Balance Selections 286: Richie Blacker

Richie Blacker delivers a two-hour mix that is epic in scope and satisfying in its delivery…

It’s not surprising to hear Richie Blacker share his appreciation for fellow Irishmen and old-school revivalists Bicep. Just as they draw from scene originators like Orbital, Richie imbues his productions with the spirit of mid-90s open-field raves and Ibiza-flavored piano house.

This sound resonates with notable DJs like Sasha and Skream, who have both signed him to their labels, Last Night On Earth and Of Unsound Mind. With his Mess Express label and regular radio plays on Radio 1 and other stations across Europe, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Featuring tracks from Sasha, Tinlicker, Gui Boratto, and Johannes Brecht, this is an enthralling two hour ride through Balearica, Afro house, and contemporary prog – curated by one of Ireland’s best.

Name: Richie Blacker
Location: Belfast (Ireland)
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Labels affiliated with: Last Night On Earth, Anjunadeep, Shén, Mess Express

My older brothers were my biggest influence when it came to music. They were heavily into raving in the early 90s, which is where I get my dance music inspiration from.

They were also big fans of Oasis, The Verve, U2, and many other bands that were popular during that era.

As a result, I developed a love for indie and rock music growing up, which gradually led me to bands like Slipknot and Korn.

I was really into Nu-Metal until I was 14, but when I started going to illegal raves with my friends and got into the dance music scene, I found the genre of music I truly loved, and to this day, I’m still passionate about it.

As I mentioned, my older brothers got me into dance and electronic music from a very young age. I was about 7 or 8 at the time. I used to sit on their bed on Friday and Saturday nights and play the Nintendo while they got ready to go out to places like the Ulster Hall or The Art College.

They would play DJ mixtapes from artists like Orbital, Sasha, Leftfield, 808 State, and Andrew Weatherall, to name a few. So I was very clued into electronic music from a young age.

Even though I enjoyed other music genres, I remained passionate about dance music and kept my finger on the pulse. Deep down, I think I always knew I would end up doing something with it later in life.

I had been to a few illegal raves and seen some local DJs play when I was about 14. But my older brother, Ciaran, took me to the Tennents Vital festival in 2005 to see Kings of Leon and Faithless. Faithless absolutely blew my mind.

When they played “Insomnia” to fifteen thousand people, and the crowd went wild, it was the biggest buzz I had ever experienced—and I was sober!

I knew I needed to have that kind of euphoria in my life forever, and the only way I could see that happening was by becoming a DJ. I’ve never looked back.

I get a lot of inspiration from 90s rave music because that’s what I grew up with. But I also love what artists like Bicep are doing. They have mentioned in the past that they take a lot of inspiration from artists like Orbital and 808 State.

So, I guess the older music has a lot to answer for, as it paved the way for the rest of us. We still look back to what those pioneers were doing back then. They were visionaries and way ahead of their time, in my opinion.

The last album I listened to recently was Camelphat “Spiritual Milk”. I really enjoyed it and I love what the lads are doing at the moment.

I have my own studio in Belfast city centre where I work out of. I use Ableton and have a few synths. I have a Yamaha CS1x, Behringer RD-8 & Behringer MS-1 to name just a few.

I run my own record label called Mess Express. So throughout the rest of the year I’ll be focusing on releasing some of my own music on that. I just can’t get it out quick enough on other label lol.

I have gigs across Ireland, UK and Europe coming up over the summer and I’ll be starting up the Mess Express radio show again very soon.

I really enjoyed putting this mix together as I have been a fan of Balance and the mix series for a while now. I was beyond buzzing when you guys asked me to do it.

I have released some of my new tracks in there, ones that I have released recently on Sasha’s Last Night On Earth label and Franky Wah’s Shén label. Also, there are two brand new tracks in there that I have just finished. They don’t even have names yet. So keep a look out for them.

The mix really reflects the sound that I’m producing in the studio and playing out in my DJ sets at the moment.

I recently watched Guy Ritchie’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare its was very good. Definitely recommend it.

Any of the Star Wars TV shows. The Mandalorian, Andor, Asoka, The Bad Batch, Clone Wars, etc. I also loved Yellowstone & Game of Thrones. But I do love documentaries too, anything to do with UFO’s, the universe or space, I’m fascinated.

It’s a bit of a cliche. But I absolutely love Ibiza. I have lost count on how many times I have been over the years now. Pikes is my favourite hotel on the island.

Balance-Walter Balance

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