Electronic producer Patrik Gryst is set to release his captivating EP ‘Transportør’ on the 25th March 2022. After releasing 3 albums in the past year through his label Lethe Records, ‘Transportør’ sounds like a natural progression into the next phase of Gryst’s already extensive catalogue. We caught up with Patrik to find out more...
Hi Patrik, how have you been? Very well thank you. I’ve been extremely busy recently working on different projects, but I’m starting to feel like some are beginning to come to fruition.
‘Transportør’ has a very distinctive sci-fi sound. Can you tell us a bit about your influence on this? I grew up watching 1970s science fiction like ‘Planet of the Apes’ and ‘The Omega Man’ and read a lot of Ray Bradbury and H G Wells. I always been fascinated by the idea of time travel and I’m always striving to make transportive music. So I guess if you put all that together the end is result is ‘Transportør’.
You made the record in your self-made home studio, was this a choice brought on by lockdown or do you prefer working like this? I guess in part, yes. When the pandemic started, like lots of people, I suddenly found I had a lot of time on my hands which gave me the impetus to finish putting together my studio and begin recording tracks. I work quickly and it’s important to have the right workflow. I work with sounds generated from lots of different sources, so it’s important that all the hardware is switched on and ready to go as well as all the virtual instruments are available so I can begin sketching out an idea.
Growing up in the north of England would you say your style was influenced by the huge electronic scene in the area or would you look elsewhere for inspiration? Definitely, from the electronic scene in Manchester in the 80s and the acid house scene in Blackburn in the early 90s but also the Scandinavian scene more recently as well the dream pop and shoe gaze scene in the USA.
You talk about changing the emotional state of your listeners with your music, can you tell us more about this? Music is one of the few things than can instantly change your mood. In that sense, I believe it’s better than any drug. I like listening to and making music that grabs you, picks you up and moves in a way that transforms how you are feeling - whether it’s electronic, ambient or classical. I love it when you hear a piece of music and it literally stops you in your tracks and captivates you enough to change something inside of you and become part of the soundtrack of your life. If I can do that with the music I write, I’ll be very happy.
‘Transportør’ comes with a really interesting music video, can you tell us a bit about the process of making it? The large majority of the footage I shot with a time-lapse camera set at varying rates and fixed to my car or taken during train journeys and in various different locations which I then turned into animation using computer software. Although it wasn’t my intention, it’s very reminiscent of Aha’s ‘Take on Me’ video.
Having such an individual sound, who would you say are your main musical influences? I’m influenced by lots of different kind of musicians. I guess the way my music sounds is very much influenced by many of the pioneering electronic artists like in the 70s and 80s like Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Jean-Michel Jarre, John Foxx, Thomas Dolby and New Order. The composition of my music is influenced by composers such as Grieg, Rachmaninov, Elgar and Wagner. Other influences include artists like Pete Gabriel, George Clanton, OMD, VNV Nation and TR/ST to name a few. This is clearly evident in the different styles and genres of music I have been recording more recently
You have already released three albums over the past year or so, now the EP; do you have more music in the pipeline? I have several albums in the pipeline, as well as working on projects with other artists: Karin Kass, Kalis Kollectif and Scandinavian Homes, which I’m very excited about. I hoping to release a lot of material over the next 12 months
Are there any plans for live performances/ sound installations this year? I’m in the process of very early planning of preparing a live set or sound installation of my more ambient material to perform in large indoor spaces like churches and museums. I got the idea whilst visiting York Cathedral a couple of years ago and more recently places like The Harris Museum in Preston. I like the idea of someone just walking in off the street and hearing a piece of music and being drawn to a particular space in a building.
