Georgie Riot Talks Debut US Tour, Riot Records, and the Drum & Bass Scene

Georgie Riot swung by ahead of her upcoming US tour to chat about her rise in the scene, how things have gone with Riot Records, and so much more.

The UK has been home to some of the finest artists in the drum and bass scene for decades. While there are certainly plenty of top-tier acts gracing mainstages worldwide, the hotbed of talent goes even deeper with rising acts pushing boundaries and quickly rising to the top, like Georgie Riot.

The past few years have been huge for Georgie Riot as she’s established herself in the scene and grown her faithful following by dropping off some fantastic releases. Her tunes have landed on labels like UKF, DeVice, Viper Recordings, Bassrush Records, and Tomorrowland Music, but where she’s really flexed her production skills has been on her imprint, Riot Records.

Releases are only one part of the equation for Georgie Riot. Appearances at festivals like Rampage Open Air and Shambhala further solidified her ascent in the scene, not to mention her shows elsewhere in Europe. And finally, after years of US fans craving to catch her live, they will get their chance to catch this DnB phenom take the stage when she heads to Raleigh, Baltimore, and Atlanta’s Jungle Bells for a quick four-stop tour.

Before she makes her debut in the US this month, we had the chance to chat with Georgie Riot and jumped at the opportunity. Listen to her latest single, “Engage,” on Spotify or your preferred platform and read on for the full conversation with this blossoming talent in the drum and bass scene.

Stream Georgie Riot – Engage on Spotify:

Hi Georgie! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today. You’ve been on an absolute tear in the scene over the past few years – what has it felt like to receive so much love and support during your rise?

Hi Grant, it’s great to catch up with you; it’s always a pleasure! The past couple of years have been really incredible. I’ve loved touring the world and meeting so many amazing people along the way. I feel incredibly lucky!

On the flip side, it’s also been really difficult trying to balance the lows that come with being a musician. I know many artists will agree with me; it’s really hard to keep the peace within your own mind. We go from extreme highs; touring the world, playing amazing shows, meeting different people – constant excitement – to dark days where you’re back home, exhausted, struggling to find the motivation to get out of bed. I have struggled with mental health issues for the majority of my life, so I often find it hard to manage my emotions and to silence that voice in my head that says I’m not good enough.

I had such a quick rise with my music career in the first couple of years that when things finally balanced out, I felt a lot more pressure and weight on my shoulders. No one is actually putting pressure on me; that’s all in my own head and something I need to figure out myself! The support from fans has been amazing, though; it’s been insane to travel to the other side of the world and see people wearing my merch and singing the lyrics to my songs!

This year is marking an extra special occasion as you’ll close it out with your first-ever run of shows on US soil! What excites you the most about finally making it to the States?

I’m so excited for this US tour. I’m excited to try some proper American food; I heard you guys do it the best! I’m super excited about my shows – Raleigh, Baltimore, and two Atlanta shows. Really gassed for Jungle Bells, that’ll be a wicked end to the run of shows! This tour has been such a long time coming. I’ve had so many people on socials asking when I’m coming to the US, and I’m so happy we’re finally making it happen. I actually got my visa in December 2023, and the tour was supposed to be Q1 2024, but the first run of shows didn’t end up happening, so we went for the end of the year instead.

It can be a pretty long process for artists from outside the US to obtain their visas, get booked, and finally take the stage. Can you share your experience with others who have aspirations to make it here?

The visa process wasn’t too bad, it was just a lot of collecting documents, filling out forms and putting together a portfolio to prove who you and why you should be allowed to perform in the US. That was the first step anyway. Then you pay the fee, I think was just over £3000, submit your application and wait to be offered an interview.

I then had to travel to London to the US embassy for my interview, which was interesting. They ask a couple of questions and check you out. I remember the last question they asked fully threw me off… The interviewer said, “Explain to me what makes you extraordinary?” – I just stood there for a couple of seconds trying to think of a decent enough answer; it was kind of funny! I must have done something right, though, because here we are now! I’m grateful for my fab US agent, Stu, at Corson. He’s working really hard to get the next tour booked, too.

Can we expect a return to the US in the warmer months?

Hopefully! My agent is currently working on another run for later in the year, so it’s just a waiting game for me now to see what happens. I’d love to come over for some big festival shows like EDC and similar events. That would be a dream!

You’ll head back to the UK after this tour for the holidays, but you already have quite a show planned for February 1, the second edition of Causing A Riot! How did this edition come together? Can you speak to the lineup curation?

Yes, this will be the second edition of my own events, hosted in my hometown, Coventry. It’s not a huge city, and the drum and bass scene here is pretty small, so I’m working hard to get it popping! I’ll be headlining the show with support from local talent, artists who release music on my label, names like FMS, Foes, BTLR, and some newer DJs who are looking to get their foot in the door! It’ll be a killer night of jump-up goodness.

Let’s talk about your label, Riot Records. There are already some remarkable releases on the imprint. Can you speak to the growth that the label has experienced over the past two years?

Starting my own label has been great. It’s been two years now, and I’m loving every second of it. It’s refreshing to see how much raw talent is out there. I love listening to demos and supporting artists as they build their careers. It feels like a little musical family!

We’re dropping a killer jump-up album on December 6. It’s called Venom: Vol 1 and it features 10 tracks from various artists, fresh new talent as well as some established names. I’m really excited about this album, it’s had excellent reviews, with support from Andy C, Macky Gee, A.M.C, Koven, and loads more, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

The Riot Records roster includes artists like Ruth Royall, Kartypartyy, Ellictt, Robitos, ATMOS, and more. What did you see in these artists when signing them, and what do you typically look for when sifting through demos?

Each artist you mentioned has a completely different story about signing with Riot Records. Firstly the track with Ruth Royall came about when Something Something and I were looking for a vocalist for our track and we just knew Ruth would smash it! Kartypartyy and Captain Bass came to me with their track “In The Moment” and I just loved it, it was definitely a bit of me!

Ellictt, one of Perth’s fantastic female producers, has released a couple of tracks on the label so far. I had the honour of releasing her debut single. I’m always keen to support wicked women in the scene! ATMOS’ Don’t Tell EP was actually the first ever release on Riot Records (besides my own music), and he’s returning to the label next month with the leading single on our VA album, which is a collaboration with Robitos. Robbe is a good friend of mine, so I’m really excited to be releasing his music on the label; it’s a proper Belgian jump-up banger!

What do I look for in a track? It’s basically a tune I like and vibe with, with good production and clean mixing, and the sub-genres I’m mostly looking for are jump-up and dance floor. If it slaps, it slaps!

As someone who has been involved in many different aspects of the drum and bass scene, what are your thoughts on its current state?

Okay, so this is a delicate question. There are two ways of looking at this. From one perception, the drum and bass scene is thriving; there’s so much new talent, tons of new sounds, and more new acts are breaking through and building a fan base.

Looking at the other side of things, I’d say that in the UK, there are some issues; there are many similar-sounding songs lacking originality, and there are many big labels and events companies taking over the scene and, in a way, gatekeeping. There are too many lineups with all the same acts at each show. It seems that promoters are scared or unwilling to take a chance on different artists. Something seriously needs to change, in my opinion.

Do you have some fresh releases lined up for next year?

I do indeed! I have a liquid/dancefloor EP dropping in the first half of 2025, which will be released on a big label (I can’t say who yet). That’s going to be a nice contrast in comparison to the jump up I’ve been releasing recently. I hope my fans love it! And, of course, I’m going to make some more jump-up bangers ready for summer!

Finally, what goals do you hope to achieve in 2025?

Primarily, I want to work on my mental health. I think, firstly, I need to get that in check so I can reach my full potential with my career. I touched on this briefly earlier on, but I’ve been struggling for a long time with depression and anxiety, and recently, I’ve been diagnosed with body dysmorphia. I’ve been struggling with all of this for the best part of 10 years, but in the past two years, it’s become really difficult, and it’s impacting my creativity and passion for music and just life in general, really. I want to get back to feeling 100% to put my all into music.

Apologies for oversharing, but I feel it’s time to be more transparent with my fans. At the end of the day, it’s all well and good for me to sit here talking about all the great things that are happening, but it’s only one small part of me. What’s going on behind closed doors is more real, and I know this will resonate with a lot of people.