A short but sweet review appears in Side-Line Magazine, Issue 31 April/June 2000. Projekt sent over a press clipping, which reads:
I love anything this band puts out. This collection of works is no exception. They always give the listener a treat with their beautiful music. Their songs are made up of Ryan Lum’s smooth guitar work and Suzanne Perry’s lovely, yet haunting voice. They have also utilized the talents of some special guests over the years including guitar, saxophone, and even vocals. The tracks on “Temporal” are a varied selection of Love Spirals Downwards’ songs ranging from their first release, “Idylls,” in 1992 through to “Flux” in 1998. The best part about this release is the addition of 5 tracks previously unavailable on any of their past albums. A must-have for any Love Spirals Downwards fan; of which I’m sure there are many!
Indie goths gone electronic, LSD’s sound now sketches its past while tracing its future.
“We’re the first and only for a lot of things on Projekt,” says Ryan Lum, the multi-instrumentalist and driving force behind Love Spirals Downwards, darkwave label Projekt Record’s top-selling act. Lum is sipping on a soda in a RadioSpy conference room and choosing his words carefully. He’s speaking of his band’s use of saxophone riffs on a song from its latest release, Temporal, a career retrospective that includes a number of unreleased tracks. Lum was concerned that Sam Rosenthal, Projekt Record’s sometimes finicky founder, might be less than enthusiastic about the sax track.
“[Rosenthal] actually made a positive comment about the saxophone. He said, ‘You know, it fits somehow,” recounts Anji Bee, Ryan’s self-described “partner-in-crime” and recent collaborator on everything from album art to vocals. Lum’s experimentation — with his sound and with the band’s direction — initially met with grudging acceptance from Rosenthal, who eventually warmed to the band’s new sound.
“It’s not his cup of tea,” Lum says of Rosenthal’s reaction to the band’s shift in sound from “shoegazer,” the ethereal style of feedback- and synth-drenched pop defined by British bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and the Cocteau Twins, to drum ‘n’ bass. “But we more or less have artistic freedom to do as we please. I guess being the top seller on the label doesn’t hurt us in that,” Lum says with a chuckle.
Beginning Friday March 17, and continuing through the weekend, Radio Spy will run a Love Spirals Downwards feature interview and music broadcast. The program includes a number of songs I consider influential to our music, as well as a number of our songs selected by interviewer, Sean Flinn. After the weekend, the radio show/interview will go into their permanent archive, but try to catch the premier, as they’ll have a special flash animation on their main page. Radio Spy has also made my mix set, “Atmosphere 99” available for listening in their Jungle section, so check that out as well.
A very cool review and feature on the band just went up on a new website, The Stranger Next Door.
And for kicks, you might want to check out my guitar/music set up on the fanatical new site, Guitar Geek.
More articles in both web and print format are coming out soon, so check back here often!
Peace- Ryan
UPDATE: You can now stream DJ Ryan Lum’s ‘Atmosphere 99 Mix Set via Mixcloud:
Joined DJ Membraneous B. Sausage last night for a “sneak attack” DJ set and interview on the Ryders of the Plastic Groove show at KUCI FM. Anji was on hand to snap some pix.
Ryan was a special guest DJ on Riders of the Plastic Groove –Orange County’s longest-running electronic music show— on KUCI 88.9 fm in Irvine. After his set, he stepped into the studio to have a chat with Gary Liu AKA DJ Membraneous B. Sausage. The following is a transcription of their interview from a cassette recording that was later shared on YouTube. Scroll down for the video.
Membraneous: You’re listening to the show that we refer to as Riders of the Plastic Groove, but tonight we get another special edition as it is the Membraneous B. Sausage Sneak Attack. I am your host, Membranous, and my side right now is Mr. Ryan Lum. He is the DJ that you just heard spinning for approximately the last hour and 15 minutes or so. In addition that, he is also a member of the band Love Spirals Downwards, who record for the Projekt Record label. Why don’t you say a few word for us?
Ryan: Yo! What’s up? Hey, you listening G, out there in HB? You better be! He didn’t come down tonight, sick boy. [Referring to Daniel Bremmer aka DJ 9-5 Superspy]
I’ve got a few radio spots coming up at KUCI, including a live remote broadcast that you can attend. I’ve heard that they can really get the crowd moving up there sometimes, so come join the fun! (but no booze, please…) All KUCI shows are broadcast via the internet, so you can tune in that way, as well. And later in April and May, I’ll be DJ’ing in San Francisco and Los Angeles. I’ll post more about those gigs soon.
Wednesday, Feb 23 KUCI 88.9 fm, Irvine, CA Music for Lunchpails – 8:00 pm
On-Air phone interview
Friday, Feb 25th KUCI 88.9 fm, Irvine, CA Swope Transmissions – 8:30 pm
On-Air interview & CD giveaway
Friday, Feb 25th KUCI 88.9 fm, Irvine, CA Riders of the Plastic Groove – 9:00 to 10:15 pm
Live remote broadcast: Ryan will be spinning a live on-air DJ set
This remote broadcast event will run from 9 pm to 12:30 am (and longer if conditions permit) at the University of California Irvine, outside in the Computer Science Plaza. It is free and open to the public, so come on down and dance! For directions, please view the Riders’ website.
A number of internet features are happening over the next few months, including an exciting interview with Radio Spy. I’ve also made my mix CD available through Live 365, so everyone can finally get a feel for what my DJ sets are like. More interviews with the band will be coming up in the next few weeks and months, so stay posted.
And then there’s the store promotions. We’re in a number of listening stations, so check for any in your neighborhood:
Twist & Shout — Denver, CO listening station 2/1 – 2/29
Rasputins — San Fran, CA listening stations 2/1 – 3/31
There’s a new review of ‘Temporal‘ in the ‘Inside Borders‘ store magazine for February. Be sure to check out our album in the Borders listening stations this month!
Drifting Toward a Romantic Twilight
Just as Valentine’s Day can bring about all kinds of emotions with regards to romantic love, so can romantic music take on many different forms. Such is the case with the duo known as Love Spirals Downwards. They were one the first acts to exist on the Projekt record label, which has been a specialist in all manner of gothic, electron ambient, and other various ethereal kinds of music for over 10 years now. From their 1992 debut, Idylls, to 1998’s very popular Flux, Love Spirals Downwards has always existed in a moody, enchanting universe all its own, thanks to the music scapes of guitarist/keyboardist Ryan Lum, and the unearthly crooning of vocalist Suzanne Perry. Their earlier releases contain haunting, drifting melodies and layered, melancholy vocals reminiscent of Enya, while later albums incorporate some gentle yet vital dancebeats into the spell. Now, Love Spirals Downwards releases a long-overdue retrospective titled Temporal. It features 13 songs spanning all of their albums and singles, and includes six previously unreleased tracks. It is a comprehensive overview of the duo’s many shades. Whether you’re relaxing in the dark tranquility of post-first-date bliss, or are swimming in the nostalgia of love lost, this album will help keep you warm.
Anji Bee, DJ and music director at KUCI 88.9 FM, wrote a review of our new Projekt release, Temporal: A Collection of Music Past & Present. Anji actually designed the cover art for the CD, including some of her own photography. Her review reads, in part:
“From their hauntingly beautiful acoustic beginnings to their present drum and bass and electronica sound, this compilation covers the entirety of Love Spirals’ career with 13 tracks culled from their master tapes. Arranged in groups of three songs from the four major periods of recording, Temporal begins at the end, with a set of remixes from the last studio album, Flux, done by Ryan last summer.
“Alicia” is a flamenco spiced bossa nova drum’n’bass tune with lovely acoustic guitar licks provided by Rodney Rodriguez of The Von Trapps. With the remix, the vocals are downplayed, and the rhythm made stronger. Lots of ethereal pads have been added, to subsitute for the old analogy keyboards of the original. “Misunderstood” has been almost entirely revamped with exciting breakbeats and lots of fabulous moody saxophone played by Doron Orenstein of Toof. This remix is my favorite track of the album for sure.
Temporal has been released by Projekt Records! We want to thank everyone who pre-ordered it at our webstore, and invite the rest of you to come pick up your copy (on sale for $13, including a personally signed band photo) at our e-store.
Several offers for interviews with radio stations, e-zines and magazines are coming in now, as well as a few DJ gigs, so keep checking back here for the particulars. If you are interested in setting something up with me, feel free to send an email.
The nationally syndicated radio show Echoes is offering the classic 1995 Projekt holiday compilation CD, Excelsis, on their site as part of their recommended holiday music list. Here’s their review:
An album that gets into the mood of Christmas in the deepest way. You’ve never heard these traditional carols performed so darkly. Projekt Records has gathered many of their gothic bands together on this collection and the results are startling atmospheric and resonant. You will not forget Area’s haunting take on “O Come Emmanuel,” nor the two radically different versions of “Carol of the Bells,” Arcanta’s Gregorian like sonorities and This Ascensions joyful synthesizer laden refrains. Love Spirals Downwards goes furthest afield for their tune, “Welcome Christmas” from ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas.’ This is an album we wish we could play year round, but it’s too perfect for Christmas.
Ethereal Shoegaze and Electronica from Projekt Records and Chillcuts
