What is your name?
Ryan A. James / Man Without Country
What is your genre of music?
Electronic / Alternative / Synth Pop
Give us a little bio about you.
“Led by Welsh-native producer and vocalist Ryan A. James, Man Without Country incorporates modern electronic precision with a love of timeless melodies, and an emphasis on lyrics that cannot be compared to many of his peers. James’ abilities have also seen him collaborate with some prominent names. His vocal-feature on ‘Sordid Affair’ by multi-platinum-selling Norwegian electro-veterans Röyksopp was the first single taken from their 2014 studio album The Inevitable End. In 2019, the duo revealed ‘In the End’ as part of their Lost Tapes series. Originally recorded in 2014, the song features a vocal duet between James and Susanne Sundfør. Over the course of his career James has also accumulated quite the remix CV, which lists official remixes and co-remixes for the likes of ionnalee (iamamiwhoami), Interpol, Chad Valley, Empathy Test, Carlosh Garzat, School of Seven Bells, Band of Skulls, Röyksopp, M83, Moby and many others.”
What made you go into music?
I started playing musical instruments when I was very young so it’s difficult to say exactly. The reason I still make music is because it’s the thing I’m best at, and I believe you should always do what you’re good at.
Who are your influences?
Tears For Fears / The Postal Service / Com Truise / Phil Collins / John Grant / Jon Hopkins etc.
Are you signed?
Not anymore.
You released your new single ‘Gardener in a War’, tell us more about the single.
It’s the first single from my forthcoming EP “Bloods, Side A”, and features lots of interesting synth progressions and bass-lines with subtly processed vocals.
What is the meaning behind the single?
It was mostly made during the first lockdown – with little else to focus on aside from music, gardening gave me a sense of escapism, hence the title. It’s also about fatherhood, as I’d been a father for less than a year during the time of making it.
What was the writing and recording process like?
The song was created entirely in isolation at my own studio. It was one of those tracks where it takes a long time to settle on the final version, as there’s quite a lot going on. I used a lot of different hardware synths on the track. I basically threw everything I could at it.
Describe the track in two words.
Nostalgic, sophisticated.
Who did you work with on the single?
Just myself.
Will we see a Music Video for the single and if so what was the creative process like?
Yes – I made a lyric video for the song, using circuit bent video processing hardware, an old TV and synchronised lighting. You can check it out here
We will also see an EP, tell us more about what we can expect from it.
There are both darker and livelier tracks on the EP, as well as quite short and quite long songs. All fitting under the theme of blood relationships of course – whether subjective or otherwise.
What else can we expect in 2021?
I plan to keep the momentum going for the remainder of the year with music and other projects that’ll surface pretty soon. I’m also hoping to play some live shows at some point
Where do you see yourself in five Years?
If in five years I’m still doing what I do now then I’ll settle for that.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
“It’s better to seek forgiveness than to ask for permission.”
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
The atmosphere, the sound, the drummer, sticky floors, leg ache.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Bandcamp
Patreon
