that hasn’t been done before and i go out my way to create something unique.

Musically I like to remix in my style of “Symphony & Bass” and when I really want to make an impact I do a “Reflix” on the track. Symphony & Bass is a blend of orchestral and electronic elements, it’s very organic but heavy so you can still dance to it. A reflix is about taking a remix of a song then combining it with a new visual so that the whole vibe has changed but the song is still intact. It’s like a cover but it features the original artist. It’s almost like if you travelled to a parallel universe where they had the same songs but everything around you had different styles and moods like Michael Jackson was a rockstar and the Statue of Liberty was Blue.

How important are visuals in music?

Visuals are very important in music. We have 5 (maybe 6 senses depending on your spirituality) so sound only makes up a small part of that. Our Brain is a very underestimated and powerful organ and requires stimulation to function. The more sensory pathways you can trigger with music & art the stronger the emotional response and the bigger imprint it has on our memory, experience and well being.

Do you think all remixes and tracks should / will have visuals in future?

I’m not really a fan of the absolute, I hope more remixes to have visuals as it will give us deeper connections to the songs but I hope different people can explorer all sorts of ways of presenting remixes. Computers and youtube make it easy to delver visual remixes but maybe producers can hold events where you can be shaken or sprayed with incense.

Your music has very quickly made a big impact online but is it also music for the dancefloor?

Yes I would say more than half of the remixes I do have a dance theme in mind. I visualise what it would be like to dance to this sound or how can I form this sound so that it creates rhythmic impact. I like my breaks and my swing so I take inspiration from jazz and soul Other times I want the remix to be a complete zone out so it’s less about rhythm and more about dynamics and harmony and the inspiration on these usually comes more from soundtracks and classical music.

FInally, will you be touring / playing live this year? What does a live Riffioso show involve?

I can’t wait till I can put this sound on the road, I have a big vision for how I want the stage and club performances to come across. There will be a lot of visual and live elements but it will depend. If im in a club people will just want to zone out a little so there will be more focus on the music mix. For the live shows there will be a greater focus on whats going on stage. The first time you will see me live this year is with an artist called Ashleigh Ashley who I have been working with very closely. We will be touring her EP which is a big mix of orchestral, electronic, big band, dance and cinematic sounds. You will definitely get a flavour of Riffioso.

Thanks for your time!