Review/Interview: Ra Cailum
This week, in what is certainly a break from the norm, I am pleased to bring you Anthony Engelhardt. Under the name Ra Cailum, he has released numerous albums, all of which can be hunted down somewhere on the internet, if not on his Bandcamp. Cailum’s latest release, Finding My Way, may be his most streamlined work yet. Here’s my two favorite tracks from the EP and a interview with Anthony Engelhardt.
Review
“The Risks You Take”
This one immediately stood out to me. Big punchy bass hits and a stuttering snare straight out of a dubstep standard and a snappy bass line that could make Flying Lotus blush. For me, great electronica starts with the perfect loop, and this song does that perfectly. A pensive synth line echoes throughout the whole song. And it’s beautiful.
“I Know That You’ve Known”
A nice slow jam with a chiming vocal sample to back it all up. The beat slowly grinds on as the vocals keep things grooving, until a slow down. And then just when you think it couldn’t have been any chiller. It does. And then right back into the sweet chimes. This one just makes me want to slow motion all the time.
Interview
Where does your name come from?
The name comes from this Japanese anime called Mobile Suit Gundam. It was a battleship. When I was twelve, my cousin showed me the series, and I followed it really closely from then on. I bought a re-release of the series’s feature film, Char’s Counterattack. It was really dark, and it always stuck with me. I thought the name Ra Cailum was really cool, and it stuck with me for a long time. I think the name suits me well.
Do you see yourself as a producer or a straightforward electronica artist?
I think collaboration is the most rewarding byproduct of our Internet Age. It’s very easy to work on a project with someone that isn’t close in proximity. That said, I prefer to work alone a lot of the time. I am just more used to doing things on my own.
What are some of your favorite bands?
There are so many! I came up in the post-hardcore world, so I still listen to a lot of that. Glassjaw and At the Drive-In are big ones. I have been revisiting a lot of High Places, Lucky Dragons, Xiu Xiu as well. As far as producers go, anything on the Night Slugs label is gold. Saint Louis Kids are also high on this list!
How do you write songs?
It varies. I have been working in Ableton Live for about 4-5 years, so it usually revolves around a small idea in Ableton (e.g., a synth patch, a drum sample, a non-musical sample, etc.). For the last EP, it all revolved around samples I found that really struck me, or meant a lot to me. For older albums, it revolved around a word or a concept. I just like trying to interpret things like that! The way I interpret things also changes with time.
Do you have any favorite sources for samples?
I think the best places for samples are usually the ones that are deeply connected to me and my past. I think when I started using samples, I was really more concerned with referencing things in a very literal sense. I think am growing out of that. Lately I will sample things from more personal aspects of my life, to things like Gundam or other things I have found really amazing in life, to inside jokes with friends. I just like to remain really personal.
Do you have any future plans for touring or releases?
Millions of plans, though all of them are very premature. I would love to tour soon. I am most likely doing something at SXSW! That is the only real plan for now though! I have a bunch of small projects on the way, two collaborative, and one or two personal projects.
How did you get started making music?
Music was something I discovered by accident. I started playing guitar when I was around twelve because I thought that would make me really cool, and it turned out that being cool was not why guitar playing was a lot of fun. It was just really rewarding to me to play music! I just remembered learning songs of favorite bands and playing them over and over and over because it was so cool to be able to play songs. I didn’t start writing songs until maybe junior year of high school. Ra Cailum started around then, and became a serious project during the summer after my senior year.
