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Asad Rizvi - dodging journalist tags and bullets
Asad Rizvi is only 25, but he's been busy! Asad has been a leading proponent of the tech-house sound for over 7 years. With over 40 releases to his name and DJ itineraries that have spanned five continents, the young Londoner has developed a distinctive sound that has consistently won him support from the industry’s leading music publications and DJs alike. Dubbed a “new school hero” by Muzik in 1998, “Producer for 2000” by Mixmag, and a “DJ for 2000” in The Face, Asad has proved himself an artist who never fails to deliver. Andrew James takes a closer look at Asad Rizvi...
For those who haven't heard of you, describe yourself in a sentence.
I would call myself a catalyst for the dance-floor, a musical story-teller, a geek and, (at times) a piss-head!
Tech house seems to be something of a dirty word these days - at least,it's not really heard round Melbourne clubs as much as it used to. What is it about the sound that appeals to you?
I think the term was attached to me by journalists when the genre exploded, however well intended. Since then it has been this ubiquitous ball on a chain that I've had to drag around. Because the dancefloor cuts on my records are always the ones to be played out, it was those tracks that I have forged my reputation over. But people forget the other styles I have been producing for years. The breaks and downtempo stuff on Reverberations and as part of Impossible Beings I have also had support from luminaries in many other scenes.
I have to say that in the purest sense, there is very little of the genre that truly grabs me as I am essentially a House man, among other things. But what sets apart the way I play and arrange my tracks is the attitude. It's tougher and more ballsy than traditional House, even when I play deeper or more discoey sets. The "tech", in my case, reflects the approach more than the content. It's about having a party and telling a story with a beginning middle and an end. Not a soap-opera!
What's more fun - 5 hours in the studio, or 5 hours behind the decks?
Five hours behind the decks. I could spend five hours just eq'ing drums in the studio and it's only pleasure once you've got it right.
What's the funniest request you've ever received?
"Have you got any cowbells?" Funnily enough, the girl's jaws were moving in a manner not too dissimilar to those of a cow.
Which club do you enjoy playing in the most?
There could not be one favourite, but I can name a few: I always love Fabric, the lounge at The End, the Lotus in Vancouver for intimacy, Lov-E in Sao Paulo, Maniac Love in Tokyo, and of course, our own Reverberations parties in London. But again, there are so many that I like for their different qualities.
Can you think of a gig that stands out as one of the worst?
Perhaps in Cambodia when there was a scare that a rival promoter would send some boys over to empty a round in the club I was playing. "If you see anything strange, duck."
Silverlining is your solo production work - have you done much work Under the moniker recently? How does it differ to your other production work?
Its just got a certain mood to it. Textured but bottom-heavy. Electronic but still organic. It tends be focussed more on the dance-floor though I have done a few downtempo tracks as Silverlining in the past. Impossible Beings (of which I am a member with Ravi, Paul Sng and Glen Bridges) is more of a bandy affair with a lot more live instrumentation.
You've remixed everyone from Kurtis Blow to Killer Loop - what do you look for when choosing remix projects?
Lots of money. No just kidding! There isn't such a thing in this scene. I look for strong elements that I can pull out my own groove over. I usually prefer to work with vocals as once you've got a one, the rest of the track forms, seemingly on its own.
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Published / Wednesday, 05 November 2003
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