Earlier this summer RY X released the heartbreakingly beautiful track “Berlin”. He is just about to release his equally titled EP on Aug 28. Here’s an exclusive premiere of new song “Vampires”.
He was born in a small village on the Australian coast where he grew up surfing and says he would not know what to do without nature. His travel biography is quite impressive and even though he has been based in LA for the last eight years he has managed to get around a lot. Costa Rica is one favoured destination of his and just like for many other artistic souls, Berlin has won a special place in his heart. RY X has just spent the summer in Berlin while touring with Frank Wiedemann for their mutual project The Howling.
We met up with RY X for a brunch in Berlin to have a chat about ”Berlin”, his love for the city with the same name, the brutality of a Berlin winter and the honesty that comes with his music.
Why Berlin and how did you end up here in the first place?
– The first time I came here I followed a fragile strange romance. It was in the winter and the song Berlin is about finding out the truth about somebody as well as yourself while leaving a warm place behind for, in my case, the brutal Berlin winter.
The other reason for me coming to Berlin was obviously my music and it is because of the music and the community I have here I keep coming back. I don’t want to do another Berlin winter but I hope to come back when the sun is back out again.
Berlin is a mecca for many aspiring artists but people claim many of them get lost in the never ending party scene rather than working. What is your experience and how does working in Berlin differ to working in LA?
– The problem in Berlin, compared to for example LA, is that the energy here does not seem to have a clear direction and this does make it easier to just float around. In LA you have a lot of expectations on what you do it and how it is done. In Berlin work is more about the process and you are free to do what you want. The best thing about Berlin is the freedom of expression. There is also a beautiful balance between party and work here, which the community understands. If you fail to work here, you can’t blame the city and you are probably not doing it right to begin with. Art is always hard work, regardless of where you live, and art does not make itself. Sometimes though, work is not always best when you feel free but when you feel caged by yourself. Industry pressure, however, has no place in art.
How much does your personal life influence your music?
– A lot. I am a true romantic and everything I do is influenced by romance and everything in life can be linked back to romance.
I’m trying to be as honest as possible when I write my music and this honesty goes beyond what I would normally share with anyone in real life. I would not know how to communicate via music without reaching for that honesty and I could only ever write about things I really understand.
This summer you have spent touring with Frank Wiedemann for your mutual project The Howling and you are leaving Berlin to return to LA. What is up next for you?
– I am currently working on four different projects. I am finishing and recording an album for RY X, doing the same for The Howling and working on two not yet released projects. This summer for me was all about touring and my external expression. What lies ahead of me now is more of the internal process, a lot of writing and recording.
Before he runs off to his next meeting, RY X reveals his believes in horoscopes and the power that the moon has over our lives. A spiritual side of him, which not only makes sense when listening to his music, but also gives it another deeper dimension.
The “Berlin“ EP is released on Dumont Dumont on Aug 28.