"A familiar and new sound" - Interview with Son Lux
Son Lux is an American experimental music band that began as a solo project of Ryan Lott (keyboards, vocals), who has produced three albums, "At War with Walls & Mazes" (2008), "We Are Rising" (2011) and "Lanterns" (2013). In 2014 he met Ian Chang (percussionist) and Rafiq Bathia (guitarist), who from supporting musicians on tour joined the project with the album "Bones" (2015). After "Brighter Wounds" (2018), over the course of two years Son Lux released the "Tomorrows" trilogy , cultivating a musical language rooted in curiosity and the balance of opposites, mixing soul, hip-hop and experimental improvisation influences. Son Lux's most recent project is the soundtrack for the sci-fi film "Everything Everywhere All at Once," released a few months ago in the U.S. under the direction of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, soon to be released in Swiss cinemas; a collective culmination in the wake of Ryan Lott and Rafiq Bhatia's soundtrack composition experience ("The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby," 2013; "Afflicted," 2013; "Air," 2015).
Son Lux began as a solo project by Ryan Lott, who was joined by Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang. How did you decide to collaborate?
When we realized that playing in a three-piece band was an incredible opportunity to expand horizons and explore new territories. Then as we began to play and write music together, we realized that the sum was greater than the individual parts.
What are your major musical influences?
Too many: We are inspired by many who have come before us - in particular, by very old music, very new music, very catchy music, and very experimental music. Our hope is to create a unique and original sonic identity that sounds both familiar and new to those who listen to us.
Your music, experimental and electronic, is defined in different ways: alt-pop, post-rock, avant-pop. How would you define it?
It is simply Son Lux, ha! On the one hand, we understand that it is useful for people to use musical genres, for example, to place our albums on the shelves of music stores, or to explain our music to those who do not know us; on the other hand, we do not want to limit our possibilities to explore and deconstruct musical styles by ascribing one or more specific genres.
You also compose soundtracks. A few months ago, you released the soundtrack for "Everything Everywhere All at Once," the result of six years of work conducted individually. How did the process come about?
The architecture and narrative of the music were paced by the film-architecture and narrative containing references to numerous musical approaches and genres. We composed this soundtrack during the COVID period, working almost exclusively separate from each other. We were fortunate to have such an ambitious project spur us to collaborate assiduously, considering that at the same time we were supposed to be touring after the release of the "Tomorrows" trilogy.
How does it feel to be back playing live?
It is exciting, a source of new energy and inspiration. Playing live gives us so many positive feelings, reminding us how much we love the audience and that their presence has an important contribution to our own experience of music. After all, playing live for an audience is but a small manifestation of the great primal need for community and sharing that unites human beings.
What are your future plans?
There are many: for the next two years each of us will be working on solo projects; we will then work together on our next studio album as Son Lux. Stay tuned!
The band Son Lux will perform at the LongLake ROAM Festival on 07/23 at 9:30 pm at the Boschetto - Parco Ciani in Ciani Park.
More information: longlake.ch
