Contributing Writer
Roman Kyn is a music composer, vocalist, and electronic producer whose music is grounded by an underlying ethos to combine the worlds of indie and techno music.
After a successful debut release on Sapiens, picking up support from Adriatique, Innellea, Trikk, and John Digweed, French producer, and multi-instrumentalist Roman Kyn returns to the label with his highly anticipated EP titled “High In The Sun”.
The productions show off his very own signature, a special blend of dance floor tracks mixed with indie-inspired storytelling and thrilling vocals.
We spoke to Roman Kyn about his creative process, touring life, storytelling, and more.
Hey Roman, it’s a pleasure to have you with us today. What have you been up to lately?
Hey, thanks a lot for having me! I just got back from Mexico, where I played live at Onda Linda Festival in Careyes, as well as Departamento in CDMX. I’m now in Paris, where I live, before leaving again for London, Cyprus, Milan, and Roma to close out the year.
Congratulations on your latest EP «High In The Sun» on Agoria’s Sapiens imprint. How would you describe this release in your own words?
This release is for me the opportunity to showcase many of my inspirations condensed into 4 tracks while having all of them serve a particular purpose. “High in the sun” and “Whitewater” have been two highlights of my live set for some time now and I am happy to see the constructed tracks out now & see them played by many lovely artists!
Whilst writing this EP what has excited you most musically?
Playing with instruments live and recording a lot of things is what excites me, as well as trying to find vocal hooks. I have a very musical approach to music production rather than sitting at my desk and using my keyboard and mouse, and this is what gives me inspiration and keeps me interested.
What are some of the musical influences that you believe shaped your sound?
My major influences are a blend of what I listened to throughout the times I learned how to play and produce music. It started with Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and other indie rock bands and drifted towards a mix of genres with groups like Caribou, LCD Soundsystem, or Weval. The early beginnings of Melodic techno have also played a big role in how my sound is today.
What are some of the things you have learned from this project?
This project has taught me to set some boundaries when producing. With today’s technology, we have unlimited access to literally anything we want in terms of samples, virtual instruments, and plugins, so it is sometimes nice to set up a framework to make the most out of your creative brain.
How has your musical direction evolved since your last EP on Sapiens?
I would say that it has evolved towards a more club-oriented spectrum, even though I still keep my strong indie influences. I just really enjoy making people dance and it is part of the sound I want to make today.
Tell us more about your love for indie-inspired storytelling?
I have listened to thousands of songs before listening to (club) tracks. I find it super interesting to sometimes break the repetitive club structure and apply what could be a pop song structure to a dance record. I also like it when a lot of things happen throughout a song I am listening to, so I try to make each of my tracks a full story, communicating different emotions as you listen to it.
What instruments/plugins do you use to make music and do they in part define your signature sound?
I mainly use my voice, the Moog grandmother, the prophet 6, and a lot of plugins (I am a big plugins nerd haha).
I recently used Shaperbox from cableguys a lot, to give movement to most of the elements of my tracks.
Should dance music have a social or political message like it did when it first started?
I think it’s up to the artist to choose what message they want to send with their musical. Making pure entertainment is also a beautiful purpose for me as it might slightly help people get through their daily struggles, and gather together and that can be enough of a social impact sometimes.
Now that «High In The Sun» is out, what else have you got coming up or are you working on?
I have a very special release that should see the light in early 2023. I am working on a two-track EP that will probably see the light in the early summer. In the meantime, I am constantly improving my live set and testing out new music on the road. It is always the most exciting thing to try out things in front of people and see their reaction, and then come back to the studio and tweak, and keep this loop going on…
Thank you so much for this nice chat!
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