Interview

Sideline April/May/June 2000 Interview

Ryan Lum and Suzanne Perry started imposing their own style of ethereal music back in the early nineties. Refusing to see his music getting static, Ryan has always opted for innovation, sharpening his melodies and every time enriching the mood and atmosphere of his compositions that were better and better fitting Suzanne’s lilting voice. Today, Love Spiral Downwards release a retrospective collection of rare and unreleased material on Projekt Records, the perfect occasion for Sideline to look back with Ryan on one decade of melodic sumptuousness. 

By Julie Johnson

Sideline: How was Temporal a good way to start 2000 with a collection of past to present songs with never heard songs?

LSD: It was kind of nice to step back and survey the whole history of the band before beginning the new millennium— to take stock of all the work and realize that I  really like a lot of what we’ve done. And there were some tracks I had done recently for things that didn’t pan out, so this was a great way to get them out on CD where people can hear them.

Sideline: How does Temporal illustrate growth and maturity in the band?

LSD: Temporal shows the progress of the music over time; the similarities as well as the differences. I notice the differences in my recording set up and gear, but that’s just my focus. People like to talk about the sound change for the band, but really, it’s been a gradual process. The music reflects the changes in our lives and interests over time, and this album kinda sums that up. We aren’t static people, and Love Spirals Downwards is not a static band; everything is merely temporal.

Continue reading Sideline April/May/June 2000 Interview →
Band News

Ryan DJs Love Cat House

On Friday April 14, I’ll be spinning on the very unique “Dinner With a DJ” online music show, at the infamous Love Cat House. The show goes on at 9pm PST, and continues well into the early morning hours. I believe they archive their shows, so you might check for that later.

For those who’ve never caught one of my sets and are curious as to what they sound like, I’ve put up my mix set from last year, entitled “Atmopshere ’99,” on Live 365.com, under the Jungle and Dance categories. You’ll need a connection faster than a 56k modem to listen to it.

Launch.com just did a feature story, taken from an interview with Suzanne and I, at their site.

Review

Temporal Review in Magnet Magazine

A sassy review of Temporal appears in Magnet Magazine Issue 44 for April/May 2000. Projekt send over a press clipping to share. It reads:

As one of the most consistent ethereal bands of the last decade, Love Spirals Downwards has absolutely nowhere to go but … down. This retrospective collection of unreleased and hard-to-find synthetic dreamscapes succeeds on a variety of cosmic levels. With Ryan Lum writing and performing the music and Suzanne Perry providing the words and vocals, LSD is an exotically insular sound machine. While Lum’s grasp of technology isn’t always distinctive and Perry’s warble can feel overly familiar, the pair still generates a dramatic wall of sound that stands proudly alongside the works of Dead Can Dance and the Cocteau Twins. Using slight touches of acoustic guitar, saxophone and percussion on top of their ambient/goth electronics and windswept vocals, Perry and Lum are able to create and sustain a mood that’s nearly alien and wholly atmospheric. Still, if you don’t enjoy working your way through a vast abyss of chiming guitars, swirling synthesizers and haunting female croons, Temporal may not be the ideal purchase. Achromatically packaged and containing moodist masterworks like “Asleep,” “Depression Glass” and “This Endris Night,” this album certainly has the icy sound required to keep things properly evocative. Anyone else feel like having an absinthe?

—Mitch Myers

Review

Temporal Review in Lexicon

A new review of Temporal has appeared in Lexicon Magazine #15, and Projekt sent along a clipping to share. I appreciate L’Ange Noir’s Huxley reference in this quirky review, and find myself wondering which record store they work at.

Smooth and relaxing as if on holiday, this new album by Love Spirals Downwards is like dropping “three (grammes) for a dark eternity on the moon” in reference to Huxley’s soma holiday. For the novice this is the definitive starting point for an acquaintance with LSD and most definitely a great way to get to know the Darkwave/Ethereal genre that predominates Sam Rosenthal’s Projekt label.

Continue reading Temporal Review in Lexicon →
Review

Temporal Review in Side-Line Magazine

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!

Band News, Interview

RadioSpy Interview on Choler

March 17, 2000 RadioSpy Interview by Sean Flinn:

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.

Continue reading RadioSpy Interview on Choler →
Band News

Temporal promotions continue

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:

Audio, Interview

Interview with Ryan Lum on KUCI’s Riders of the Plastic Groove Show [Transcription & Audio]

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]

Membraneous: Thanks for coming down, by the way.

Continue reading Interview with Ryan Lum on KUCI’s Riders of the Plastic Groove Show [Transcription & Audio] →
Band News

DJ sets, radio appearances, and more

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
  • Barnes & Noble — Nationwide listening stations 2/2 -2/29
  • Virgin Sunset — Hollywood, CA listening station 2/8 – 2/22
  • National Record Mart — sale price and positioning 2/22 – 3/13
  • Borders — Nationwide listening stations 3/11 – 5/16

Ethereal Shoegaze and Electronica from Projekt Records and Chillcuts