An Interview with Ryan Cole
Dami: What was your first introduction to music and production as a whole?
Ryan Cole: The first piece of music I remember hearing that like woke me up instead of being passive with music was when my folks and I would go camping in the woods there would always be this combination of music that 90's families grow up with in Northern California: A mix of reggae, country, beach music, and rock. Some stuff I still listen to today but mostly for the feelings of nostalgia. So whenever I go in nature I always imagine what that would "sound like" and I think as a producer you really get inspired by everything around you and being exposed to life and culture. It starts young though, like I remember being in the car on the way to school probably like 1st or 2nd grade and I am listening to "bohemian rhapsody" by Queen and I'm just in my head asking myself (how did they get multiple voices on this part?) and the feeling of discovery just clicked and that's when I fell in love with the mystery of music and finding out things with sound.
Dami: What then inspired you to start producing?
Ryan Cole: There's always a kid in school who wants to rap and is a little more vocal than others and as I was really getting into rap music when I was in high school a couple of mutuals were wanting to make music too and I discovered that they didn't really know how to rap but were just making a bunch of plans to do so (because that was cool to them). While I was writing a lot I was thinking maybe they will think I'm cool if I learn how to make the beats etc. So I hopped on garage band and I didn't know what I was doing so I started dragging and dropping loops. And this stuff was like physics to me I had no idea what was going on but I had a basic idea of like rhythm and tempo and found that I could make them match. Still to this day I'll never forget the feeling of when I arranged these loops to make this full beat and it sounded WILD to me. I stayed up till 2am in the morning making beats instead of playing video games that's how addicted I was. For the record, I straight up did not know what a DAW was or what any of this stuff inside production was I just was going off of what felt good. Cause I wanted to be on stage one day like my favorite rappers lol and just did what I thought made sense.
Dami: How much would you say you’ve grown since you started producing?
Ryan Cole: Literally I started when I was 16 and I am 27 now and I am a completely different person from who I was when I was growing up. Mentally when I was younger I was doing this because I want to blow up and make money and have everyone look at me and tell me I'm great. Now I wake up and I'm thankful I'm alive and that I get to do this professionally. There's so much in culture that pulls at you to make something of yourself instead of asking yourself what is the best thing for you? You have to go live life to really pour the emotion into this music. And as I've experienced it over the last 10 or so years it's only became a greater asset to experience that life. I mean when you start out it's all about you and your sound and how you're going to be the best. But realistically the producer is not the point, you serve the artist to make stuff that executes their sound. If you can speak their language and help them execute their goals then you're not doing anything for yourself it's about uplifting them. To me that's one of the biggest joys in my life, because I believe it's better to give than to receive. We don't have enough time to really dissect the ins and outs of that transition per say, but that's why I started my Substack to talk a lot about the journey and the pursuit of excellence as a producer/artist and wanting to create and make your sound in this space.
Dami: How easy has producing made making music for you?
Ryan Cole: I think producing is just like a super power to unlocking artistic creativity. I don't look at things like how do I make a good pop song anymore, now it's like "lets make 10 good pop songs, but which one conveys the message and goes deeper beyond the surface" and when you understand the fundamentals and practice that like it's the gym you end up with the ability to make stuff even when you don't "feel like it." So now when I work with an artist it's not just about how do I make a banger because everyone is doing that. It's how do we use the artists perspective, with the limitations we have, and be as resourceful as possible to make something as impactful as possible. All the way from recording to the master.
Dami: Who are some people who had a huge impact on your producing, inspiration wise?
Ryan Cole: I'm thinking if you weren't inspired by Kanye in the 2000's you probably were not into hip hop. But ever since after Life of Pablo he wasn't really inspiring me and I stopped listening intently if that makes sense and I'm glad I chose that route lol. But Frank Ocean, Pharrell, Kanye, Mac Miller, Metro, Boi-1da, Travis, Childish Gambino, Kendrick... I mean we can go on for days for specific reasons. It changes like every week for me because everyone brings something unique to the table and I'm always learning and drawing new skills from people. Like right now the big ones and they don't even pertain to hip hop, are Bon Iver, Dijon, Mk.gee because if you're not aware of what they're doing with music right now, you should be. But I'm always taking little things from people here and there to find little pieces of inspiration wherever I can. And it's not just artists it's my family, friends, people around me who make me who I am. That's where this album I just made comes into play, it's like a love letter to my inspirations and being specifically who I am and okay with the combination of influences that make up my perspective.
Dami: What’s your creative process like?
Ryan Cole: My creative process is really simple. I just try everything. I don't care if it's the stupidest idea you've ever heard, but that's just the starting point. You never know where an idea can go if you don't try. So I recommend any artist or producer to just make dumb things and eventually they sound good with time, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn and be wrong. If you don't come with that approach you'll never grow and be stuck in the same old space.
Dami: But where do you grab inspiration or creativity from during this process. Is there like a TV show or just life’s random moments?
Ryan Cole: Inspiration is everywhere man to make stuff for my homie Tyler Donavan sometimes the inspiration is the people you work with. You know someone with his incredible story is hard to really come by and every day he’s a walking testament to the power of hope and believing in yourself. That’s inspiring. Then you got being content with your life and the fact you woke up today bro. Nothing beats that and with everything being a gift at least from my perspective and faith, it allows me to find ideas everywhere no matter what mood I’m in and all of it is useable. Everything has a context and just fits in different spaces. I’m always particularly inspired by the weather and the snow as well as spring time. But every season of life brings a new story to tell and as long as you’re aware you can pull from it and use it all.
Dami: Are there any artists you’ll love to collaborate with in the nearest future?
Ryan Cole: Big dream collaboration: Kendrick, Pharrell, Mk.gee, Dijon
More realistic and still dream collabs would be: Saekyi, Kairee Dotey, and AntoneNow
And always would love to work with other producers like M-Tech, soundwave, and other guys like Shane Becker, Benny Blanco, and Finneas there’s too many to count lol
Dami: What was the first track you ever produced and how do you feel about it now?
Ryan Cole: First track I ever made for another person was this song called “I don’t even rap” for this rap duo. It was a good idea, knowing what I know now I’d probably record it better and mix it better but the idea was a good idea that just needed nurturing. But hindsight 20/20 it was good for what it was in our city at the time and was an opportunity starter.
Dami: What makes your production style unique?
Ryan Cole: I don’t make music from the perspective that this needs to be a hit. I make everything from feeling first and follow the route that takes me. Particularly I start with voice memos and craft around the voice memo, or a more common route I’ve been taking recently has been trying to minimally create the song with the least amount of instruments as possible because if it can work with those small things then it may not need more. But it all depends on the style of the music. Since I’m particularly working in pop and hip hop and alternative there’s so much room to make something but I always focus on Melody and crafting the solid hook of the song. And from my perspective I don’t like thinking the original product or idea is the best form so I’ll just pitch up or down the whole session to see if there’s a different feeling I get. And if none of that works I’ll go outside and make a beat with my mouth while I’m walking around lol
Check out Ryan Cole’s Spotify here
