HS.009 — Von Riu
For those discovering your music for the first time, could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your journey into electronic music?
My name is Victor, and I started the Von Riu project about ten years ago, when I was living in Orléans and making music with friends entirely on hardware. If you dig deep enough into my SoundCloud, most of those early experiments are still there.
I was initially fascinated by Detroit electro, dystopian breaks, machines taking over, that whole “revenge of the computers” imagery. From there I drifted towards breakbeat, bass music and weirder, sometimes more violent sounds. Back then, fast BPMs felt fresh and almost punk to me.
Today, with everything getting faster, from music to social media and attention spans, I feel drawn to the opposite. I like music that takes its time, breathes and lets the groove develop. It feels more introspective, sensual, and ultimately much better to dance to.
What was the idea or feeling behind the mix you prepared for HORS-SOL? Was there a particular atmosphere or narrative you wanted to create?
I really wanted to get rid of that self-imposed rule of thinking, “I can’t start a set at 123 BPM, that’s way too slow.” I wanted to play tracks I love but rarely get the chance to play because they can feel too slow for an already hyped-up crowd.
It’s quite varied, but more than anything, it takes its time to unfold. Some of the best sets I’ve heard recently were the ones that weren’t afraid to let things develop slowly, without constantly feeling the need to push the energy forward.
Is there a track in this mix that holds a special place for you or carries a personal story?
I’d probably say Peace Division - Blacklight Sleaze, which comes in around 10 minutes in the mix. It has everything I love about that sweaty, sleazy atmosphere. The instrumental is deceptively simple, but you could listen to that loop for minutes without ever getting bored.
Then there’s Pleasant Gehman’s voice and lyrics, describing this pretty dirty side of nightlife, which makes the track feel completely timeless. And again, it runs at a very low BPM, which somehow makes the whole thing even creepier to me.
What has been inspiring you lately, whether musically, artistically or even outside of music? Has it influenced your productions or DJ sets?
Recently I saw Calvino from Microclimat at Planète Sauvage festival and it really blew me away. He played for two hours around 120–125 BPM, with this incredible contrast between delicacy and violence.
The set was full of slightly messed-up tracks, grainy artifacts and constant surprises, but always with this underlying rumble and groove.
It felt like music that allows itself to do a lot without being too clean or controlled. Probably the freshest thing I’ve heard since a while.
When you're behind the decks, what matters most to you: building a story, creating an emotional connection, or exploring the technical side of mixing?
I’ve always been a bit obsessed with building an environment around my sets, and it usually starts with finding the right intro. I can literally spend weeks looking for one.
I love starting with something drumless, immersive or introspective, creating a space and bringing people somewhere before the set properly begins.
So I guess storytelling matters most to me, although I think of it more as creating an environment than telling a literal story.
What can we expect from you over the coming months? Any upcoming releases, collaborations or projects you'd like to share?
There’s quite a lot coming, both from me and on my label Glo.bal. I run the label by myself and put a lot of importance on the visual side of each release, so I’m taking my time with it.
In September, Glo.bal will release its second EP, from my good friend Anderson 1000. I’ve been rinsing these tracks for a while. He’s a killer and his universe really resonates with me: techy, spooky and driving.
On my side, I have an early-2000s house and tech-house leaning EP coming on Harmony Records. You can actually hear one of the tracks from the EP around '48 minutes' in this mix. I also have another EP coming on Cristofeu’s Discoteca label, with tracks I made two years ago and have been playing ever since. It took me a while to finally release them, so I’m very happy they’re coming out at last.
Catch Von Riu at HORS-SOL - Trabendo in Paris, on September 12.