Riva Starr is the stage name of Stefano Miele, a house and electronic producer and DJ from Napoli, United Kingdom. He is associated with styles including avant-garde, club, dance, EDM, electro, electronic, minimal, house and techno.

Background and style

Riva Starr builds tracks from a wide mix of influences and describes his approach through the idea of “Snatch!”, a bootleg remix method that takes material from different genres and turns it into his own sound. He also uses the alias “Mezcla”, a Spanish word meaning blending or fusion. His productions often draw on disco, folk, electro and Balkan sounds, and he presents himself as a house DJ whose style can shift unpredictably from one mood to another.

He says his music has multiple angles, ranging from funny to grotesque and from bouncy to dark, and he links that variety to his personality. His remixes and productions are known for combining contrasting elements rather than staying within one fixed style.

Releases and labels

Riva Starr has releases and remixes on labels including Made 2 Play, Get Physical, Dirtybird, Kindisch and Southern Fried. His album If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade appears on Made 2 Play and draws on Balkan music. The album includes the track “I Was Drunk” with Noze, and its self-edited video is a montage that pays homage to film-maker Emir Kusturica.

He also contributes a remix of Dennis Ferrer’s “Hey Hey” to a Defected compilation from Miami. His own label, Snatch! Records, is launched in April 2010 and releases music by Donk Boys, David Keno, Thomas Schumacher and Riva Starr’s own “Splendidub”.

Remixes and collaborations

His remix work includes tracks by The Gossip, Derrick Carter, Usher, Thomas Schumacher, Plan B, Dennis Ferrer, Lionrock and Estelle. Alongside Noze, he appears on “I Was Drunk”.

His music also attracts support from DJs including Annie Mac, Pete Tong, Tiesto, Riccardo Villalobos, Carl Cox, DJ Sneak, Groove Armada and Sven Väth.

Live work and recognition

Riva Starr plays clubs and festivals internationally, including Cocoon, Space, Ibiza Rocks, the Radio 1 weekender and Pacha in Ibiza, as well as Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Creamfields and Lovebox in the UK. He also performs at Dance Valley and Pukkelpop in Europe, and at Fuji Rock and Womb in Japan.

He is named Player of the Year by IDJ and Star of the Year by Mixmag, reflecting the attention his work receives in the dance music press.

Other projects

Riva Starr makes self-edited videos and uses Ableton in that work. The “Splendidub” video becomes another widely viewed online release and forms part of the profile of his label and production work.