RiKi tests European fans with UK Garage remix
Jamaican-born Rickolette Simmonds, more popularly known by her stage name RiKI, was recently signed to the resurrected Gee Street Records.
While hoping to hit the right musical notes with the Jamaican audience, RiKi also hopes to gain some fans in the European market.
The artiste recently released a UK Garage remix of her single, Venting.
“Garage is an indirect variant of reggae and dancehall. It is UK’s interpretation and fusing of hip-hop and dancehall. The attitude is a bit more aggressive musically open-minded, but very dancy,” Dale Virgo told THE WEEKEND STAR.
Virgo is one-half of the production duo called DizTroy, who are based primarily out of Geejam Studios. Troy Baker, the other half came up with the remix idea for RiKI based on his own culture.
“UK underground is partly his culture; it’s what he is used to in the UK. The clubs love this vibe, and it’s a way to showcase the diversity of DizTroy. We also have a reggae music remix dropping in a couple of weeks,” Virgo said. He believes that local producers should pay more attention to dancehall-derived genres, for the benefit of creating a more global fanbase. “Local producers only pay attention to what is hip. We can be self-centred at times. Garage is a bit underground and is concentrated in the UK clubs and music scene. But what I am realising is that the new generation of youths are becoming more open-minded to evolving genres.” The label is a British hip-hop record label started by Jon Baker in 1985 and acquired by Chris Blackwell’s Island Records in 1990. Baker then bought back the label in 1998 and sold it to Virgin’s Richard Branson. The label was shuttered in 2001, but was revived with RiKI as its first signee. RiKI describes her sound as “world music” incorporating a little bit of everything. “My music right now is a fusion, it’s like a hybrid of influences. The artistes that I really love, that inspired me to do music from all genres, are a part of my sound,” she said. “My music has a neo-soul sound and will reflect everything from hip-hop to dancehall, to R &B to reggae.”