River Moon doesn’t play by the rules. From recording themselves peeing on different surfaces to sampling moments of pleasure, they’re constantly pushing sonic boundaries. Now in their “grown and sexy” era, they’ve swapped teenage angst for hedonistic echoes.
What’s the strangest or most unexpected sound you’ve ever sampled in a track?
It’s not really strange—very on-brand for me—but I sampled audio from a sex tape I made at an after-party for one of the tracks on my upcoming EP. I used to sample audio of myself peeing on different surfaces and breaking objects back when I first started making beats, but I’m not an angsty teen anymore. I’m in my grown and sexy era. So now, we sample our pleasures instead of our pain.
If River Moon had a signature sonic weapon, what would it do to a crowd?
I would make the whole room so hot that everyone would take their clothes off—just like Nelly said.
If you had to produce an entire track using only sounds from one unexpected source (like nature, horror movies, or a broken synth), what would you choose and why?
The Waiting to Exhale soundtrack. People would be surprised to learn that R&B is my most-played genre, despite me making club music. I grew up on Night Slugs and Fade to Mind, and a lot of their source material was ‘90s and 2000s R&B. I’ve always loved that soundtrack and thought it was a masterclass in R&B (shoutout to Babyface). Pulling from different vocals on that would make for something really interesting. I just don’t have the mindset to approach it right now, but sometime in the future, I’d love to. Right now, I’m still making tweaker shit.
What’s a production trick or technique that you swear by but almost never talk about?
Ableton stock plugins on the master. I don’t give a fuck!!! That’s the secret weapon.
If you could throw a River Moon-style underground rave, where is it happening, and what’s the dress code?
I’m throwing it in the city that introduced me to nightlife—New York City. Greatest city in the world. The dress code would be: dress like you’re in an Araki movie. Colorful and sexy, but understated—an outfit you could wear to the mall but also party in. I live for multifunctional fashion.
What’s the wildest party moment you’ve ever had—either as a DJ or just as a raver?
Each and every one of LSDXOXO’s Floorgasm parties. Legendary.
Late-night studio sessions: are we talking ritualistic chaos, candle-lit spells, or straight-up madness?
Structured chaos! I can’t be in the studio just jamming—we have to get something done or call it a night. Studio time is expensive, and we’re in a recession.
If your music was a fictional villain, who would it be and why?
Akasha from Queen of the Damned. Sexy and feminine.
You wake up in 2099—what’s the state of club music?
We’ll be partying to bubblegum pop music by then, I hope!
If you could swap brains with any artist for 24 hours, who would it be and what would you do with their mind?
I would be Nicki Minaj. Her mind is genius. I love how she reinvents herself with each era—her pen is never lacking. She came into the game telling us she was the best, and she’s consistently put in the work to live up to that. I also really admire theatrical rappers. Theater kid rappers are my faves.
What’s the most WTF DM you’ve ever received?
Channing Tatum. No further explanation.
f you had to create a totally unexpected remix of a pop song, which one would you pick?
Kiss It Better by Rihanna.
One track to start a revolution vs. one track to hypnotize a crowd into another dimension—what are you playing?
Let’s Get It Started by the Black Eyed Peas—to start a revolution. And Skep’s jungle edit of Sade’s Like a Tattoo is my favorite track to play to hypnotize a crowd.