Riva - Who Do You Love Now? (Stringer)

Many are familiar with both versions of this track, and both are equally mesmerising. While the instrumental version is superb in its own right, the vocal mix (which makes very good use of Dannii Minogue) elevates the track to a new level. It also introduced me to the brilliance of Riva.

I first heard Scott Bond play the instrumental mix around 1999-2000. It was truely one of those sheer pins-and-needles moments; when those strings morph in over that bubbly bass, the heavens above open their gates and release two angels that descend and lift you by your arms, flying you over forests and lakes at 500 km p/h.

[Everything that happened between then and the events in the next paragraph are a complete blur.]

Fast forward a couple of years and I catch a glimpse of a Dannii Minogue video and while I've always liked Dannii's music, there was something strangely nostalgic about this track, as though I've heard it before (probably in another life when I was a bird). While I am a greater fan of Kylie, I must admit that Dannii's voice seems much more at home with the pulsating beats, smokey environment of club culture.

Upon learning it was Riva who was responsible for this production, I gained interest in their future releases and now offer other clubbers the opportunity to embark on similar lakeside adventures.

Don't bother with the vocal version, Stringer is a great prog trance track. The beat chugs along in typical trance fashion but the melody is not so typical. It's a lot like an old school number given a modern production style. It's a very nice little tune that presents a good alternative from the hands in the air stuff that's so common these days.

The only good thing with the vocal version of Stringer was the new remixes and this one from the Riva boys themselves is outstanding, skip the vocal version as the vocals sound bad when placed on the track. What makes the remix so great is the summery approach and the fact that it sounds like a extension of Stringer, it is more dj friendly than Stringer as it has proper builds & outro .