Biography

The Sixteenth is the recorded music name of producer, composer, DJ and instrumentalist Richard Walley.

Richard is truly a twenty first century composer, as comfortable in bars and clubs as concert halls. His journey into mixing contemporary art music and electronic sound design began at an early age, fuelled by a wide-eyed curiosity for the new sounds he could create with what were then incredibly novel tools; computers, and digital synthesisers.

The Sixteenth’s critically acclaimed debut EP was released in 2020, and immediately captured the attention of both fans and critics alike with its distinctive retro-futuristic sound world and attention to detail. Mid-2024 sees the release of The Sixteenth’s long-awaited debut album. 

Drawing inspiration from a diverse array of musical pioneers, The Sixteenth crafts a sonic landscape that combines elements of cinema soundtracks, hauntological 70s TV music, neo-classical minimalism, and nineties breakbeats. His compositions are immersive journeys that invite listeners to use memories of music to experience human histories from a new perspective. 

Influences on this unique sound world range from the iconic orchestrations of John Barry to the minimalist compositions of Philip Glass, from the experimental improvisations of Nils Frahm to the groundbreaking works of Goldie and Amon Tobin. The Sixteenth draws from a vast reservoir of inspiration, reshaping and reimagining these influences into something entirely novel. 

His current project, the debut album You Could Be Happy, is being released on all major platforms between May and August 2024.