Homies And Homos

"Finally a male artist with more balls than Madonna!" 5/5 - DJ Magazine (UK)

Producer / DJs come and go but gay icon / model / mild mannered electronic musical geniuses come but once in a lifetime!

Witness Henry Smithson aka Riton (say 'Ree-ton', French slang for 'Henry'), a modern-day electro clash wonder. From his early days working at Fat City as a salesman, ticking guest lists at infamous Manchester venues and handing out flyers for Grand Central gigs, to his 2001 debut 'Beats Du Jour' (described thus in The Face: "Circling house music, electronica and weird beats, GC's non-hip hop debut rocks like a submerged volcano!") and his roll call of famous fans - Laurent Garnier, Trevor Jackson, Richard Dorfmeister, and Ewan Pearson - Riton will continue to turn heads with his latest release, 'Homies and Homos'.

Once again, he has pulled one out of the bag, with the kind of immediate and exciting record that leaves you sitting bolt upright, in awe. The songs take their subject matter from the seedier side of city living, the lyrics fitting seamlessly with Riton's angular beats and bleeps. Covering several decades in style and concept, the cover of The Cure's "Killing An Arab" sits cosily with "Candy", a sleazy affair sounding like the bastard offspring of The Neptunes and Black Strobe.

Imagine Ziggy-era Bowie in a seedy foursome with Pet Shop Boys and Peaches - you've got Riton's sound in a nutshell.