BEYOND
THE
MOMENT.
We met Richie before his set at Volt, where he shared his perspective on entering the music industry and the advice he would give to emerging talents. We also spoke about his earliest memories of music and the inspiration shaping his journey.
A: Who do you look up to?
R.H: One key person that comes to mind is James Turrell who is an artist who works with lights. I mean how’d you create art out of light? First of all it’s absolutely an amazing accomplishment. Look, what’s even more inspiring with James Turrell is that he has been working on a specific piece of art for about 34 years, so the idea that he dedicated himself to an artwork that would take his whole lifetime and probably take even longer than his lifetime I think is counterintuitive to the time we are living which is all about the moment. So thinking beyond the moment is something that inspires me and that I can try to bring it to the work that I do.
A: How would you define self-expression?
R.H: I think the dance floor is one of the most precious places on the planet for self-expression. Of course it brings the idea of movement, look, make-up, fashion. I think that probably it’s just the way somebody moves that gives the most idea of who they are, what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling.
A: Define dance
R.H: I think dance is probably the purest form of self-expression, especially once you release yourself. I think when you first get on a dancefloor you’re looking around, watching everybody else and thinking “ok what are they doing? what should I do?” and once you allow yourself to accept that the music can take control of you and you experience your movements this is when pure self-expression on the dancefloor happens.
A: How do you see electronic music evolving?
R.H: I found music on the dance floor and clubs and I think that it is still the thing that gives you the most energy. But I also find it is sometimes limiting. So to see music, and especially dance music and electronic music, in places which are outside of clubs but it is focused enough on giving you a very intense experience is something that I would like to explore.
A: What is your message to someone dreaming of getting into the music business?
R.H: I guess nowadays image is everything, so work on your image first but don’t forget to actually work on your music which most people do.
