To sonify your persona is a mission of most producers, a talent Loch Raven is harnessing quickly while putting out a signature chillwave, deep house sound this past year. The Baltimore based artist’s latest production, ‘Disappear’ features a stunning vocalist, Shauni, and continues channeling the journey of being a human experiencing both the lifegiving and sometimes harsh elements of the natural world.
Creating an experience with his music, Loch Raven takes notes out of Odezsa and G-Jone’s book, which can be heard especially in the panning technique used for ‘Disappear’. With panning, the music is literally moving around your head while you are listening to it, making it seem like the parts of the song are dancing together, bouncing from one speaker / headphone to the other.
With a downtempo, melodic opening, ‘Disappear’ builds into a rolling deep house tune which Shauni’s voice definitely helps peak. Simply put, ‘Disappear’ is easy to fall into, like a warm blanket.
As we await his desert curated live stream to premiere on thatDROP, we reached out to Andrew for an exclusive interview where we discover more about ‘Disappear’, the Baltimore house and bass scene, his world record dreams and more. Here is what he had to share about his 4th release with Shauni:
“‘Disappear’ was a way of processing the early experience of this pandemic. It’s about transitions, changes in your life that come about because of forces outside your control. And in those moments holding tight to the people that bring you joy. It’s an emotional journey really and still gives me chills every time I listen to it.”
Andrew, pleasure to connect! You just made your debut 9 months ago with ‘Moonbath’. When did you start learning to produce music?
Thank you! I’m really excited for this opportunity to speak with y’all. Music has pretty much always been a big part of my life ever since my parents signed me up for piano lessons as a kid. Eventually that grew into playing drums in a pop punk band in high school and college. I started learning to produce electronic music a little over two years ago. It was overwhelming at first to have an almost infinite number of instruments and samples at my fingertips. But I’ve found it’s like learning another language— I know enough to get around and can (for the most part) actualize on the vision I have in my head for a song. Though there’s still a lot of learning to do to become fluent.
Nice, sounds like you can do more than just order food in the language of electronic music. Are there particular artists that motivated you to start producing?
The first electronic music show I ever went to was Odesza back in 2017 when they were touring for A Moment Apart. That show opened my eyes to the possibilities of edm production and how you could create and audiovisual experience that left a lasting impression on the listener long after they left the venue.
What artists and tracks have been inspiring you lately?
Lately I’ve been bumping CloZee’s Neon Jungle album as well as a bunch of her livestreams. I’m always so blown away by the layering in her production. Lane 8 has also been one of my go-tos during COVID times.
With you on that. You have to check out CloZee’s new compilation, Emergence, and her remix of Lane 8’s ‘Sunday Song’, so good. We appreciated your “Making Of” video for ‘Disappear’. Curious, what draws you to this chillwave, deep house style of music?
My journey as a fan of electronic music really started with chillwave and deep house artists, so it’s felt natural to start producing in these sub genres. It suits my personality too— I’m calm and grounded yet passionate about everything I do. I really try to channel that energy in my style.
Well said. I understand Baltimore is a pretty big house music city. Before the pandemic, what were some clubs, festivals or events you would find yourself at? Are there any local artists you enjoy?
Baltimore has always had an amazing DIY scene. Bmore Club music is famous now and experimental electronic artists from Baltimore like Beach House, Future Islands, and Dan Deacon are nationally recognized and were early influences for me when I was just starting to explore electronic music as a fan. The Ottobar, The Crown and The 8×10 are some of my favorite venues in town.
What else could be said about the Baltimore electronic music scene? Are things in motion at all now?
We’re still pretty quiet at the moment. Most venues are closed due to COVID and many have been struggling for funding. I’m really hoping all them will make it through, I know myself and many others have donated to GoFundMe campaigns to try to help. Baltimore has a blossoming bass music scene as well so I’m really excited to explore that some more when we’re able to get back to playing shows again.
If you could break one world record, what would it be?
Lol I could give a lot of answers for this question, but I’d have to say if I could hold the world record for petting the most dogs, I would be a very happy guy.
Good call! Got any fun facts?
When I’m not producing, I’m a community organizer! I’ve worked for different candidates and issues over the years, but right now I’m advocating for equity in education and professional opportunities for young people in Baltimore.
I am excited to see you run a live stream via thatDROPs channel. Do you have some plans lined up for the stream yet?
I am SO EXCITED! I’ve really been getting into watching livestream sets during the pandemic. It’s the closest thing we have to shows right now and I love seeing different producers showcase their artistry with live mixes. I’m actually road tripping across the country with one of my closest friends right now, so I’m planning to record my set somewhere our in the desert…one of my favorite ecosystems!
What else is next for Loch Raven? How do you see your music progressing?
It’s going to be a big year. I’m excited to continue releasing singles regularly. I have a really cool 80s-style synthwave song coming out in March. As soon as it’s safe, I’m excited to start performing regularly and putting together live experiences. A huge part of my passion for music comes from the community that it builds through live shows. Putting together my own will be an absolute dream.
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