Riva Starr has managed to build a brand around himself that has developed an instant connection to quality house music. Relief, Crosstown Rebels and Truesoul have released his music, more recently the latter.
His Curveballs LP just got a remix EP on Truesoul which included impressive edits from Harvey McKay, Marquis Hawkes and Layton Giordani.
Our latest Label Mates feature takes a look at the London based producer and his Snatch! Records imprint, a label that has backed the sounds of some of house music’s top names.
Todd Terry, David Morales, Green Velvet, Junior Sanchez and Hector Couto have made appearances, and the roster is in a strong place for the coming summer season.
Snatch! first launched in 2010, tell us about the hustle of putting out your first releases?
It took me a good few years to figure out how to launch it properly and I decided to do it when I had my moment in 2010 after my first album. There was a lot of attention on myself and that helped to get the kids attention on the label too. Gotta thank all the producers who put trust in us!
And what is your typical day to day regarding the label, do you manage it yourself or is there a team behind the curtain?
There is definitely a team behind the label, Miky has been with me since the very first releases and we basically grew together on this project, then I have other people working on different sides as the label has grown since the beginning. Nowadays I basically only do A&R and artistic direction and then the team takes care of the rest.
What is the hardest role managing a label that people might not know about?
Well, coordinating everything, also trying to stay on top regarding quality and always trying to make the most for the producers who trust us and give us a piece of their art. That means a lot to us!
You have put out some physical releases, how have you found the transition to the digital age?
We have always been focused on the digital side to be honest, we did vinyl each release for a couple of years but we decided to stop and release vinyl only on special occasions (upcoming Parris Mitchell Vs. Nina Kraviz EP for instance) and this works better for us.
And we live in a time when there are thousands of new tracks coming out everyday, what has been the key to keeping Snatch! above water in a sea of mediocre music?
We just put a lot of hours in downloading all the demos and carefully listening/testing and A&Ring them, then it’s all a matter of taste!
What record on your label are you most proud to have put out?
I’m proud of each and everyone, would you be able to tell me which of your children you are most proud of?
And who can we expect music from on Snatch! in the near future?
We have plenty of amazing artists, I just released an EP with the legendary Arthur Baker, upcoming are original and remixes from Mark Broom, DJ Deeon, Jamie Jones, Radioslave, AJ Christou & Joey Daniels, P.Leoe, Matt Sassari, Craig Williams, Josh Butler, Rich Nxt and many more!
Lastly, where do you see the label in a few years time?
Still being our outlet for the music we love and that bang hard in DA CLUB!