3 minute read
Close Encounters
Changing his ways of keeping his creative process simple and under blankets, DJ and record producer RYAN HEMSWORTH is coming out of his shell and reveling in the magic of interpersonal collaborations.
Despite having a great childhood in Halifax,
Canada, DJ Ryan Hemsworth was determined to leave the city to pursue a serious music career, prompting his move to Toronto. “But regardless, I have a great family and they’ve always been supportive,” says the soft-spoken 27-year old record producer. Ryan took up journalism for four years and was prepared to use that as his backup plan in case his musical pursuit didn’t take off, but it did. Growing up with two older brothers, his background in music was varied, ranging from Green Day’s Dookie and Radiohead’s OK Computer to Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep. “In the city that I lived in, you grow up and start an indie band; there wasn’t a specific thriving scene for rap,” he shares. It was also in this stage that he realized that he’s more comfortable working alone than running his ideas by other people. “I just like working independently. I think that’s always been pretty natural to me,” he explains.
Time, with Ryan diligently working on the last touches. “I tried to do all the sessions in person and actually form a bond with the people I work with. It’s been really fun to learn a lot more about the process of producing and about making music in general.”
Q: You mentioned that you mostly work online for your collaborations. What do you like most about this arrangement?
A: The fun part of collaborating online is not knowing what they’ll send back because you can talk with the artist and figure out ideas, and sometimes they’ll give ideas for melodies. But for the most part, when it’s remote it’s going to be a surprise. Although in the past couple of years that I’ve been working with people in person, I’ve realized that there’s more spontaneity. You’re there and there’s a certain chemistry.
Q: How do you choose songs to remake or remix?
A: It’s always going to be a song that I really, really like. It has to be unexpected because other people either just wouldn’t do it because they’re afraid that people are going to be like, “What the fuck? Why did you do this?” or they just might not like it because it’s different, but for me, that’s the whole point. That’s the risk of just trying something a bit different with music. Some of what I’ve done did really well for me and I still run into people commending me on my remixes, and how it changed their life. That’s weird to hear, but still amazing.
Q: Your song ‘One For Me’ with Tinashe was sampled from Frou Frou’s ‘Breathe In.’ How do you choose songs to sample on tracks?
A: Sampling is still my favorite part of making music, and I think it’s just that feeling of working with an existing piece of music and always having that reference when you put it in a song. That’s fun rather than working completely with all new sounds. I never want to rely too much on an obvious sample, so I always want it to be in the background.
Q: Considering how influential music can be, what kind of feeling would you want your music to relate to your fans?
A: I’m a fan of music, so when I’m traveling, that’s my favorite time to listen to songs. I’m just on my headphones. I’m hoping that people can experience my music that way. I think about the normal parts of people’s days when they’re on their way to work or they just want to listen to music for 20 minutes before they have to work for hours and hate their lives. That’s the motivation for sure—just to waste people’s time in an enjoyable way.
Q: How do you keep your music fresh for your listeners?
A: I try to find new and exciting artists that I can work with, and at the same time, find different old music that just sounds exciting to me in different ways. That’s also why I started my label Secret Songs—it’s another way to keep on top of what’s coming out, who’s doing what, and where?
By Denise Mallabo
Photographed by Ben Rayner
