When a group comes forth into the world with the vocal stying that emulates the plethora of diversity in a single city, it can be a bonfide gold mine, aurally of course. Riot !n Paris is coy European cover-up to its true intentions: sung love letters to the lovely boroughs of NYC and Brooklyn. Creating an intentional boundary breaking production style, this raucous duo is a combination of long-time NY residents Mercy and Pete. Proving to be a perfect composite mixture of hip-hop and rock, each of them brings to the table a perfect delivery of non-stop energy, talent and just a touch of charm to get their crowds moving.
Riot !n Paris remains unchained by the assumed nature of genres. Despite the fact that their initial principle careers were pigeon-holed on opposite ends of the musical spectrum, they had enough common ground to meet in the middle which concluded in the formation of this project. As they formed stronger in this musical partnership, Pete and Mercy continued to learn musically from each other and develop their single strengths into powerhouses of their own. Each of them have pushed each other into the void of their own personal musical preferences to come out on the other side, standing on the creative fertile ground that is Riot !n Paris.
Last year, they released an EP titled Weekend at Kenny’s that garnered much attention. With its mixture of roaring guitar riffs, booty dropping dance beats and the piano crooning that would be found in the unlikeliest of places, Weekend at Kenny’s has a piece of something for everything and everyone, with even a few random skits thrown in for good measure. Just over a month ago, the boys released Weekend at Kenny’s: the B-Sides, which contained 4 new unreleased tracks. All of the songs from B-Sides and the original EP were recorded at the same time, thus when combined create a wonderful aural reference of Mercy and Pete’s musical abilities and their comical sense of humor.
Musically, Riot !n Paris is quite the romantic nod to the neighborhoods of the five boroughs. Both Pete and Mercy are influenced by their everyday lives in New York and have used that dynamic relationship to put everything else into perspective. When truly inspired by where you live, work and breathe, it will show in the musical response. Riot !n Paris creates a pulse in their songs that can mimic the colorful spectrum of everyday life in New York, from heavy and low to fun and romantic. Even their replicated for the East Coast rendition of Red Hot Chili Pepper’s ‘Under the (Brooklyn) Bridge’ sparks the notion that memories are formed by repetition and creativity is fueled by love