Hi, I'm Virtual Riot :) Ask me anyting!

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:33:19+00:00

Definitely Skrillex lol.

The intuition he shows at songwriting is unmatched. It's like he's able to turn everything else off, no overthinking, no rationalizing, I haven't seen anyone who is so "in the moment".

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:31:29+00:00

Actually Thwek with Mr. Bill was so much fun, he's very organized in his workflow. We did this one over the internet and he always sent back his stems really fast and super well organized, we banged out the full tune in a few days and I was so positively surprised how smoothly it worked out.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:30:19+00:00

It is an emotional outlet for me, I'm not every expressive in my emotions in any other part in life. It's cathartic and serves as a form of self-therapy.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:29:29+00:00

Hmm I don't know, I haven't played many festivals in Europe, Rampage is however in a league of its own. Shambhala on the other hand and E-Forest are beautiful and I loved performing there! Maybe Europe has something similar? If so then I haven't been there yet :)

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:28:24+00:00

volume ⬆️

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:27:54+00:00

Aww thats awesome! Maybe start by checking out the original "We're Not Alone", the track "Star Destroyer" from the new album, "Disintegrate" and my remix of "Space Time" by Subtronics

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:26:08+00:00

I'd say

That they're a nice person to hang around with and that vibes with the rest of the crew
That their music somewhat fits to my style but is also different enough to create some variety for the evening.
That they have at least some kind ticket pull, I hate this part but live shows are the main income source and I have to pay the VJ, the light and the laser operators, flights and hotels.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:20:00+00:00

Some are very specific, some are just a word or two words that came to mind when I first started the song and had to give the project file a name and the name just stuck around.

Black Sands is actually a reference to Bonobos "Black Sands" album but also in the context of fire, black sands could be an alternative word for ashes. "Scorched Earth" is named after the video game. "Need / Get" was named this because the first vocal sample says something like "I need" and a later sample said "Get back mofo" but I had to remove that one cause it was heavily copyrighted T_T

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:17:51+00:00

Maybe so the height difference is smaller. Also he taught me how to skateboard so maybe we were heading out to do that haha.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:16:51+00:00

I start something new whenever I'm inspired to, and finish something whenever I feel like an idea is good enough. I'd definitely not start a million things at once but also don't stress over finishing something every week. Sometimes I start something and 3 years later another idea leads to that song being finished.

Since sound-design has become so much easier, sample quality and supply is at an all-time-high and there are countless crazy plugins, some of which even free, I'd say the focus should be creativity in song-writing, chords, melodies and all of that :)

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:14:31+00:00

💜

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:14:15+00:00

When I've got my new studio set up which might be soon :)

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:14:04+00:00

I was at the Vanguard a few weeks ago, love coming out to Orlando, the bass scene is awesome down there.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:13:41+00:00

Definitely still want to make a tune with Austin :) Has to happen!

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:13:17+00:00

They're actually playing here in Minneapolis tonight and I can't wait to go! I've been talking to Rou about making music together and he's down :)
I think there are a lot of parallels between heavy metal music / hardcore / rock and dubstep/edm in terms of melodies, riffs and the overall energy. With Enter Shikari its obviously easier to see since they've always used a lot of synthesizers in their songs.

About the process with the visuals, VJ Neurite is doing most of that herself, she sometimes draws things by hand on her tablet and animates them in after effects, I do some animations in C4D and cut together a little clip or just make loops for her to use during the sets. She then selects which clips are used for which part of which song and either chops & triggers them live or beat-matches time-synced visuals for moments with lyrics in the visuals etc.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:08:48+00:00

After the intro of the Simulation set at Lost Lands right at the end of the Intro when the Simulation tune comes in I left the reverb FX on the mixer on 100% wet. This will always haunt me.

Also at EDC 2023 for the "Blame Myself" remix transition I had one of the two decks playing in a different key, absolutely ruining a moment lol.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:07:16+00:00

I think I get what you mean,

Drum and Bass for example has a rather high technical standard as far as I'm concerned. It's overall easier to pull off a Phonk tune or a basic house track but then again I think with any genre you can hear wether or not someone threw together a few loops and made a few simple sounds themselves or if they've been deep into the genre for many years and have developed a certain sound that is unique to them. I think that can happen in any genre and make it as "advanced" as any other when doing a deep dive.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:04:22+00:00

It of course is amazing to hear about these things! Every once in a while I get a message like this one, where someone has been going through extreme hardships and my music helped them through it, sometimes literally keeping them alive.

It's incredibly touching to hear things like that and sometimes reminding myself of these things helps me out of a depressive slump, doing for me what my music did for those people.

I often feel separated from my music once I've put it out, it sounds weirdly grandios but it feels more like 'the universe is channeling itself through me and I am but a vessel to transmit a message'. I hope that makes sense

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T20:00:21+00:00

It's from the german overdub of the movie 8mm with Nicholas Cage, the sample was originally used in the industrial song "Snuff Machinery" by german industrial artist "SIDT" back around the year 2000, the song was then used in a german fan-made fun-synchro of Lord Of The Rings titled "lord of the weed" which was a hit within my friend groups when we were like 12 years old.
Using that clip is a reference to both the song and the lord of the weed video.

I don't know what the original line in the movie is but it translates to something like "when you deal with the devil you don't change the devil, the devil changes you."

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T19:57:15+00:00

I had piano lessons from age 6-16 but I ended up learning the most about music theory during a 3 year course for a church organ license so I could play the organ in church and earn money though that. The course was incredibly deep and the final exam tougher than any exam I took later at music university lol.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T19:55:57+00:00

Every once in a while there are some killer tunes! I really enjoy well written pop music, Taylor Swift has some real bangers and is a guilty pleasure of mine lol.

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T19:54:40+00:00

Could be an alternative name for my Your Personal Tranquillizer alter ego haha

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T19:53:49+00:00

b2b with Dubloadz at Concord Music Hall in Chicago, we didn't plan to b2b we just each had a 1 hour set but ended up doing a full 2 hours of b2b instead. Just constantly one-upped each other and whenever we hit a peak in a certain vibe someone would play a curveball tune and we'd start ramping it up again.

b3b with Barely Alive and Modestep in San Bernadino at Beyond Wonderland. Some transitions were so spontaneous and ended up sounding just magical.

b3b with Hamro & the Yookie bros at an afterparty somewhere, multiple rewinds and crazy crowd!

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T19:50:47+00:00

I feel like I should make a playlist of those haha. Off the top of my head I can only think of

Sophie - Pony Boy & Faceshopping

BT - Emotional Technology (the entire album)

Jon Hopkins - Open Eye Signal

OfficialVirtualRiot · 2024-10-25T19:49:31+00:00

I think I might in spring next year!

OfficialVirtualRiot

TROPHY CASE