Q&A - Rory James
Spending his time working between Glasgow, London and Los Angeles, Rory James has honed his craft for over a decade. No stranger to the big stages, he has toured with the likes of The 1975 and Catfish and the Bottlemen across Europe, Asia and Africa in previous setup Bwani Junction, plus support slots for Joesef and Hot Chip as Rory James.
Mixing elements of indie and electronic music that he has grown up with, Rory creates & perfects a blissful dream-pop sound with an edge; citing everyone from Elvis Costello to Talking Heads, Jamie XX & James Blake as influences.
Featuring epic beats, synths and heartfelt lyrics, ‘Real Time’ is an exciting project for Edinburgh native Rory that feels authentically him. The E.P. release comes ahead of a huge year for the singer and producer including a headline show at Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s and sharing a bill with the likes of boygenius and Loyle Carner at Connect Festival.
“I've spent the last few years learning to produce, and up till now I feel like I was circling around the sound I wanted to make. With this EP I feel like I have zero-ed in on what that is. I felt so inspired after a recent writing trip to L.A. Scotland’s music scene is such an exciting place to be and I cannot wait to have this E.P. out in the world!”
Rory’s new EP ‘Real Time’ is out now. Read our Q&A & listen below:
How would you describe your sound to someone that hasn't heard you before?
I would say its melodic electronic music, with a bit of house influence. I love artists like Caribou and Tourist because they incorporate organic elements in their production, I try and do the same with mine.
Your debut EP ‘Real Time' came out on the 21st of April. How does it feel having it out there for the to listen to? Is there a meaning behind it?
It feels amazing to have this EP out, I've been obsessively working on it for ages so it was obviously a bit nerve wracking sharing it with people but the response has been good so far! I feel like I had been circling around the sound I wanted to make for a long time and with these songs I feel like I've zeroed in on what that sound is. Real Time is the first part of a bigger picture but I won't give too much away just yet...
We are buzzing to see your live show, we saw you recently supported Barry Can’t Swim aswell as Hot Chip last summer. A massive congratulations are in order for having just sold out your debut headline show at Sneaky Petes on May 31st. How does this feel and what can we expect?
Thanks so much! It's so exciting to have sold out my debut headline show, and Sneaky Pete's is one of my all-time favourite venues. I've been working hard on my live set lately, I think in the past I've played the songs as close to the record as I could but now, I feel like songs can kind of take on a new lease of life live, so there might be a bit of room for experimentation. I only have 4 songs out too so there will be some tunes that no one has heard yet!
What is your creative process like?
I think it changes all the time based on what I'm into musically. Generally, I start with a piano to find some chords that feel good, then I work out the rest of the production. I usually record some kind of vocal as soon as possible because I feel like my best vocal ideas come to me at the start. I record some kind of mumbled nonsense on my phone while I program drums etc. then hopefully I've mumbled a word or two that will get me started with lyrics. I think most writers I've worked with do a similar thing!
Who are your dream collaborations?
Well, I've already mentioned Caribou and Tourist so they'd definitely be dream collaborations for me. I love TSHA's production, and I would LOVE the chance to work with her at some point. Bicep would definitely be on my list too! w
Catch Rory James live at his first headline hometown show in Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s on the 31st
May. Rory James also shares the bill with boygenius + Loyle Carner at this year’s Connect Festival on Sunday 27th August.
Listen to Rory James new EP ‘Real Time’ below or here.