Rishi Rich
Rishi Rish is arguably the most successful Asian music producer our generation has seen. His unique and creative beats are synonymous with fans and artists alike.
Recognized from a young age for his innate love of music, the harrow-born rising star signed his first album at the age of 15 under the production of '2 Kool'. Rishi went on to co-produce 10 Asian music albums before working on his first solo album entitled 'Simply Rich'. It debuted at No.1 in the Asian charts in October 2002 with the timeless lead single ‘Nahin Jeena', featuring Don D and Juggy D.
The landmark album, showcasing Rishi's innovative style of fusing R&B, Ragga, and Bhangra undoubtedly propelled Rishi's trademark beats into the mainstream. Combining his influences from his Punjabi background and his love for urban music and pop. The talented producer has been able to appeal to a wider audience through remixes with international artists such as; Craig David, Mary J Blige, Ricky Martin, Westlife, Estelle and Liberty X. He produced the official Top 10 (No.6) hit ‘Roll On' for Mis-teeq and ‘This Is How We Do It' for the Ali G. soundtrack. Rishi also produced the ‘Kulcha' remix for Britney Spears and Madonna's ‘Me Against the Music' which Britney will be performing to during her international Circus tour.
With his talent for spotting new artists, Rishi went onto launch the successful careers and flamboyant sounds of Juggy D and the soulful flavours of Jay Sean under record label 2Point9. The trio brought a new sound to the millennium and achieved revolutionary mainstream success with their Bhangra and R&B concoction. ‘Dance With You (Nachna Tere Naal)' reached No.12, ‘Eyes On You' reached No.6 and ‘Stolen' reached No.4 in the official UK Singles Chart which included ground-breaking TV performances on the likes of Top of the Pops and CD:UK.
This soon led to the release of Rishi's second album ‘The Project'. The album included the single Push It Up (Aaja Kuriye), which peaked at No.1 on the BBC Asian Network Chart and the Club Asia Essential 20 Chart.
In 2004, Rishi produced the title-track ‘Hum Tum' for the super hit Yash Raj Bollywood movie starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee. In the same year, Rishi was awarded ‘Best Producer' and ‘Best Single' for ‘Dance With You' at the UK Asian Music Awards (AMAs).
In 2007 and after parting ways with his record label, Rishi launched his own namesake production company aptly entitled Rishi Rish Productions. With his continuous eye for talent, Rishi's search for creative flair and rawness led him to H-Dhami and Mumzy Stranger.
In 2009, Rishi received the ‘Award For Excellence' at the Asian Woman magazine awards. Rishi was also awarded ‘Best Producer' for H-Dhami's ‘Sadke Java' album at the prestigious Asian Music Awards and at the same time, Rishi was honoured with the ‘Commitment To The Scene' accolade for his consistent dedication and positive contribution to the Asian music industry.
Rishi has just completed tracks with respected Bollywood Music Director Anu Malik to feature in upcoming Bollywood films yet to be announced.
Currently, Rishi is putting the finishing touches to Mumzy Stranger, Tasha Tah's albums, and working with a whole host of UK and international artists.
Artist Q&A
1.) How did you first hear about Open Labs?
I started to research about on the net when I heard some people talking about it from America. As I am based in UK, we hadn't heard of it, but once I saw what it could do, I definitely needed one.
2.) What Production Station do you have?
Miko LX5.
3.) How has the gear changed your method of work?
My method has changed a lot as I do all my songwriting and pre-production on the Miko.
4.) What is your production station's primary function, live or studio?
I use it in the Studio.
5.) What is your favorite software on the board?
I've installed Cubase 5 on there, and I love using GURU with Cubase, which works really well together.
6.) How do you use it?
Guru I use a lot to sample drums sounds and different sounds. Then can use this in Cubase and results are amazing.
7.) Which kind of equipment have you owned in the past and how do they compare to your Open Labs equipment?
Well I use a Mac with Cubase, and have a Trinity, Motif, Proteus, Supernova, but with the Miko I find I can access similar sounds if not better internally.
8.) Has the gear changed the way you write songs?
Definitely. The vibe is totally different as it's just the one machine and can do everything to recording guitar and to recording vocals.
9.) How different is the composition process compared to the standard computer or laptop system?
The Miko I find just gets up and go. No messing around.
10.) Do you think the quality of your production now would be possible with another keyboard?
No Way!
11.) Have you had any experience with our Tech Support and how does it rate with you?
Yes, I have, I dealt with Tim and he was fabulous. The customer support at Open Labs is the best I have experienced.
12.) What is next for you and your Production Station?
Well I tour a lot with my Miko. I have already performed with the Miko up and down the UK and have taken it to the MTV awards in Pakistan. I will be performing on New Years in India with my Miko.
Equipment Used
Purchased MiKo LX5
Artist Links
http://twitter.com/rishirichprod
http://www.rishirichproductions.com
http://www.rishirichacademy.com