Tag: electronic music

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Groove Machine: 1st release of 2025!

Groove Machine cover art

Groove Machine – Now on all streaming platforms

I am super excited to report that I have just released my new deep house track “Groove Machine”! I used DistroKid, so it’s on all your favourite streaming platforms. Here is the YouTube music clip:

DAW – Ableton Live

I used Ableton Live for all the production. I used onboard and plug-in sounds.

I always use Sonic Academy Kick 2 because it offers so many options to choose, tune, and fine-tune the all-important kick sound.

I don’t tend to over-elaborate my tracks. I have a hi-hat drum rack that I usually use. The hats are all tuned to D- and A-, and it loads in my default template. This is just to save time, and keep me motivated when I open up the workstation. I also have a bongo rack that is tuned to D- and A- and loads in the default template.

Groove Machine does not have bongo sounds – but a sampled clap. yes. I use spectrum to analyse the frequencies of any samples that I may use, and am careful to keep everything in tune. Last night, thinking about production, I decided to put spectrum on the Master track of the template, and then solo the tracks to analyse them. Every little RAM saving helps!

Sound design

The lead synth sound in Groove Machine is all mine. I am proud that I did my own sound design for this song. It is tempting – and perfectly fine – to use samples and loops in production. But, since I am a singer-songwriter and from the DIY era, I love to do it myself.

In this case, I listened carefully to the reference track lead sound, then I messed around with a Wavetable preset, and then finally added a guitar amp plug-in, which I tweaked until I got the sound that I used on the track.

Vocal

The voice on the track is mine. I did a bunch of takes, using different microphone techniques (distance, angle). I equalised and de-essed the samples, and left the rest to the mixing and mastering engineer.

Reference Track

This is the first time I have ever produced a song using a reference track. I enjoyed the experience, and it gave me a new tool for my kit. For example: when I was trying to get a similar hi-hat sound, I worked out that you have to use some reverb on the hi-hats. I now apply this knowledge to every production.

Here is the reference track:

Mixing and Mastering

I outsourced the mixing and mastering of Groove Machine to a friend with whom I collaborate frequently. It is not the first time that I have used mixing and mastering services. But, it is the first time that I exported stems and sent them for treatment. I am really happy with how it turned out. It goes to show that two pairs of ears are better than one!

Graphic Design – Adobe Express

I use Adobe Express for almost everything, including the cover art for Groove Machine.

This is the first time that I used a template of theirs, and I am really happy with the ease and speed of creation, as well as the finished product.

Groove Machine by Miss Rachel Rose - cover art
Groove Machine: 1st release of 2025! 5

What’s Next?

I have another tune already in the can – finished, mixed and mastered. If you sign up to my mailing list, you can get a free MP3 copy the week before it gets released. Here is the sign-up form:

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Where to catch me spinning live

I have a weekly gig in Benidorm, at the Caiman Beach Bar.

  • When: Every Saturday
  • Time: 4-6 PM (16.00-18:00 hrs)
  • Where: Caiman Beach Bar, Av. de Madrid no.13, Benidorm
  • What to expect: Deep, groovy, funky house music in a seafront location with cocktails, cold beer, and lovely service.
Location
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Brand-new mixes Spring 2023: bootlegs, edits, and other strange fruit

Nothing like two brand-new mixes to get March marching

Hop on over to my Mixcloud to have a bit of a boogie. There is a downtempo mix and an uptempo mix. Both are total improvisations. I was preparing for my live set on Saturday afternoon and needed to practice mixing some new tunes. They are honest sets, recorded in my home studio.

PS: I find a lot of deejay edits and bootlegs on Soundcloud, so if you like this kind of music, get digging!

Sundowner sets in Altea

If you like what you hear here and want to catch me playing live, come on down to Bar l’Ancora (Carrer Pla d’Albes, Altea, near the Consum in the port area). I will be there every weekend.

Book me!!

If you REALLY like what you hear and want to book me for your party or bar, just drop me a line in my contact form and we’ll talk. You may want to check out my djRVIR page, just for fun.

March into March 🐾

The first mix is a downtempo, edit-heavy, groovy slow burn. My special magic is starting slow and moving the groove up a notch so slowly and smoothly that hardly anybody notices. The art of the DJ is reading the crowd. The DJ is a host, not a star. Music stirs social interaction at just the right pace. This brand-new mix has some Caribou, and Leonard Cohen, so we’re getting a little bit Canadian over here (I can’t resist, I always play the Canadian game of “did you know they’re not American..?) There is some other strange fruit here, so, go have a listen on my Mixcloud profile and let me know if you like it!

DJ RVIR brand-new mixes downtempo preparation sundowners mix.
Brand-new mixes Spring 2023: bootlegs, edits, and other strange fruit 8

Spring into Spring 🌱

DJ RVIR's brand-new mixes include deejay edits, bootlegs, and fine, silky beats.
Now on Mixcloud!

The second of my brand-new mixes is a danceable uptempo gem. I love French music. I really think that nobody does modern, filtered, house and disco like the French. I start and finish this set with French artists. First off, the veteran French singer Véronique Sanson. And taking us marching into the night, the fabulous Clara Luciani. Check it out on my Mixcloud profile.

That’s all for now…

In my long-ago youth, we would have called them a mix tape. I think that Americans still do. I made so many mix-tapes for my friends. Now, I am a little more sophisticated and actually blend the songs into each other, into a sweet and spicy continuous mix.

Is it easier than sitting on the play-record buttons on my cassette recorder? Not sure. Digital mixing requires a lot of concentration, especially with bootlegs and remixes of older songs. the drums are not always quantized, and you have to jiggle around to make them fit. But hey! That’s the art of djing! Have a fab day and I truly hope that you enjoy these two brand-new mixes, hot off the press!