MANNYO #3 by MannyoUSA

MANNYO MANNYO #3 | NOVEMBER 2015

RAHEL “I KNOW WHO I AM AND... I’VE GOT A LOT OF THINGS TO OFFER”

CHICAGO’S BABY

RYAN GRIMM IS GROWING UP

CAUSE WE’RE BIG IN OKINAWA

MC UKUDADA & IKNOW

plus

LOUISE CHANTÁL SHA SHA KIMBO LAURA BERGER

Hi Everyone, Thanks for taking the time to read the third issue of MANNYO. Despite our seemingly small size, bringing all of this to a reality felt like my own personal battle with a colossus. My dad died this past July, a month before his 54th birthday, and that made working on this issue seem almost impossible at times. No one can really prepare you for the type of change death brings to your life and it’s something i dealt with while making this issue and am still handling today. So MANNYO #3 coming to life (and on schedule) means a lot to me and it’s only because of the people you see featured in these pages. Our cover story on Rahel, the rising Bronx singer from Camp & Street, is written by Michelle Ofiwe and shot by my friend Claire O’Boyle. Two of our interviewees, MC Ukudada & iknow and Louise Chantàl, are our first international features and Los Angeles DJ Sha Sha Kimbo makes our first west coast appearance. Plus i got to personally interview Ryan Grimm whose album, Gold Coast, we’ll be releasing through Mannyo USA later on. I also have to thank Linda for helping me sort through the craziness of this entire issue and Eric and Ashley for creating two photoshoots for our shirts and acting goofy on the streets of NYC for me. Thanks y’all. - Chris

MANNYO #3 by KinokoN캐i

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MANNYO MANNYO (pronounced “Mon-Yo”) is the bi-annual publication curated, edited, and produced by digital label, Mannyo USA. We strive to find the intersection between audio and visuals to create collaborations with artists we love. Editor-in-Chief Chris Barnes www.mannyo.us admin@mannyo.us Co-Editor Linda Tran Linda, 24, is bi-coastal living from the golden to the empire state. Virgo. Currently working on mastering teleportation to be able to live in New York City while still growing her poinsettias in California. Contributing Writer Michelle Ofiwe Michelle is a 21 year old warrior princess lounging in the belly of Houston, Texas. Fights for Liberté, Egalité and Beyoncé, and will work a pair of gladiator sandals. Contributing Artists Rahel https://soundcloud.com/hai_rahel https://twitter.com/blaqnblew SHA SHA KIMBO https://soundcloud.com/shashakimbo https://twitter.com/SHASHAKIMBO Ryan Grimm https://soundcloud.com/ryangrimm https://twitter.com/VlRTUALBOY Louise Chantál https://soundcloud.com/imlouisechantal https://twitter.com/imLouiseChantal MC Ukudada & iknow https://soundcloud.com/ukudada_iknow Laura Berger http://www.lauraberger.com/

KinokoNĳi http://sakurabuckshot.tumblr.com Contributing Photographers

Claire O’Boyle http://www.claireoboyle.com https://instagram.com/thinkiclaire Nino Mars https://instagram.com/ninomars http://ninostudio.vn/ Models Eric K. https://instagram.com/erixxxo/ Ashley https://instagram.com/kaboomxpow/ All rights reserved. No part of MANNYO may be reproduced in any form by any means without written prior consent from Mannyo USA. For all advertising, contribution, and other inquiries contact admin@mannyo.us www.mannyo.us www.soundcloud.com/Mannyo-USA www.MannyoUSA.tumblr.com Twitter: @MannyoUSA Instagram: @MannyoUSA Facebook: MannyoUSA

6 FAVORITES Five things we want you to get into across various channels of entertainment including Los Angeles DJ Sha Sha Kimbo and artist Laura Berger.

12 #LOOKS Japanese rap duo and DJs MC Ukudada & iknow talk to us about their individual styles and what’s cool in their hometown.

16 SOUNDCLOUD CLIQUES Soundcloud’s just like your high school’s lunch room, only bigger with a lot more than just the jocks and nerds to choose from.

17 LOUISE CHANTÁL She’s only got two songs out, but when you hear rising UK singer Louise Chantál’s voice you’ll know why she’s been getting so much attention.

18 GIRL’S NIGHT OUT Every girl needs a night out! So whether you’re a lush, kawaii, thot, or witch magical girl you deserve to have fun.... and this tee.

24 THE BEGINNING OF RAHEL

Rahel just dropped her debut album Alkali this year after teasing listeners through collaborations with artists like le1f and LSDXOXO, but she isn’t worried about rushing what’s coming next.

36 RYAN GRIMM XOXO

Chicago musician Ryan Grimm has released two albums dealing with lust and unrequited love, but with his upcoming album Gold Coast he’s found himself growing up. MANNYO #3 | 5

FAVORITES

Sometimes things just hit you at the right time and the right place and that’s what Life is Strange did for me. Following the story of an 18 year old girl named Max Caufield who finds out she has the power to rewind time during her senior year at a prestigious prep school, you find yourself navigating the dramas of teenage life while solving the mysteries of a small, quiet town. Though the game itself is based in 2013, it so accurately nails the realities of living as a teenager that players of any age will find themselves reveling (or cringing) in the nostalgia of life as a teen. Petty drama, popularity contests, and the awkwardness of those years are captured perfectly with Life is Strange’s amazing writing and script, game design, and attention to even the most minute of details. It almost makes you want to go back to being a teenager when you’re biggest concerns weren’t loan payments and bills, that is until you get to the plot twist at least. Life is Strange is published by Square Enix and available now on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4.

THE NEW AND IMPROVED ROMIE FUTCH JULIA ELLIOTT Romie Futch has a potbelly, thinning hair, and generally wouldn’t get a second glance from anyone in real life, but that’s what makes this part southern gothic, part sci-fi tale about him becoming a walking wikipedia so entertaining. Author Julia Elliott’s sharp wit and hilariously blunt tone in her writing helps too.

The New and Improved Romie Futch is available now through Tin House Books

SHAMIR - IN FOR THE KILL ARTIST: FROM: SHAMIR RATCHET VIDEO: DIRECTOR: IN FOR ANTHONY THE KILL SYLVESTER

SHA SHA KIMBO SHA SHA KIMBO SHA SHA KIMBO Los Angeles DJ Sha Sha Kimbo has been quickly rising to the top with an almost nonstop schedule of playing globally broadcasted tunes and guest mixes, weekly appearances at LA clubs, and of course yoga classes on top of everything else. MANNYO: Hey Sha Sha Kimbo! How has 2015 been treating you so far? Looks like you have been playing a lot of shows and showcasing some great acts at your club night, CyberSonicLA. SHA SHA KIMBO: 2015 has been amazing. I’ve put out some great productions, including ‘Supreme Bitch’ that was premiered on NestHQ and DJing has been going great as well. This year I played with heavy hitters like Rustie, Nightwave, Sinjin Hawke, Neana and Her Records, Kid Antoine, and Fraxinus and over the summer I was asked to open for Kastle, Alix Perez ,and Petey Clicks at the new Mix Mag LA Lab. This was a total treat for me! So honored to support such amazing producers and DJ’s. My club night, CyberSonicLA, has been really popping off as well. I’ve worked really hard for many years now and I’m really happy where my career is going. I look forward to what the future has to offer.

MANNYO: You’re based in Los Angeles, but have a lot of connections to the underground scene in the UK. How did you get involved with people like L Double from BBC 1Xtra’s Drum & Bass and UK based radio Nasty.FM? SHA SHA KIMBO: My best friend from my hometown (near Los Angeles) lived in the UK on and off. He introduced me to the UK sounds and to L Double. L Double taught me how to DJ and introduced me to production. He truly inspired me with his tunes off his label, Flex, and his rude boy style DJing. I got linked with DJ Heartless, from Nasty.FM, when he heard my tune “Turnt Out”. He sent me an email that said, “Can you mix?” I promptly sent him [a mix] and got connected with the underground grime, garage and bass tunes coming out of Nasty.Fm & UK producers. I love Nasty.FM and all the DJ past & present. They have such unique sounds and I look forward to working

with them when I go back to the UK. MANNYO: On top of being a DJ you’re also a yoga teacher and consultant. Do the worlds of DJing, producing, and yoga ever combine in your life? SHA SHA KIMBO: Earlier this year I produced a yoga EP under the guise Sha Shakti. The EP, Santosha, will be released this year as the first digital download on Deepak Chopra’s Chopra Center site. I’m so excited about this! This EP is a result of my two favorite world colliding. MANNYO: 2015 sounds pretty hard to top for you. What can we look forward to from you in 2016? SHA SHA KIMBO: [I’m looking] forward to going back to Europe to tour and produce with some of my favorite artists, sharing more music with you, and continuing my club events in Los Angeles. I am excited about what will happen next! Stay tuned! Sha Sha Kimbo will be bringing the heat in 2016!

SELECTED SOUNDS

To help you further get into SHA SHA KIMBO we’ve compiled our own list of our favorites tracks, mixes, and remixes from the LA DJ and producer. Scan the QR code to the left to listen to the full playlist. 5. Quick Time - SHA SHA KIMBO 1. SUPREME BITCH - SHA SHA KIMBO 2. ZATISSE (SWISHA SWEET Remix) - 6. SHA SHA KIMBO #PACIFICBASED FOR BASSPORT.FM SHA SHA KIMBO 7. SUMMER BAE - SHA SHA KIMBO 3. SHA SHA KIMBO #PACIFICBASED Guest Mix For Beat Lab #39 4. Hazy Night (SHA SHA KIMBO Remix) - DJ Noms MANNYO #3 | 7

FAVORITES

La d ur n a ill a Berg r e t n t i er is a pa ust u b , rato he o r living in Chicag o r t h pl work g u s is galactic eno eas o m s & C e even o C , l l e A t he King of OM c a P p RISED s an , s . t largely of plan d dt e k he w ild freedom of being na

From Within by Laura Berger via LauraBerger.com

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Island Living by Laura Berger via LauraBerger.com

Green Space by Laura Berger via LauraBerger.com

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#LOOKS W/

MC UKUDADA & IKNOW

It’s no surprise after talking to MC Ukudada & iknow to learn that the Japanese duo first formed after playing together at a party. Even with a language barrier you can still feel the energy coming from their catchy chants and bouncy lyrics throughout every song. We talked with the two DJs for #LOOKS to learn about their style and life in Okinawa.

MANNYO: What inspired both of you to start making music as MC Ukudada & iknow? MC Ukudada & iknow: We both started out as DJs when my friend asked us to play for his party called “hakkin’!!” That was the beginning of everything for us. By chance we both ended up as the DJ for the first anniversary of the party a year later so we thought it would be funny if we suddenly started to sing while we were DJing. The first song we made was “hakkin’!!Birth DAY” and we sang it over one of Jimmy Edger’s track. After that we made a new song when we joined the party “odorock” where Mad Yellow saw our performance and offered us a spot to play the bass music party, “BASS SWAGGA,” as “Mc Ukudada & MC iknow” for the first time. MANNYO: I first found your music through collaborations like “A HER BEST GOLD” with Mad Yellow and “GOHAN” with nagomu tamaki and really loved how catchy and fun your raps were despite not understanding the lyrics. Do you purposely try to make all of your lyrics fun? What do each of you find yourself talking about in your lyrics? MC Ukudada & iknow: We sang “A HER BEST

GOLD” when Mad Yellow joined the bass music party “BASS SWAGGA” as a guest. We were singing like, “Please sway us with your bass, we can’t sway our small boobs but we sway our hearts.” The song “GOHAN” (it means rice in Japanese) is a song we made to express our conflict of, “Want[ing] to eat more, but want to get in shape!!” Both songs are “the real” for both of us... MANNYO: How would you describe each of your individual styles? Do they differ from what you represent when you’re making music or performing together as a duo? MC Ukudada: I never sang solo before, but I think my DJ style is different from performing as Mc Ukudada. I don’t know what kind of genre of music I’m playing, but some audience tell me, “It’s progressive!!” I love Albert Marcoeur, Hermeto Pascoal and the pitchshifters of 360records though they’re not progressive. I’m always happy when audience say, “I’ve never listened to music like this before!” MC iknow: I like catchy Japanese pop music from the 90’s to ‘00 and I often play it when I’m DJing because everyone knows them and it helps create a sense of unity. Actually… I just want to play music that I love. I like exciting parties so I think my DJ style is different from Ukudada’s. For my lyrics, some people say they’re a little bit masochistic and really realistic. I usually drink too much and

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dance and shout with the audience, then Ukudada comes to calm me down. MC Ukudada: Yes, I enjoy parties in my own way, but my friends and the audience always tell me, “You are quiet.” MANNYO: Both of you currently live in Okinawa in Japan. Are you both from there? What’s cool/ fashionable in Okinawa right now? MC Ukudada: I was born and grew up in Okinawa. Regarding fashion, I think Okinawa is a little bit away from the fashionable scene in Japan because we can’t buy clothes that we see in magazines without doing it online unless one of the local shops carries it. But at the same time this situation makes Okinawans unique because people choose their clothes by their own sense of value.

I want many people to know and to visit to the oldest theater named “Shuri Theater” in Okinawa. It’s really fantastic and super cool. MC iknow: I was born and grew up in Okinawa too. I didn’t like it when I was growing up because I couldn’t get what I wanted when I was young, but now [that I’m older] I don’t think I want to chase after fads anymore (or I’ve just accepted I can’t catch [them] anyway...), but becoming like old style people is cooooooooooooool. MANNYO: What are both of you looking forward to doing in 2016? MC Ukudada & iknow: We just want to keep singing and having fun with everyone around us. We want to have live performances in many places as long as we can go. Please invite us to your hometown party!!!

to.be/mannyo mannyo.us

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SOUNDCLOUD’S AFTER-SCHOOL CLUBS

JUST LIKE ANY OTHER HIGH SCHOOL SOUNDCLOUD’S GOT CLIQUES. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT A NEW ONE SEEMS TO POP UP EVERYDAY. IT CAN GET CONFUSING KNOWING WHERE YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO SIT AT LUNCH SO WE COMPILED OUR OWN INTRODUCTION TO SOME OF THE RISING GROUPS ON SOUNDCLOUD.

WHO G O L F C L U B WORLDWIDE

NON STOP POP J A C K 댄 스

T R E K K I E T R A X

N I P O P

N C

I O

N A R E C.

T R

E P

WHAT

WHERE

Country club aesthetic club music. They don’t know anything about golf and I don’t either except its pretty boring. Luckily their music isn’t and it’s made up of some pretty cool names like Lil Mystic and Sartana.

SOUNDCLOUD.COM/GOLF-CLUB TWITTER.COM/WEAREGOLFCLUB

Formerly known as JACK댄스, NON STOP POP is a monthly radio show and series of parties that originally started out in London. Now popping up internationally, they’ve featured artists like SOPHIE, GRRL, & Kero Kero Bonito.

SOUNDCLOUD.COM/ NONSTOPPOP TWITTER.COM/NONSTOPPOP

Trekkie Trax is an online label based in Tokyo and headed up by cofounder Seimei, who is also a member of Golf Club Worldwide. Everything’s related! I’m currently loving their release of COLA SPLASH’s self-titled EP.

SOUNDCLOUD.COM/TREKKIETRAX TWITTER.COM/TREKKIETRAX TREKKIE-TRAX.COM

From the bmore club tracks of TT The Artist to the dance sounds of Gurl Crush, Nina Pop’s music is just as eclectic as its own founder, SCHWARZ. If you’ve never heard of SCHWARZ, now is it a good time to start googling.

SOUNDCLOUD.COM/NINAPOP TWITTER.COM/ NINAPOPRECORDS

There are a lot of nightcore groups out there, but Nite Corp. is one of the bigger ones (I’m sure there’s a bigger one, don’t @ me) and features artists like tacoemoji and sign offline.

SOUNDCLOUD.COM/NITECORP NITECORP.CO

Rising singer Louise Chantál first captured our ears when we found her track “Purple R a i n” featu re d i n publications like Vibe and Saint Heron. We managed to fit into her busy schedule to talk to her while she readies her debut EP. Interview by Michelle Ofiwe Photo: Dimetri Hogan

MANNYO: What music did you listen to growing up? What were you like as a kid? Louise Chantál: My mother and aunt played a lot of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. As a kid I was very adventurous, studious, stubborn, and determined. I loved to travel and to read. My father and I would spend hours in the bookstore picking out books. I was completely spoilt by him, while my Guyanese and Bajan mother was the more strict parent. I think this made me a bit of a handful for her because I was always scheming about how I could get my way. I wanted my mother to raise me the way I saw other kids being raised. Coming from a country with different morals and values [than where we lived] made my mother feel like she had to shelter and protect me from America’s society as much as she could. She always felt the kids in America grew up so much faster than she did as a child in Guyana. Now that I’m in my late teens I understand her a lot more, but back then I just wanted more freedom. MANNYO: When did you first decide music was something you were going to pursue? Louise: I decided at 12 that I was going to pursue a music career after making a video of myself singing on Facebook.

MANNYO: What musicians or artists influence you? Who do you consider to be an inspiration? Louise: I’m inspired by so many different musicians: from Whitney and Mariah to Stromae, Janelle Monae, Beyonce, Drake, Amy Winehouse, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin… I could go on for days. I listen to a lot of music. MANNYO: What do you think about the future of R&B? What do you feel about R&B right now? Louise: I’m always optimistic about the future of music because as time and technology evolves it becomes easier and easier for more people to create. The negatives are over-saturation and the politics of the business. As for R&B right now, I am excited about the new emerging artists, eager for more to enter, and definitely curious to see who will be around ten years from now. MANNYO: What’s next for you? Louise: The release of my Welcome to Aranbi EP, which was produced by Science, is next for me! I am very exited to share all of my stories and allow people to get to know Louise Chantál as a singer, songwriter, and creative. This journey is going to be an amazing one. I look forward to beginning it! MANNYO #3 | 17

MANNYO’S GIRLS NIGHT OUT PHOTOGRAPHY NINO MARS MODELS ERIC & ASHLEY

TO.BE/MANNYO MANNYO.US/STORE.HTML

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Written by Michelle Oﬁwe / / Photography by Claire O’Boyle

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hile other artists aim to project a sheen of impeccability, Rahel is decidedly transparent. The Bronx, New York crooner will be the first to tell you she doesn’t have it all figured out. “It really bothers me that everybody promotes that myth [of perfection] about artists and that’s what essential to making you great,” she explains. “It’s a lot of research [and understanding] what people relate to, but knowing not to exactly cater to that.” In 2015, Rahel is still writing her game plan. The growing buzz surrounding her debut project, Alkali, and a collection of star-studded collaborations (LSDXOXO, Le1f, and DonChristian) makes her new blueprint essential. Our chat on a quiet Sunday evening nonchalantly gives away her game plan, and its main ingredient is hard work. The longer we talk, the more Rahel convinces me that the work is non-negotiable. “I don’t deserve the right to skate through anything, and I won’t,” she says. “The idea that you have to be great from jump street is such a farce. I’m just focusing on how to be better: can I sing better? Can I write better? Can I perform better?” For most of her life, it seemed unlikely that such questions could be answered. As a young tomboy dressed in her brother’s hand-medowns, Rahel could often be found playing sports, but was rarely noticed when singing to herself. Navigating her way through an elite private school and its social strata left her hesitant at the thought of exploring a burgeoning creative expression. “It’s hard being in that environment – you already know you’re in that minority, as a racial minority, ethnic minority,” she says. “I was a fat kid [in] totally big T-shirts and really baggy pants […] It was just so much easier to just hang out and play sports with boys.”

Like many first-generation kids, she learned early about the weight of their sacrifice, and became keenly sensitive to her parents’ expectations. Art and music felt more like distractions, and therefore not worth the effort. “My parents didn’t explicitly say [to go] to school, but you went to school because your parents wanted you to be successful,” Rahel relates. “[To them], becoming an artist didn’t indicate success.” A naturally analytical child, Rahel studied industry trends and consumed everything she could. She picked up on Bad Boy and Camron & the Harlem Diplomats via her older brother and cousin; then, her parents’ occasional bouts to Motown and beloved Tigrinya music; and, eventually, MTV staples like No Doubt and The Cranberries. R&B easily caught her attention with the tales of Brandy, Monica, and Destiny’s Child. Listening to music felt like an expert study on both culture and people, she recalls. “I found out what was popular to people [and listened] to it intently. There was a broad spectrum but I always zoomed in on R&B.” In high school, she pursued music when she could, often taking local classes and experimenting on her own. During college, she witnessed the rise of friends Le1f and DonChristian, and still cites their success as inspiration. “In college, [experimenting] slowly snowballed into wanting to do music more than anything else,” she explains. “Le1f was hugely influential in me making music – he was really going against the grain and putting his own path in front of him, and it was a great example as to how [to do it.] I didn’t really have an excuse.” When he offered her a vocal collaboration on his [2013] mixtape Tree House, Rahel accepted in spite of her terror. It was her first time recording professionally, but she was hooked; being in the studio instantly felt like home. Walking away from the opportunity to do it again suddenly felt MANNYO #3 | 27

impossible. She’d recently taken on a job as a Pre-K teacher at a private elite school, but knew she couldn’t stay for long. “That was my moment, where I was like ‘I just want to do this, and I just want to be better.’ But [my next year] was definitely going to be my last year. I wanted to be prepared for what was going to happen when I didn’t have the job anymore.” In its own way, teaching had also been a watershed moment. During the day, Rahel would teach classes; at night, she continued to explore music. Surprisingly, the two pursuits would often intertwine, offering their own lessons on crafting a narrative: “Being a teacher is a performer,” Rahel notes. “No matter what’s going on behind closed doors or in your personal life, you have an agenda and you have to execute it. [It’s] like an appropriated performance of yourself.” It’s a lesson many artists have failed to grasp. Controlling your own narrative is a Herculean task for those who have yet to figure out what they want to say. For her part, Rahel has always been adamant on genuine representation of herself, especially against the anachronisms of the music industry. She knows that she doesn’t fit the profile of the longhaired, light-skinned demigoddess seen often in R&B. It doesn’t bother her. “I’m here to challenge notions that you need to be young, skinny, pretty, or have long good hair and be lightskin – I am not those things. I have stretchmarks and a bad attitude!” she laughs. “I’m not going to get plastic surgery and I’m not going to hit the gym 6 times a week and I’m not going to buy a waist trainer, and I’m not paying for a fucking weave. I know who I am and I know that I’m chill and I’m funny, and I’m cute and I’ve got a lot of things to offer to people.”

The first of Rahel’s offerings is her debut album, Alkali, released in February this year. Concluding at a little over thirty minutes, the project is a solid piece of work with its combination of soft, echoed instrumentals and Rahel’s lush lyrics. On the album’s breakout single, “Serve,” she is the patientbut-coaxing lover, encouraging her partner to spend a night when he can: Take the train out, I’ll pick you up, she sings, Don’t worry, baby, it’s not too much. The single’s accompanying video places us on the other side of

I know who I am and I know that I’m chill and I’m funny, and I’m cute and I’ve got a lot of things to offer to people. her gentle smile as she prepares a romantic dinner for two and explores upon the shoreline. This is her normal: a relatable vision of love that doesn’t need Instagram filters. Though it clearly calls to traditional R&B with its tales of love and relationships, Alkali is distinct from the genre in both lyricism and creative direction. Like all of her decisions so far, Rahel stands at the center of her work, as both her own heroine and her own muse. “I’m really disenchanted and disillusioned on what it’s like to be an R&B singer. I do care deeply, but that’s why I’m trying to be a little more challenging,” she relates to me later.

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Not surprisingly, she finds a safe haven in fellow game-changers. Attitude, not sound, connects her to peers, and she’s inspired most by those willing to expand the box. “[People like] Arca is really redefining the way we approach production, [and so is] Bjork – they’re really artists that are out there with it intent. Bbymutha is another great example – you’re a mother of four, and you’re rapping and you’re not giving any fucks. She’s an artist and rapper who’s unapologetically herself. People like that really blow me away! I’m

inspired by people just challenging the standards.” On her end, carving a distinct space in an established genre was not easy. Ultimately, Alkali’s recording process was a slow burn, and meant even more experimentation with writing her own lyrics. Releasing the album only gave Rahel more opportunity to tackle the issue. Writing is her first arena, and her game plan there is simple, too. “I’m just getting out of my own head. I was always thinking analytically in

college, I felt like creative writing was too indulgent,” she remembers. “I’m getting more and more comfortable with it. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m still an artist learning how to be an artist. Every day is practice and getting better at it.” Perhaps she knows, more than anyone, that such progress takes time. She seems comfortable with the idea. When we speak, her ease portrays someone still enjoying their journey. It seems especially unnecessary to speed up the process

now, when so much of her career has depended on taking her time. For Rahel, she is at her best when she is still learning – whether about the industry or her own voice. When I ask her about future projects, she confirms she’s at work but doesn’t bother to give me further details. “I like the slow build and to see what comes of it, what the vibes are,” she explains. “[But] I know what my intentions are. I’m just going to take my time and do it right.” MANNYO #3 | 33

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Photography: Jessica Kaplan

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RYAN GRIMM AND THE

GOLD COAST Ryan Grimm may be an alter ego dreamed up from the suburbs of Chicago, but the thoughts and fears that he sings about couldn’t be realer. We caught up with his creator, Nick Malone, to talk with him on the phone while he prepares his upcoming album, Gold Coast, to be released through Mannyo USA.

Mannyo: Hey, Nick! So I guess to start off this off can you tell me the origin of where you got the Ryan Grimm name from? Ryan: I’ve been fucking around with names for years. I have ADD with the way I present myself musically because I always felt my real name, Nick, was boring. I like the part of my name, Grimm, the most because I was starting to make darker music and it just seemed like a scarier name *laughs* I don’t even remember how I came up with the Ryan part… This is a really bad backstory for a name. Mannyo: Well, when I first found you I just naturally assumed Ryan was your name. Do you like Ryan more than Nick? Ryan: I think I’ve made the Ryan Grimm character as a way to present my music as almost an alter ego. The way Ryan Grimm reacts is different than how Nick Malone would react because I don’t necessarily behave that myself way in real life. Separating the name helps me detach my own feelings that I’m writing about and put it through a filter of this character of who doesn’t give a fuck and is just badass that comes out on top whereas in real life it doesn’t always come out that way for Nick. Mannyo: When did you start making music? Ryan: I started learning how to play instruments when I was really young so as soon as I knew how to form my own chord progressions I was writing. I must’ve been nine years old or something, but I didn’t put start to put anything on the internet until 2011. Initially it was just me making my own tracks out of acoustic guitars and my own vocals and it was very different from what I do now. Since then I’ve started finding producers, tracks, and sounds that I could use as my own to make a shift towards beat driven music. Mannyo: Who’s inspired you musically for that shift in sound? Ryan: It’s all over the place. Grimes was a really big inspiration… and Sleigh Bells was a really big inspiration… just things that blend really intense themes and lyrics, but also have this cutesy aspect to it. That juxtaposition of scary intenseness paired against really twinkly beats that I find myself drawn to. Mannyo: So that’s kinda like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. She’s mentioned in her own interviews how she likes kawaii things, but mixes it with morbid scary stuff to make it horrifyingly cute. Is that something you relate to? Ryan: Yeah, kind of like that. Mannyo: I know you already mentioned Grimes, but is there anyone you look to for inspiration for lyrics? Ryan: I think what caused the biggest shift in my own writing

was Lana del Rey. She has a very distinct go-to set of words and phrases that she uses repeatedly to create this character and, not to be put in the same box, but I wanted to make Ryan Grimm come across as strong of a persona as Lana’s and be carried through multiple topics and situations to see how he reacts. It’s like a big art project for me where I get to use key lyrics and sounds that get repeated across my work. Mannyo: And people really react to that too. You can tell when someone’s a really big Lana fan because she uses the same imagery over-and-over again and people like that. I went to a Lana and Grimes show earlier this year… Ryan: And I went to one too! Mannyo: Yeah? And you could tell who the really big fans were because they all dressed the same. Ryan: She has a very distinct aesthetic and sound and lyrical pallet that she works within and she’s not willing to change it at all. That’s what drew me to her the most. Mannyo: I also saw you mention Kitty on twitter too, are you a fan? Ryan: A massive Kitty fan! She’s amazing. I don’t even know why I didn’t mention her, she’s currently one of my biggest influences. Mannyo: How long have you been listening to her? Ryan: Since I heard “Okay Cupid” in 2012 and I’ve been following her ever since. She does a lot of the stuff that I mentioned earlier where she’s cutesy and girly, but is also rapping and going against that image. It started out as a joke, but now she’s out to prove that she’s not just a joke on the internet or a meme. I love following her because the way she’s changed since that first song came out is crazy. Mannyo: And I really like her new stuff, especially the impatiens EP. Ryan: I loved impatiens. “Marijuana” is her best song Mannyo: Any time you look at her mentions they’re always full of the worst people. I don’t know how she handles it. Ryan: And she lives off of that too. She thrives off of people saying mean shit on the internet. Mannyo: But on to your music, your two biggest releases right would be your Love Hotel projects. You would consider them albums right? Ryan: I think so. I think I started considering both of them as albums.

Mannyo: And your latest one you subtitled it, “Devil in the White City.” Is that based off the book? Ryan: I’ve actually never read the book *laughs* I heard that and wanted to take it and make it my own and I never took my time to explain it. It was from the fact that when I tried to take my music out and perform it around [the Chicago suburbs] there really wasn’t a scene for what I do. Especially because a lot of my lyrics can be particularly jarring, like shockingly vulgar and gay, and there isn’t a venue for me to do that at. So that’s where the devil part came from, where it’s unapologetically queer, and the white city part was just Chicago and me growing closer to Chicago as a city. I was starting to explore my own freedom and the city that I’ve always lived in, but… I’ve always been here, but I was like eight years old and now I can actually go down there and have my own adult life. Mannyo: You’re in the suburbs right? Ryan: I’m very suburban. Mannyo: I love SOFTXSHUG’s one line where he said he was the baddest little suburban bitch. I love how he took something like kids growing up in the suburbs that’s not normally looked at as cool and made it his own thing Ryan: Yeah, he’s very proud of being this cool bougie bitch *laughs* He’s almost made it this domestic thing where he’s just being treated lavishly by all these suburban dudes. Mannyo: Just sitting on the couch with his two little dogs and checking grindr.

my age maybe shouldn’t be going, but putting it through that filter where it’s easy to listen to until a certain line jumps out at you and you’re like, “Oh, didn’t realize this is where the song was going.” Mannyo: I noticed too that you have a lot of video game references in your songs. I think the first of yours that I heard was “Virtual Boy” with SOFTXSHUG where used a sample from

Because the vibe of the music is so cute and easy to digest it almost goes over your head how sadistic some of the lyrics can be

Ryan: Exactly

the Wii Shopping Channel and then in Love Hotel Vol. 2 you have another song that uses a track from Animal Crossing. Does this mean that you’d consider yourself a gamer?

Mannyo: Speaking of more adult themes, in Love Hotel Vol. 2: Devil in a White City there’s a lot of songs that go over the same subjects: lust, unrequited love, older men. Kind of like the darker themes of romance, is that something that you went after on purpose?

Ryan: I’m not even a gamer because I suck at all real video games, but I’m really passionate about the cute Nintendo stuff! I’ve drained so much time out of games like Animal Crossing, Tomodachi Life, and cute little Nintendo games. I feel like if I said I’m a gamer people would jump down my throat.

Ryan: I think the first Love Hotel is very much me trying to find my own sound and vibe lyrically and that’s why I didn’t dive into the more serious thing. Most of my work before that was dark and serious though, so I had my moment of cutesy, twinkly party music, and then I started to bring it back for more of an autobiographical point for volume 2 and getting back into my comfort zone of writing dark, sad songs. I’m intrigued by writing about lust and having a character that’s put in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Ryan Grimm wants to be good, but he tends to look for what he wants in all the wrong places.

Mannyo: Yeah, you’d get some Call of Duty bros coming after you.

Mannyo: Yeah, he tends to go for the guy with a girlfriend. Ryan: Yeah, I definitely find myself writing for a mistress character. Like in “Gay Valentine” where it sounds like, “Oh look at this cute, ‘Put your lighter in the air for the couple of the year,’ song,” but it’s actually about me stealing someone’s boyfriend. Because the vibe of the music is so cute and easy to digest it almost goes over your head how sadistic some of the lyrics can be. Mannyo: They really do go over your head. I listened to it all the way through earlier and found myself just nodding along to it in the background without paying attention and then suddenly realizing that you were talking about getting with an older guy. Ryan: Yeah, I like to explore those kind of territories that someone

Ryan: And I suck at that and I tried so hard to be into it, but I couldn’t be! But seriously with “Virtual Boy” I didn’t even know that there was a beat. I had just been freestyling those words with my Wii running and then I found the beat and just transferred everything I had written over to it. Mannyo: Kind of changing subjects now, but will your upcoming album, Gold Coast, be following similar themes to Love Hotel? Ryan: I think it’ll be lighter than what I did for Love Hotel Volume 2. I started performing a lot more after I put out that album and realized that a lot of those songs weren’t transferring over well live and that I hadn’t been thinking about performing them live when I was writing them. With Gold Coast I was definitely more conscious about how it would transfer to the stage and because of that I stepped up the energy. It still has the same aesthetic as Love Hotel, but it’s less dark. Mannyo: Less boy drama? Ryan: There’s still boy drama. There’s songs that are definitely targeted towards the boy drama, but there’s also fear of adulthood and just general lustiness. It’s a lot about taking responsibility for Ryan Grimm’s own actions and him being forced to come to terms with what he’s done in the past.

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Mannyo: What kind of fears are you having about adulthood? Ryan: One of the things that I’ve been thinking about a lot is this feeling of forced ownership of my own life and that I’ve had a lot of responsibility that I don’t want thrown on me. I’m starting to realize that only when I put in more effort than the people around me am I gonna get what I want. There’s a lot of panic in me that was repressed because I never had to take care of myself before. Mannyo: I can see that. It kind of relates to how you’re making this new album too because you’re taking it a lot more seriously. Ryan: Yeah, I really wanted to focus on the roll out of this album: How I present the visuals, how I talk about it, how it comes across sonically. Beforehand I used to just say, “Okay I made a song. Let’s just throw it on soundcloud and call it a day,” but for Gold Coast I’m paying more attention to the little details that I might not have paid attention to before and making it more personal. On my last two albums I had these beats and wrote words to them, but I didn’t always feel attached to the result because I didn’t personally make the beats. So to help with that I’m bringing in people that are close to me; my friends, my parents, SOFTXSHUG; and featuring dialogue with them that captures the last moments of my childhood friendships and what my parents are worried about before I leave to go to college. Just capturing these moments of panic so that when I look back I can hopefully have a sigh of relief and know that all these things I’m worrying about didn’t matter. Mannyo: I remember having those feelings of panic from being 18 and all of your friends leaving to go off to different colleges, but I guess from my point of view now it didn’t end up being as dramatic as I thought it would be at the time. I think it’ll be interesting that you’re recording those moments and keeping them as a personal memory through the album Ryan: Yeah, as much as I want it be fun and a celebratory album, I do want to still capture those moments of panic and worry and make it personal to me. Mannyo: You said you’re recording your parents, have they listened to either of the Love Hotel albums? Ryan: They’ve listened to both of them and they’re always at my shows! So they hear it and see me do all the crazy shit they do on stage.

“That was so good!” They’re there supporting, but when I have lyrics in Love Hotel like, “Slip me your cock,” it’s all very… *laughs* I don’t talk to my parents about the lyrics so much. Mannyo: “Just close your eyes mom.” Ryan: Yeah, I’m just like, “Okay I’m going to do this song now and it’s going to make everyone real uncomfortable.” Performing has made me a lot more comfortable with sharing it though because I’m already showing strangers so if there’s anyone there I can trust it’s my parents. They don’t care. Mannyo: Earlier you mentioned that performing live made you rethink how you wrote songs for Gold Coast. What particularly did you notice worked and didn’t work live? Ryan: I have a habit of going to really slow-burning and arrhythmic beats or where, like in my song “Arcadia,” I just have different layers of my voice going over each other repeating lines and creating harmonies, but that ended up not translating to a live performance as well as I would like it to. Especially since I don’t have a DJ and it was just me and a dude in the sound booth hitting the space bar on my laptop. My vision wasn’t coming across as I saw it, so I tried to go to a back-to-basics pop method. I went to a lot of blues shows in Chicago and loved the way that they have strict bare-bone lyrics that tell stories without any kind of metaphors. I really admired Blues artists like Toronzo Cannon and Shemieka Coleman who are all very blunt and to the point with their lyrics. As much as I thought I was trying to push the envelope with what I will or won’t say in my last album, I was still saying all of it in a twisted metaphorical way and now I want to just come out and say it. I have a song on Gold Coast called “Poolside” that models the blues format and is written like a blues song for 2015. Mannyo: That sounds like a Lana del Rey song too. Ryan: *laughs* I’m actually trying to stray away from her whole lusty thing. I relied a lot on that in the past, but I’ve been sitting on these songs for a long time and tweaking them so I want them to become more than just the product on my influences. Interview by Chris Barnes Ryan Grimm’s single, “Platons (II)” featuring Chris Sablone is out now via mannyo.bandcamp.com.

Mannyo: Aw, that’s cute! Ryan: Yeah, usually they don’t have follow-up comments beyond,

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Prince Airick GETCHA MIND RIGHT & LISTEN!

-DANDY

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