Like anyone who broke through on the precipice of covid-19, Georgie Riot has experienced a unique journey into the game.
As a DJ, she’d had her first gigs just months before the pandemic flipped things for us all. Switching to streaming, Georgie was at the forefront of a troupe of DJs who broke through over the course of the 18 months lockdowns and came flying out of the gates with bookings at key festivals and clubs throughout 2021 and beyond.
Now deep into 2022, another unique journey has opened up for the West Midlands-based artist as she’s fine-tuned her productions. Having previously released a bassline track in 2021 (Dance), this year has seen her fire up here discography in earnest, laying down a sizeable course of drum & bass weapons. “I got bored of waiting,” grins Riot, whose release schedule now boasts something every month until December on labels such as UKF, DeVice and Bassrush. “I’m sitting on about 15 or 16 tracks now.”
The productions mark a new chapter for Georgie as she’s honed her studio sound into the high energy, mainstream brew she’s known for with her DJ sets. Her bassline stabilisers well and truly removed. “I started with bassline because I found it easier to beat-match,” she explains. “Once I learnt to beat-match I came straight back to drum & bass, which was always my biggest love. It was the same with production as well. I found it easier to make than drum & bass. I was finding my sound and my way and was struggling to make D&B for a long time. But it came together with Take Over. I was really happy with it.”
The first D&B song she was happy with went on to become her first D&B single, signed to none other than UKF. For added poignancy, her friend OHKAY also made her debut as a singer on the same single. “I didn’t even know she could sing!” Georgie laughs. “I was like, ‘Wow you sing!’ I said, ‘Have you ever sang on a song?’ She hadn’t, and that’s how it worked out. It was cool for us to experience that first together.”
Since Take Over, Georgie’s continued her release assault with remixes of last year’s Dance, last month’s Wait For Me (with Aktive), a brand new single this week on – Do Better – and a D&B remix of Soulecta on the popular UKG platform Garage Shared.
There’s more en route too as her full debut UKF EP is revealed next month, plus tours of New Zealand and Australia at the end of 2022 and America in 2023. Georgie, meanwhile, maintains a level perspective. Her 10+ years in the modelling industry – including several years running her own agency, which she still runs today – has armed her with the acumen to thrive in the competitive music industry.
“I’m doing the odd modelling job,” she explains. “I just did one in London and one in Milan. It’s nice to have that balance and have the agency so I can provide work for others and have an income while I’m the studio.”
With the releases stacked up, it’s paid off and Georgie now faces another summer of festivals including Sundown, Bassfest, Tokyoworld, Made Festival and one that she’s especially looking forward to; Godiva Festival. “That’s in my hometown, like 10 minutes away from my house, my mum used to take me there from the age of 10,” grins Georgie who was raised on dance music by her parents. “My whole family are coming. They came to those really early first gigs, which were very lowkey, but this will be very different. They’re coming on stage with me. It’s going to be really special.”
Georgie’s unique journey continues… Do Better is out now
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