Producer Spotlight: River Moon
River Moon is a name dominating the conversation around underground music in South Africa. The 22-year-old “rave princess from New York City” has independently established themselves as a pioneer of futuristic music. River describes being very sure of themselves in their individualistic intention of music: “I want to create new sounds, I don’t want to continue someone else’s”.
The young and prevalent Cape Town-based producer, DJ, recording artist, and “digital thot” has a range of artistic and musical skills at their disposal. From the age of 6, River had taken up piano and spent many of their childhood years acting, painting, drawing, and conjuring up original music. River pinpoints hearing an older cousin play the song Paper Planes by M.I.A. which prompted an immediate obsession with the electronic-rave genre (along with M.I.A herself).
“It was like a new world opened up to me…this was a sound I never heard before. From that day I knew I wanted to start making crazy beats just like that album…and if I never heard that album, I probably would’ve never been making the type of music I’m making right now”, River shares.
Producing on Garageband since the age of 13, River Moon has concocted a cathartic electric sound journey for their listeners. River’s experimentalist techniques grounds them in the ability to create “entire worlds and craft sound palates with [their] music”. And River’s holistic artistic background allows them to do just that; it is their unique and genuine sound, experimentation, and representation that has seen them collaborate with the likes of FAKA, Queezy, Angel-Ho, dJinns and renowned producer for Lizzo’s Truth Hurts, Jesse Saint John.
River Moon has made a mark on the industry through their remixes on Soundcloud. These electro-pop rave takes on original hip-hop tunes, monologue samples and general improvisation has resulted in hundreds of thousands in streaming numbers for the producer. River’s prominent hit, “KUNDALINA JOLIE”, sets the artist’s atmosphere in a euphoric club scene, replicating elements of vogue music and driving electronic pop.
“I don’t desire fame, but I want my music to reach as many people as possible. Like Cakes Da Killa said, “You did it for the clout, I did it for the culture.”
“WHERE MY MUTHAFUCKIN BJäRBZ AT”, a recent remix of the stand-out producer, takes a unique spin on Nicki Minaj’s featured verse on Motorsport by Migos. This song stands in quiet contrast to the more vivacious and assertive “PU$$Y POPPIN’” in that it takes on a more minor melodic progression. These swells of a moving and cooing melody juxtaposed with Nicki’s antagonistic lyrics and driving electronic claps, grounds River Moon as a versatile and multi-faceted creative; able to create a whirlwind collaboration of sounds and styles. River describes wanting their projects to “sound like quilts, different materials perfectly woven together to create one beautiful world”.
River Moon’s 8 track record, Martyr, presents an accurate representation of their prowess as a producer. The tape takes the listener on a journey of consciousness through its use of obscure and oscillating swells and sounds and picks of samples and speeches; weaving their musical quilt. The futuristic album, described as “intergalactic science fiction”, has propelled the artist into a sphere of new possibilities and freedom of self. River Moon describes “[doing] this to leave a legacy so kids like me can see themselves in me and do this shit too.”
A nod to the future, River Moon hopes to release an album within the next 3 years. Although having worked with everything they “think is cool”, the producer would like to work with Kelela, Cassie, and Björk. Ultimately, River Moon’s music is driven by authenticity, experimentation ad an overall love for the craft.
“I don’t desire fame, but I want my music to reach as many people as possible. Like Cakes Da Killa said, “You did it for the clout, I did it for the culture”.
Maglera Doe Boy takes us to his hometown of Makazana to reflect on his past life, multicultural upbringing, and why community is such an important part of his enviable rise in the South African music industry.