![]() ![]() Yes, I’m a composer in a classical sense, but I’m also a hip-hop producer. The truth, however, is far different and exemplifies the mind-bending composing, arranging, and performing that goes into creating a piece of Son Lux music. The songs sound fully formed, as if they were swimming in Lott’s mind for weeks before he let them flow out in the studio. The languid “Leave the Riches” features a steadily ticking beat overlaid with chiming and droning synthesizers (and also features vocal assistance from Jace Everett, of True Blood theme fame, organized and recorded on the same day). “Chase” finds percussion alternately rumbling and pattering, with swelling trumpets and strings coexisting with haunting synth lines, and eponymous “Rising” mixes stuttering flute lines and gently played strings with crashing percussion and distorted harpsichord-sounding synthesizer, with a catchy vocal performance above it all. The resultant album, much heavier on orchestral flair, is nine tracks of otherworldly musical mosaics bursting with fragility and introspection. “It’s not going to happen again - this imposition of force that could really bring out something wonderful.” ![]() In the end, it was the project’s seeming impossibility that made it so enticing. And though he has received commissions for longer pieces, the time constraints were never nearly as tight - an hour of music would be expected in five months, a breeze compared to completing an LP in four weeks. Luckily, he has experience in composing under short notice due to his professional work as composer (and if a musician has to have a day job, hey, you could do a lot worse). By the time I come back to back to it, if I still think it’s magic, I’ll keep it and I’ll keep going - I’ll keep experimenting, pull it apart, try it from all different angles.”īut Lott knew that despite the restrictions that such a time limit would put on his primary method of creating music, the opportunity - and the publicity - were once-in-a-lifetime chances. “Then I leave it and let it sit for sometimes months. ![]() “What I normally do is come up with an idea and drill it into the ground for a few days,” Lott says. Especially considering Lott’s usual method of composing, it seems unthinkable that he would be able to complete this challenge. To most, a task like that would be unfathomable. Essentially on a dare from National Public Radio, Lott wrote, recorded, and arranged the album entirely in the 28 days of February 2011. It was an arresting and unique debut, released by the indie-rap Anticon collective, but his newly released sophomore album, We Are Rising, is as notable for its quality and diversity as it is for its method of creation. His first album, At War With Walls and Mazes, introduced the world to a nigh-uncategorizable work, a blend of hip-hop beats, electronica, delicate vocals, neoclassical flavor, and both melodic and chaotic instrumentation. He composes original pieces for dance and theater troupes, his work has been featured at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, and he has participated in multimedia installations.īut despite the percolating buzz around his name in the art scene, his talent remains unknown on a greater scale until 2008, when Lott made his debut as Son Lux, his first major foray into releasing music for himself. His day job at Butter Music and Sound finds him writing 30- to 50-second tracks to be used for television ads, often cranking out two in a day. Son Lux: “Rising” Ĭhances are that you’ve heard compositions by the classically trained Ryan Lott more often than you think. Son Lux: We Are Rising ( Anticon, 4/26/11) ![]()
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