Originally a Michigan native, Erin Rioux apparently discovered electronic music through a study abroad opportunity in Germany. He seems to be making the most of his education now that he’s been living and performing here in Brooklyn over the past three years.
While most producers dig through crates and twirl Yamaha DX7 knobs for their textures, Rioux takes an organic approach to sound sourcing. A recent mix, like the colorful ”Unison (feat. Bjork)," might include washes of color that strip apart the singer’s voice, revealing layers of meaning extracted and tweaked line by line from her voicebox.
As the artist says: "…I sketch out a soundscape and layer it with organic instruments such as guitar, drums, trumpet, kalimba, and my voice. One day a neighbor suggested we make a music video together. We did, and have been collaborating on audiovisual music ever since."
The neighbor referred to here is local Brooklyn artist Cabrido, himself a rising star of NY’s gallery circuit. Rioux’s most recent record ‘Everything You Need is Right Here,’ (Speaker Jam Music) is an audiovisual full-length that includes a Cabrido-directed video to match each of it’s ten tracks. Opening with the celebratory ‘Breakthrough’, this is a warm and appreciative album, whose videos of earthy visuals match the scope of Rioux’s kaleidoscopic tapestries.
For an artist that’s come far in a very short time, it can be difficult to keep up with his various proclivities. From joining up with artist collective Dissolve, to recording ‘Lost Hold’ for the first episode of MTV’s ‘Skins,’ Rioux’s experimentalism doesn’t exist outside of immediate, dance-able accessibility. But after globetrotting solo for the past couple years, he’s back from a recent trip to Berlin with a live band, and plans on releasing and touring shortly with this group throughout the states. See, and hear him play live at Glasslands Gallery on Feb. 26.
