German-born and Jamaican-raised Melanie Ribbe’s raw passion for music has been with her since childhood, starting recording blank cassette mixtapes in her bedroom at 8 years old, continuing through her teenage years making mixes then digitally upon receiving her first computer. Melanie lives and breaths music, in any spare moment she has, she prefers to produce music rather than anything else as she is moved by a single purpose: to communicate through music, conceiving it as the object and the means to generate deep emotions.
EG caught up with Melanie Ribbe to learn more about the drop of her remix for Iglesias’ ‘Charged’, her involvement in Paco Osuna’s NOW HERE Hi Ibiza residency, her plans for the future, and more.
EG: Hi Melanie! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. Where are you based right now? How have you been?
Melanie Ribbe: The pleasure is mine. I’ve been great thank you! I am based in São Paulo, Brazil at the moment, but I travel once a month to Europe.
EG: First of all, congratulations on the recent release of your remix of ‘Iglesias – Charged’! What was the reception like?
Melanie Ribbe: Thank you! It was quite surprising, we reached the top 6 on overall releases over at Beatport, which made me happy. I made that remix in one day, it just flowed.
EG: And now you’re set to perform at Paco Osuna’s ‘NOW HERE’ residence at Hï Ibiza! The first of 2 performances this summer, how did this collaboration come about with Paco?
Melanie Ribbe: Paco has been a friend and mentor for almost a decade and we have a lot in common. I signed an EP on his label, Mindshake, and he made a remix for my Saved release. We have been working on an upcoming EP together which should release later this year. Also, he has supported and played a lot of my productions. So it was natural to be a part of the NOW HERE family and I’m very happy and honored to be a part of it.
EG: What can your fans expect of this performance in particular? Any surprises in store? Is this your first time at Hï?
Melanie Ribbe: All my fans know that it will be 100% groovy, ‘groovy’ is my ‘keyword’. I made a folder for this night since months ago, and every time I get a secret weapon, I place it in that ‘Hï – NOW HERE’ folder. So you know it’s going to be special, especially because it will be my debut at Hï Ibiza as well.
“Paco has been a friend and mentor for almost a decade and we have a lot in common. I signed an EP on his label, Mindshake, and he made a remix for my Saved release”
EG: Speaking about summer shows. You just performed at the GreenWorld festival, how was the reception of the Spanish public compared to Brazil, where you are based at? Where else can your fans catch you playing during the rest of the summer?
Melanie Ribbe: There is quite a difference between the Spanish and Brazilian crowds. It came to my mind the other day that I really love the Spanish and Italian crowds. They are so passionate and full of emotion towards the music. I feel a lot of energy from them that pushes me to give my best and keep me going. It’s a nice feeling. I always feel the love from the Spanish and Italian crowd. I feel like most of the Brazilian culture is less about dancing and more about interacting with others than the music, but maybe that’s just my perception at the moment.
Regarding where else you can catch me this summer apart from Hï in Ibiza, I’ll be back in Italy; Riccione & Alassio, Spain for Ultra, Croatia for Elrow Island, Montevideo, Buenos Aires, and Chile.
EG: How is your Agápe Muzik imprint doing? Anything you can anticipate for us on that front?
Melanie Ribbe: Agápe Muzik is my music label which I started a couple of years ago. It’s a lot of work but a pleasure to showcase new and old talent, amongst my own releases and albums. Agápe Muzik will continue to have releases once a month.
EG: The pandemic gave us all a chance to slow down and reassess. In the electronic music scene, it even gave us time for some much-needed discussions. What would you like to see more and less of?
Melanie Ribbe: I would like to see more of new and old ‘real’ talent instead of fast-growing ‘social media’ DJs ‘of the moment’ on lineups. I see DJs getting booked just because of the number of their social media following. We must not forget the old generation, the vinyl generation, and the talented producers. Otherwise, the real producers don’t get booked for shows and they have to change occupations to make a living. Then there will be no more real music to buy on the music platforms. Because the real artists are being forced to change jobs to stay afloat, if not supported by clubs, promoters, and festivals.
EG: What’s next for Melanie Ribbe? What particular milestones are you looking forwards to now?
Melanie Ribbe: I don’t want to be too revealing but I have a few specific goals that I wanted to accomplish in my musical career. I have managed to tick off many boxes already, especially in the last two years. But I know that by next year I would accomplish all I ever wanted. But this won’t stop my inspiration and determination because this (career) is my pure passion and those accomplishments will only motivate me more. Apart from finishing those goals, I would like to do some collaborations with artists that I admire and I am also open to having my own concept party one day again in the future.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Melanie! We wish you all the best for the future.
Melanie Ribbe: Likewise, thank you for having me 🙂 Take care EG. One love <3
Melanie Ribbe will be performing at Hï Ibiza alongside Paco Osuna this July 26th, 2022. Grab your tickets here.
Follow Melanie Ribbe: Facebook | Instagram | SoundCloud | Spotify
