| Riton | |
|---|---|
Riton in 2006. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Henry Smithson |
| Born | September 1978 |
| Genres | Electronic, electroclash |
| Occupations | DJ, musician |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Switch Recordings Grand Central Records |
| Associated acts | Gucci Sound System Die Verboten Eine Kleine Nacht Musik Riton & Primary 1 Carte Blanche |
| Website | www.ritontime.com |
Riton ( /ˈriːtɒn/ ree-ton) is electronica DJ / musician Henry Smithson (born September 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne). The name Riton is French slang for "Henry".
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After graduating from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Smithson started the Switch Recordings label, upon which he released his first two 12" singles. He began DJing at Newcastle's "Shindig" nightclub. There, he was discovered by Mark Rae and signed to Grand Central Records independent record label. Like Rae, he then worked in Manchester's Fat City Records label/distribution/retail outlet.
His first release on Grand Central, "Communicated", featured on the compilation Central Heating 2 and was followed by his mostly instrumental debut album, Beats du Jour, in 2001.
Riton's second album, Homies And Homos (2004) was a much more vocal affair, and featured amongst others, Lee Jones of Howdi and Luca Santucci. It includes a cover version of The Cure's "Killing an Arab".
In 2005, Riton and Ben Fat Trucker formed the Gucci Sound System. The pair have a monthly residency at the 333 Club in London and have their own nightclub named Druzzi's Baltimore Rave Club at Nightmoves on Shoreditch High St in east London. Guests have included Headman, Erol Alkan, 2 Many DJs, The Rapture, Richard X, Mylo and FC Kahuna.
Since the demise of Grand Central Records in 2006, Riton has released 12" singles on several European labels, including Linxfarren in the UK.
In late 2006, it was announced in Belgian magazine HUMO that David and Stephen Dewaele from Soulwax had formed a krautrock band with Riton called Die Verboten. An album was expected late 2007, but to date there has been no further information on the project. Instead, Riton released an album under the pseudonym Eine Kleine Nacht Musik on the label Modular Records in July 2008.
He launched together with DJ Mehdi in 2010 a project which was called "Carte Blanche".
Riton will release new music in November 2011 ('Dark Place' and 'A.C.P) and is also working on music for his album, collaborating with artists and producers such as Surkin and AlunaGeorge. Due for release in summer 2012.