Ryan Farish Experiences "Land of the Sky"

When I first heard ambient trance, I was hooked. It all started on DI.FM and I’d listen to electronic dance music (EDM) all day every day. Over time I started listening to house music, specifically deep house, and made my way into techno and trance. No wonder I liked Ryan Farish when I first heard his single “Northern Lights”.

Ryan has an impressive career and has released a ton of singles and studio albums along the way. When he released Spectrum in 2015, we did an interview. We did it again in 2017 when he released Primary Colors. In 2018 he released Wilderness, so it only made sense to do another interview. Well, in 2020 Ryan purchased an Airstream, drove around the country and produced another album titled Land of the Sky. Every time Ryan releases something new, you can hear how his sound has progressed and how he is really starting to find his stride with electronic music.

What got me excited to sit down with Ryan was a short mini documentary he produced to promote the new album. Even if you’ve never heard his work, take some time and listen to this album. Out now on RYTONE Entertainment, LLC, a label owned and operated by Ryan, I think you will really enjoy this release. It is my pleasure to again introduce you to Ryan Farish.

Ryan, this is the fourth time I’ve interviewed you. That might be a new record! Good to see you again. Your new album is what brings us together today. Give me an overview of Land of the Sky.
Hi Ricky, thank you it’s always nice to talk with you! Land of the Sky is my 19th studio album. It’s music that was very much inspired from the travels with family, and reconnecting with nature on many of our camping trips.

You released a mini documentary to promote the album. Tell me more about that trip and what it was like being on the road with your family living in an Airstream.
The Airstream had been a bucket list item for years for me, and I wanted to spend more time with my family in nature, so the timing seemed right to take the plunge. We didn’t live full time in the Airstream, but in many adventures we would spend weeks out on the road, exploring and spending time together. I built a compact recording setup in the Airstream, so that when inspiration would happen, I would have the ability to record the new music and ideas. It was really wonderful being able to experience and re-experience nature thru my daughter, who turns 4 this summer.

Any plans to release a longer documentary? Could have watched that stuff for hours!
Thanks, you know I appreciate hearing that… The documentary wasn’t something I really had planned to do, until the last minute when I realized that I had enough footage to share. I hope to film and capture more video and images in the future to document the travels in the Airstream, and the creative process for me.

This might be some of your best work. Granted, I say that every time you release something new. How do you feel your sound has changed over the years and how will this release impact you going forward?
Thank you, I really appreciate you saying that, I feel like Land of the Sky has been both artistically rewarding for me, but at the same time there are moments that are very reminiscent of some of my earlier work, like the album Life in Stereo. It’s been really great to be able to reconnect with some of my earlier sounds, but bring a fresh and new perspective to the music that my experiences have given me.

I love the Lifestyle Collection you have on your website. Are you planning to add some new items to help promote this new album?
Absolutely, and thank you. The new designs will incorporate influences from our travels and nature.

COVID-19 has put a damper on things this year. A lot of concerts and sporting events have been cancelled. How has this outbreak impacted you and do you think you’ll be able to tour again anytime soon?
Yes, it’s been a challenging year so far for everyone, I am just grateful that my family has been safe and well. End of last year I had decided to start performing again, and was really building some momentum at the very end of the year with several shows in Washington D.C. at 9:30 Club, and U Street Music Hall, I even explored DJing my first Ecstatic Dance event. I hope that when things return to a more normal, I can get back out playing more live shows.

What is your favorite single on the album?
“Prelude”. This song has just felt special to me from the first note. In fact, the entire song was recorded and composed in real time. Later I went back and embellished the composition, but it’s just been a really special song so far for me, and seems to be the favorite track so far from the album.

Armin van Buuren recently produced a MasterClass. deadmau5, too. I could see you doing something like that in time. Are you familiar with MasterClass and have you had a chance to see either of theirs?
I’d love to do a MasterClass, in fact I watched the deadmau5 MasterClass and really enjoyed it. I’ve been really enjoying sharing my studio and process of writing and producing music on my Facebook and Instagram thru live streams.

What is your process when creating an album like this? It flows together perfectly. Do you write these songs one at a time, or do you go in knowing what the entire album is going to sound like? Your creative process would be inspiring to know.
Thanks Ricky, I usually start with one song at a time. Usually about halfway thru the album the MUSIC will start to direct the overall vision for the album. I let the music lead the way.

What are some things that happened to you while on the road? Do you have any fun stories to tell?
Lots of things happened on the road… There was the learning curve of the Airstream, which pulling that with my F250 truck took a bit of practice. A really special moment I recall happened late one evening in December in Asheville, North Carolina. We encountered wolves shortly after getting the campfire going… This was alarming, and beautiful at the same time… The wolves felt like they had surrounded us, and were howling… We couldn’t see them, but they sounded and felt so close, they were all up in the hills, hidden in the trees… I’ve never been so close to wild wolves like this in my life… This encounter is what inspired the melody and vocals I sang on the title track, “Land of the Sky”.

Can we get an update on RYTONE Entertainment?
Going strong, this year will be expanding into more releases by both myself and others.

When producing a song like “Rush over Me”, do you ever think about adding vocals? Would it be harder to produce a track like this with vocals?
The vocal samples in “Rush over Me” work percussively with the melody, so in this song the vocal chops are exactly what I was aiming for sonically. Sometimes for instance in this track, I enjoy tuning and chopping up vocal samples, because of the effect it creates musically.

My wife and I are watching Grey’s Anatomy and Dr. Shepherd lives in an Airstream. Good timing! Did you buy or rent that? Just curious what the process is for maintaining that while on the road!
It had been a bucket list item for many years, so I purchased mine last spring. We had discussed renting one, but the costs of renting one are just really expensive, and we wanted the freedom to travel and stay on the road for extended periods of time. When we aren’t traveling with it, it’s stored indoors in a warehouse. Like all things worth doing, there are challenges, and a learning curve. For me, it was learning to pull the Airstream, and be able to maneuver the rig. It’s 31.5 ft. long, and weights 10,000 lbs. I really enjoy the focus it takes for me to pilot the rig. In many cases, my most favorite parts of the journey are in the driving/pulling the rig down the open road. At speed, the rig feels exciting, and more like piloting than driving for me. I have cameras, RV navigation, phone screen, and in dash displays that all are set to various needs for safe navigation and monitoring of the rig… When all four screens are up and running, my truck feels like it becomes a transformer, and the entire Airstream and truck become one.

What’s next for Ryan Farish? I mean, we need another album sometime in the future so we can do another interview!
I am working on another project right now, it’s of course a long ways away from being released, but it’s something I’m excited about and will be unlike anything I’ve ever created so far… So stay tuned!

Thanks again for doing this, Ryan. Always enjoy spending time with you. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thanks so much Ricky, it’s always great to connect with you! So glad you’re still enjoying the new music, and stay tuned for more music as the year goes by. Appreciate you and all the support you and your community have given me over the years!