Inside Five: Roisto [Youth Control]

Hailing from northernmost Finland’s deep, dark forests, Roisto takes his name from the Finnish word for “villain.” He anchors himself in a small studio with old analogue synths, tape machines, and 12” disco records that inspire his uniquely stylish and creative Disco output. Roisto’s 2014 debut release on Youth Control, ‘Apart In Love’, introduced the world to his trademark sound. He was featured on The Wired, DJ Mag, Music TV, and many others whilst gathering over 2 million plays on Spotify. 

Following his head-turning debut, Roisto found himself hugely busy in the studio working on remixes for a plethora of artists such as Jason Derulo, Charlie Puth, Bob Sinclair, Vice, Overwerk and The Magician and labels like Kitsuné and Spinnin’. Subsequently, Roisto went on to release several well-received singles on Axwell’s It’s Great imprint, including “No Regrets” in 2017, “All Yours ft. PowerDress” (incl. a Full Intention Remix) in 2018, and “My Way” with Simon Ray in 2020, garnering attention from Pete Tong and Monki at BBC Radio 1 along with the rest of the house music scene.

Following his impressive ‘Do Me Right’ EP on Finnish imprint Youth Cintrol, we caught up with Roisto as he joined us for our famous Inside Five interview format:

Hey Roisto, thanks for joining us! What can you tell us about your latest release, ‘Do Me Right’ on Youth Control?

It’s been a while since I released a track. I wanted to get back to basics. It’s a French house dual-track EP based on tweaking TR-909 and samplers, having fun, and enjoying time at the studio. Youth Control was a very easy decision, they are my original label, which I started with in 2015, and we have a similar way about the current house and disco, how it sounds and where it is going in the future. We wanna keep things real, and that’s what Do Me Right stands for.

You’ve remixed records for Jason Derulo, Charlie Puth, Bob Sinclar and many more. In your opinion, what makes a good remixer?

Good remixers must find disguised elements from the track; they were always there but not audible. At the same time, you have to keep your signature and not completely lose track. Best remixes always bring something new and unexpected and, in the best case, take it even to another level. I like to compare remixing to bricolage; it’s nice when you can spot from a remix that certain parts are from different phases. So yeah, making it as smooth as possible is not always the best option.

You’ve had several releases on Youth Control. How has your relationship with the label developed over the years, and how has it impacted your career?

They are my homeboys and headquarters; we have done many productions and collaborations. We have had a great time together in six years, with good parties and annual events. There is a lot of room to grow in Finland, and we have made our journey together from the start; it’s a great advantage to have collective people same minded around you. I don’t physically live in the same city, but we are highly bounded.

What is the Finnish nightlife scene like, and how does it stack up to some of your favourite party destinations?

I don’t know much about that; I’m a loner living outside big city life. I know there was strong rave culture earlier in my area around the millennium; that’s how I got introduced to house and techno music and started producing. I love good original-style garage events, and whenever one is available, I want to participate. However, Finnish nightlife is not anything I wanna be connected with today; let’s just say it’s not my thing.

Lastly, what can fans expect from you for the rest of 2023? 

Im bringing more original tracks and remixes on youth control and some other labels; it’s always fun to make new remixes. In addition, Im releasing my Loose Tapes monthly mix episodes, having fun at the studio and hopefully streaming some of that on Twitch too. 

Roisto’s ‘Do Me Right’ EP is available to buy/stream via Youth Control HERE.

Roisto
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https://open.spotify.com/artist/0zkoIIaqJT7WP0rly4rOMk

Youth Control
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http://www.youthcontrol.com