About "Riki"
Riki is the Los Angeles based synth-pop outfit commandeered by the mysterious Niff Nawor, a visual artist and musician active in the deathrock / anarcho-punk scenes of the California bay area before founding her solo endeavor as Riki in 2017. Niff's desire to explore her own sound manifested in the recording of the Hot City cassette, which featured Chelsey Crowley of Crimson Scarlet, Skot Brown of Phantom Limbs and Peđaof Doomed to Extinction.
For her self-titled debut album for Dais Records, Riki explores courage, physicality, and romance across eight timeless synth pop anthems. Produced and engineered by hardware-based synthesist Matia Simovich of INHALT, influences and ideas are worn proudly without deviating from fresh and daring electro-pop territory. Nostalgic cues can be heard ranging from Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW), early productions from Adrian Sherwood, ZYX Italo Disco, Japanese Visual Kei and the timeless pop of Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, and Madonna.
"Napoleon" is exemplary of Riki's indelible sound design – electro-pop that recalls the fusion of uptown and downtown styles of 1980s NYC dance floor culture, told through her present-day West Coast narrative. "Böse Lügen (Body Mix)" is commanding, its presence is addictive. "Böse Lügen" (wicked lies) is downtempo romanticism, with hints of self-reflection behind the guise of an infectious dance floor anthem.
Riki comes with a foldout poster and printed inner euro sleeve with lyrics. Package design by Niff Nawor, photography by Nedda Afsari.
