The Mind-blowing Music of Manuel Riva – A Nexus Radio ADE Exclusive Interview

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Nexus Lounge Amsterdam ADE 2022

With years in the industry and multiple smash hits under his belt, there was no way we would pass up the chance to chat with Manuel Riva at this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event. He joined us in the Nexus Lounge at the BPM popup studio in Amsterdam to talk about life, music, and the fantastic projects he’s got coming our way.

“ADE is the most amazing thing,” says Manuel Riva, “everybody in the industry is here, and their cousins.” But, of course, with all that action, it can be hard to stay focused on work. Arriving a week before the event got started, Riva had been spending a lot of time in the studio, but that got a little harder once the parties kicked off in earnest. “I’m trying to stay away from the parties as much as I can,” he says, “but there are so many interesting things happening, and you just cannot say no at some point.”

Not that Manuel Riva is the kind of artist to put parties over productivity. In recent years he’s been seriously active on the scene, with a string of high-profile singles such as “Miami,” “What Mama Said,” and “Confusion,” and that’s to say nothing of his new album dropping early next year.

“The album was ready, but I wasn’t ready emotionally. I’ve been through quite a lot lately - a lot of intense stuff, but in a positive way - so I thought I’d find a better moment for the album to be out.”

Of course, we’re all excited to hear about this upcoming project, but fans of Manuel Riva might also be excited to learn a little more about his behind the scene process. According to him, a crucial part of his process is to have good templates. This includes his favorite drum and bass samples, keyboard sounds, and just about anything else he might need to get straight into the creative mindset. Using Ableton (a popular choice of music production software), he can keep all of these sounds on hand, helping him make the kind of music he loves in a hassle-free environment.

Lastly, he gave some insights into how he puts together a setlist. Naturally, it always starts with his songs, finding ways to edit between them and build around them, but the real challenge, according to Riva, comes from balancing new stuff with the hits to make sure people get some novelty alongside the tracks they know and love.

If you’d like to learn more about Manuel Riva, check out the full, exclusive, Nexus Radio Interview.