Rikay Shows Us His Deeper Side

Riche ‘Rikay’ Devine is taking his passion for music to the next level despite being a newby in the industry.

Young, courageous, humble, Teen DJ/Producer in the Music industry.

He won the ‘King of Candyland’ DJ competition, received a Converse sponsorship, is a resident DJ for U­Party and is signed to F! Records. At the vivacious age of 16, Riche ‘Rikay’ Devine is taking his passion for music to the next level despite being a newby in the industry.

Finding his passion in July of 2012 Rikay started out with a laptop and “Virtual DJ”. Starting with weekly mixes and performing at local house parties and events, he quickly built a name for himself within the community. With his popularity rapidly growing and a number of people supportive of his unique music style, he decided to enter the Pure Events DJ Competition, Candyland. DJ Rikay went on to win the competition and earn the title of “King” of Candyland as well as a DJ residency with Pure Events.

As a resident DJ, Rikay had the opportunity to perform at all the best Pure Events, gaining greater exposure and an ever­growing following.Performing on the electro stage at “The Get Dirty” event for Converse, DJ Rikay was spotted by one of their representatives who instantly knew he was something special.

This resulted in an interview with the Soul Candi team as well as a Converse endorsement. After meeting him and getting a deeper understanding of his music and style, DJ Rikay was signed to F! Records, sister label to Soul Candi. His debut album was released on iTunes in November 2013 titled Rikay ­ Enter My World. The album includes tracks from Paid N Laid, Dirty Rush and Aircraft. Compiled and mixed by the talented DJ Rikay, this album is not to be missed.

Now a resident DJ for U­Party and working with their Social Media team, DJ Rikay has a jam packed schedule mixing at gigs all around Gauteng. 2013 proved to be a year of growth for DJ Rikay with a huge increase of fans who labelled themselves the‘RikayRavers’. He was also fortunate enough to open for international acts Ciara and Busta Rhymes.Rikay has met a number of Internationals, Including DJ Juicy M and Morgan Page.

2014, Rikay will be making waves in the industry!

Hey Hey a very warm welcome to you Riche J from the thinkINelectronic team. Finally we get the chance to sit down and have a proper chat with you. Thank you for giving us this opportunity.

1.     Before we start can you tell us a little more about yourself, how would your best friend describe you? - 

Well I went and asked my best friend this exact question, his reply was … “Funny, outgoing, dedicated, a need to be involved, down to earth, and an all out music lover!” <- I think my best friend knows me pretty well, I always try my best to show the characteristics that he mentioned. I think he got it spot on!

2.     You extremely popular on instagram and twitter, we want to know your secret so share it with us. 

The key factor for me would be to always stay socially active and professional. I always dedicate special attention to fans and reply to their requests. Communication is key! 

3.     You are a DJ and go by the name DJ Rikay where does your love for music come from? 

My parents have raised me with music my whole life, I don’t want to sound ‘cheezy’, but I sincerely, just absolutely love music.

4.     How did find your passion for DJin’ and what was your process of learning your way around decks? 

My Dad’s friend, Alex Von Arnim, knew I that I loved music. He also knew that I was interested in DJ’ing, he happened to own a small event that took place at Cedar Square weekly, at a small cafe. He invited me to watch the DJ’s for a day, I immediately fell in love with the art.

5.     Do you think winning the ‘King of Candyland’ DJ competition has contributed to your success thus far? 

It definitely did help me to get my career kickstarted, it put my name on the radar of DJ’s in South Africa and it got me a residency at Pure U18 Events, thus brought great exposure.  

7.     Do you plan your sets before hand or do you go with the flow? 

Before every performance/set I always do my research on the specific type of audience that I will be performing for. I always choose tracks that I think will be relevant to the audience. On the night of the performance, I always mix live. I do not believe in simply pressing play as people are paying to see you as an artist, you have to give them their moneys worth!

8.     You are currently in school and not even legal to get into clubs, quite like Madeon, Arty and Martin Garrixx when they started out. Is music what you want to be doing for the rest of your life? 

 One of my quotes that I go by is ‘Music has no age’. I think if you love music, your age should not limit you, stay professional and stay passionate. I am going to stay dedicated to my music and if my career works out further then yes, music would be my lifely option. If not, there is always tertiary education. Education is powerful.

9.     Growing up what were your career aspirations? 

I never really knew until I fell in love with the art of music. Now it is clear as to what my career aspiration is. Music, music, music!

10.  What was your first concert experience? Do you remember how you felt once the concert was over? 

It was the Swedish House Mafia concert at Wild Waters in the Benoni area. I felt inspired once the concert was over. They are definitely great symbols of what I would like to achieve one day.

11.  People might only know you as a DJ but you producer as well, when do we get to hear more of your productions? 

I am currently working on a few projects, when I have the right one, I will be sure to release it!

12.  What’s your current studio set up like? 

Simple set up. RCF Ayra 8 studio monitors, M-Audio KeyRIg 49 keyboard, Behringer Firepower FCA610 sound card and a monitor for better production!

13.  Do you find it hard to balance school with your music, how do you do it? - I do struggle sometimes, I had to make adjustments and quit extra murals and sports like rugby, yet now I just focus on academics, and my music career.

14.  If you were given the opportunity to work with any producer as well as to collaborate with any vocalist who would it be and why? 

In terms of a vocalist it would be Ellie Goulding or Sam Smith, both artists have great voices, they really appeal to the masses and their voices are so unique. Regarding other producers that I would work with, I would work with Blasterjaxx, Afrojack or Showtek. I really love the specific type of Big Room/EDM that they produce, they barely disappoint.

15.  EDM is made up of so many different genres, what’s your favourite genre? 

Big Room, Melbourne Bounce.. Similar to Will Sparks and Blasterjaxx.

      It’s the middle of the year so lets get your half yearly round up for the year..

16.   3 Tracks - Blasterjaxx - Legend Comes To Life, Harvel B & Lumberjack - Kheops, Dune - Hardcore Vibes (Ahzee Remix)

17.  3 DJs who have blown you away - Blasterjaxx, Goldfish, Afrojack.

18.  Best album so far - I wouldn’t know which album to choose! It would be so difficult..

19.  Best Party you’ve played at - I wouldn’t say that I have had my best one yet, but I did really enjoy opening up for Ciara & Busta Rhymes at Ellis Park for Coca-Cola RockCorps.

20.  Bmw OR Audi - Audi is a nice car, but I would have to go with BMW. My Dad has had BMW’s my whole life so far and I have to say they are amazing cars.

Any Last messages for your fans and what can we expect from you in the upcoming months? 

You can expect a lot more performances from me and a few singles to be released soon! Thanks a mil, it’s all for the #RikayRavers! <3