Riskotheque is a Brighton based DJ/producer who just happens to work at Rounder Records, which is kind of Brighton’s answer to Big Apple Records. Kind of – as in it sells loads of good records and a couple of producers hang out there. Riskotheque’s approach to dubstep is a little different to the Croydon heads however; rather than the mellow, deep tunes that they’re known for, Risko bangs out some dark, techy stuff. As one youtube use put it, “It sounds like robocop having anal sex with a fucking dishwasher or some shit.” We went to the shop to have a chat with the man about his tunes, and the fact that his mum is in to baldies.

When did you start working at rounder?

Uh, 2005, 2006 I think.

Cool, how did you get the job?

I got the job through pure nepotism, and a good friend of mine worked here and he was leaving. In fact funnily enough he was going to do the uni course that I did, so we kind of swapped lives; he went to live up there and I came down here.

Is that when you got in to producing more?

No I was producing when I was at uni cos I managed to blag myself on to a music course, it wasn’t a music tech course it was like a commercial music course – it was the dossest subject, so I spent three years doing no work for university and learning to produce

What did you produce back then?

I was making drum & bass. In fact a friend of mine came down the other day and brought all our old tunes down, they were terrible.

When did you switch to making dub? Do you still make drum and bass as well?

No, I might do though because there’s some things I’m starting feel a bit more now in that scene. But I think I made my first dubstep tune in 2008.

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Was that ‘Just You’?

No, it was an e.p that came out digitally on Suicide Dub. I used to be really in to dark drum & bass so I was making stuff more on that vibe before.

What, like the techy stuff coming out now?

No, well kind of tech itch, really like violent, aggressive music.

Did working here help you get in to different music?

Yeah well working here I met a load of people from the Brighton music scene.

Any shout-outs?

Ah there’s too many, I don’t want to go in to that, we’ll be here forever. But yeah, obviously working here I used to order in all the dubstep so I had to listen to that but I never really thought about making it but then the second dubstep tune that I made got signed up. I had one drum & bass release that came out on a German label, which was pretty terrible, and then a friend of a friend who happened to be High Rankin heard my second tune and helped put it out. Also, working here I deal with all the distribution companies who we buy the records off, and a lot of the companies have their own labels in house, so I was chatting to the guy who owns Zed Audio, who’ve put out Bar 9 and Nero and stuff and I just mentioned that I’d made a tune that someone was putting out, and he looked at my myspace and said “oh can’t we have these tunes?” But they were already signed so I made two more tunes that then got signed to Audio Phreaks.

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You had a tune signed to Boca as well right?

Yeah that was the tune I made with Matt U, a guy from Hungary.

Yeah, has producing exposed you to more countries? Are there any foreign places you’ve played where it’s gone really badly?

Well I’ve never done a bad one abroad, they’ve all been amazing. Generally when you play abroad the people are all really cool and it just goes off. Probably the worst one was when I played in Bristol for a promoter who didn’t really know what he was doing; he got me to headline when I wasn’t very well known.

Especially in Bristol, there’s such a huge scene there.

Yeah there’s so many nights all the time, in fact I think there was a Hench night down the road so nobody turned up. I didn’t even play actually.

You looking forward to Outlook?

Yeah, I can’t wait it’s gonna be sick – free holiday.

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Are you going to any of the boat parties?

Yeah I hope so, I’ll hopefully have one of the little wristbands so I’ll be able to get on any of them.

Completely unrelated, but where’s your name from?

I dunno, it doesn’t mean anything. I came up with a few names but I can’t remember any of the others. What I did was I googled them to see if they came up with other bands or producers, and Riskotheque came up as absolutely zero. So if you search that name you’ll only find me. Oh actually no I think there’s one thing, someone’s done a disco mix and called it Riskotheque.

How was pride for you?

Well I was working all day, then I got home and all my housemates were fucked on K, so I just sat there and smoked and drank and enjoyed the company.

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What else have you got planned this year?

Well there’s the thing on Boca with Matt U coming out, then there‘s a thing on Skream’s label Disfigured Dubs coming out with Von D. I’m well excited about that, it’s Skream’s label so that’ll be cool. I’ve got a track coming out with Marshmellow on Luticia Dubs, which is a new little French label who’ve put out Madd and Von D and people like that so that’ll be good. Um what else? Oh, I’ve got a track called Monster that’s coming out on 3.5 records and I’m doing a remix for J Majik.

Oh sick, one of his drum & bass tunes?

Yeah so that’ll be coming out, and that’ll be on his label Mosquito. I started it and my computer was fucked so I only got a tiny bit in to it but I’ll get going on that soon.

Oh one more thing, is your mum available for a date?

No, she’s been seeing the same guy for, oh no they’re married now actually, couple of years ago. No, I’m sure she’d be interested, you’re a very nice guy, but she likes the baldies.

words Tom Sabokbar.

myspace.com/riskotheque

This entry was tagged as Brighton, disfigured dub, Dubstep, interview, madd, riskotheque, rounder records, skream, von d.