An interview with Rich Kirby.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music? Was it all internet based?
I’m originally from a small town outside Peterborough in the UK, I moved to London for the music scene, then down to Brighton which i’ve called home for ten years. I moved to South Australia two years ago.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t into music! I was drawn towards electronic music when I first heard a Pete Tong Essential Selection CD in 1998. It blew my mind, i’d never heard music like that before. The internet was not a medium to find music at this point!
Who have been your main inspirations (both musical and in «life»)? And how have they affected to define the sound of your label?
Ive always been inspired by the kind of original superstar DJs of my time, Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, Sasha, Digweed, Todd Edwards. More recently Hot Since 82, George Fitzgerald, Theo Kottis, anything Jamie XX!…. anything forward thinking!
In terms of the label itself I really respect WOLF MUSIC, I love their vibe and passion and just keeping things legit! “AUS” sound wise is right up my street too.
How would you define the sound of your label and how has it evolved so far?
As a new label I’m not sure the sound has had a real chance to evolve yet, but I would describe the sound as deep and upfront house music.
You have your first release out on your new label «IVY WALL», LEY’s ‘You’ve Got a Lot to learn’. Can you tell us a bit about the track?»
Ley is an artist that’s emerging from the Liverpool underground scene. He’s a bit of a machine at making tracks and he’s not short of new ideas! This track really stood out to me as it just completely represents the sound I wanted IVY WALL to portray. Its deep, driving, a little dark and is pretty versatile. You could imagine this going off peak time in a club or working just as well on a Sunday afternoon at the beach!
What can you tell us about your label’s catalog? What was your selection criteria?
Well we are one release deep so far so its early days but it needed to have an underground feel to it, a little dark. This isn’t about “fun” music so to speak…. Although we enjoy it very much!
How are you living the current situation because of COVID? Has your work affected you a lot? Do you think there is hope? I feel like the underground scene will continue to persist.
I feel in South Australia we are in one of the best places in the world right now, a few cancelled gigs here and there but the underground will always find a way, tis the nature of the beast!
What projects are you working on right now?
Right now we are working on our second release, which will be a collaboration between two really talented local artists here in South Australia. It’s a little different to the first release, a little harder to pigeon hole its genre.
