B.Riley

I first started playing music at a very young age as a drummer in local punk rock and industrial bands in the Chicago, Illinois area where I was raised.  When I discovered electronic dance music, the beats immediately caught my attention and I started learning to DJ at 16, and I started producing original music pressed to vinyl at 18.  I started performing internationally shortly thereafter.  

Well after a long hiatus from music I decided to start re-dedicating more of my free time to getting back into electronic music and catching up with today’s new artists and sounds.  I released my first EP in over a decade on Tim Xavier’s Face To Face label in the Summer of 2020 which really motivated me to start getting serious about making music again.   

Over the last year I was able to create a sizable collection of new original material and I just didn’t feel like trying to send it all out to multiple labels and wait months to hear of any interest or feedback from them.  I didn’t like the idea of just being another demo submission in their email inbox, so I felt the best way for me to get my music out there and have more control over the exposure and direction was to start my own label.  Having my own label also gives me the ability to start working with other artists I respect and admire so creating CMND CTRL was almost a forgone conclusion for me.  I have run multiple labels in years past and it was simply a matter of learning today’s digital landscape and deciding on a suitable musical direction for the label itself.  CMND CTRL focuses on my interpretation of Techno music in today’s landscape and I hope to pair the majority of releases with both established and upcoming producers who can put their own touches to my music.    

So far it has been a fairly organic process.  I have stayed in touch over the years with artists I admire and who have been kind enough to lend their talents to my label such as Alexi Delano.  My upcoming roster of releases has also helped to give me a little bit of street credit when I reach out to other artists who I do not know personally.  I think when they see some of the people remixing for me and also hear my original material they know I am serious about pushing forward the music, which motivates them to want to work with me.  I’m very excited to see what other artists I will have a chance to collaborate with as the label grows.  

Currently, I am promoting my label’s 2nd release, CTRL002, which features 2 original tracks from myself and an excellent remix by Berlin’s Techno wizard Ray Kajioka.  I was introduced to Ray by Tim Xavier and really liked the type of sound Ray has been creating recently.  Thankfully, he agreed to help out with this project.  Ray is a super talented producer and DJ and I hope to bring him back on another release in the future.   

I grew up learning on outboard analogue equipment, which I really enjoyed, but fast forward to the present and I am about 90% creating digitally on the computer.  I used to be a Pro Tools guy, but made the switch to Ableton Live and really enjoy it’s functionality and ease of use to sketch ideas quickly.  I am also a big fan of Native Instruments Komplete series of VST and plugins as well as the VST clones of classic synths being made by Arturia.  If I am lucky and find some success back in music I hope to be able to start getting back into collecting some outboard equipment again, but time will tell.   

Great question and one that is really hard to pin down.  We are such a connected global society that I think that helps some people draw on influences they might not normally have in their day-to-day local environment.  I do enjoy the fact that musical equipment, whether physical or digital, is more easily affordable and accessible than ever before, which gives more artists the power to create.  It’s an exciting time for music in my opinion.

These days I am a family man with a beautiful wife and 2 wonderful children so I like to spend lots of time with them.  Living in a coastal region I enjoy boating, fishing, and I also fancy myself as a pretty good cook so those are the things I spend most of my free time on. 

So many good artists are out in the scene today!  It’s almost overwhelming haha!  If I had to narrow it down I would say Dustin Zahn, Micheal Klein, Rene Wise, and Rodhad. 

I love all food too much!  If I had to pick it would be Japanese cuisine.  For a good hangout I just can’t beat relaxing poolside on my backyard patio with family and friends.