Steve Aoki. Deadmau5. David Guetta. DJ Richy Roy. 

What do those four men have in common? They all produce electronic dance music.  

Richy Roy recently finished up a course on electronic dance music production that was made possible through the Millie Coghill Arts Scholarship.  

“I want to give a big thanks to the Weyburn Arts Council for giving out this award,” Roy told Discover Weyburn. “It really helps a lot of adults in the community to bring more art into Weyburn, and I think that’s a really important part of our community.” 

Roy is well known in the community for his DJing skills, spinning records for weddings, parties, events and in local establishments in Weyburn. Just four years ago, he was named the best wedding DJ in the country. Now, he is expanding his repertoire.  

“We use a thing called a DAW, a digital audio workshop, and we craft the songs on our computer exactly like what you’d hear on the radio from Calvin Harris or Tiësto,” he added. This includes bringing in different samples, different loops, and even using musical instruments played in studio. The elements of the song are carefully arranged, equalized, and if needed vocals are then added to the track. From there, it gets sent out into the world.  

“It could be on Spotify, stream on Amazon, be on the radio stations, and sell it as a legit album,” Roy explained of the possibilities for the music he produces. “So the whole plan is, I’ll create my songs, hopefully, release an album within six months and then start touring some EDM festivals.” 

When it comes to electronic dance music, there is a wide variety of genres, ranging from house music to drum and bass, happy hardcore to ambient, crunkcore to trapstyle. Each of these genres has its own unique sound and feel. For Roy, he looks to his inspirations in becoming a DJ to begin with as to what type of sound he wants to create.  

“A lot of my inspirations that really first got me into wanting to be a DJ is just creating a fun party atmosphere, so it’s a real commercial kind of sound,” Roy explained. “So I was thinking about LMFAO, and Pitbull, and The Chainsmokers, some of those people that you hear on the radio, you always hear at the parties and bars, and the sound that I’m going for is just a positive, uplifting, fun atmosphere.” 

Roy also pointed out that for many of the big names when it comes to EDM, they went on the same trajectory as he did – starting out spinning records and then going from there. He referenced Tiësto, a well-known DJ from The Netherlands. 

“He’s worked his way up in all the different venues from the small party houses to the biggest stages like Tomorrowland (the world’s largest EDM festival)” 

As he is getting ready to start a new part of his DJing career, Roy had nothing but gratitude for how he got to where he is.  

“I really love the support from the community of Weyburn and the surrounding area. I thank everyone that supported me through my journey of being a DJ. Not a lot of people know me as a musician, but I want to give a big shout-out to Tanya Cameron, who was a big inspiration in my musical journey.”