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Music Spotlight: OTR

Ryan, the 26-year old aerospace engineer-turned-producer, found himself living in the small town of in Kurashiki with no friends and a major language barrier. He decided to buy a keyboard and began making music in his free time. When he returned to the States, he moved into a neighborhood on the outskirts of Cincinnati known as “Over-the-Rhine” or OTR. The once-neglected area had undergone a renaissance that mirrored his own journey of music discovery, so it became the ideal name for his project. Check out what he had to say.

Tell us about the shift from aerospace engineer to producer. How did it come about and what led you to make music?

I never had a direct plan to take it this far. It was sort of incremental as time went on and as more people started to take me seriously - I just went along with it. I started to teach myself piano freshman year of college to release stress from engineering school but it wasn’t until my internship in Japan when I really started to understand music production. There, I bought a midi keyboard and produced everyday since I had nothing else to do besides work and travel the country. Writing music there helped me deal with the isolation of being alone in a foreign place. I held onto the habit of working a day job then writing music at night when I returned to the states. It just turned into something I was obsessing over because of the way I think I learned how to write music. Being completely self taught, I felt like I was writing stuff that was genuinely me and there was no way I could stop doing it. Even if nobody listened, I would still be doing this because it helps me.

Favorite place you’ve traveled and why?

I love so many places for several different reasons but I think I loved Seattle the most. It felt like home right when I got there and that hasn’t happened for me at other places. Plus there’s so much to do in the surrounding area. I went hiking in the mountains last May which is stuff that really helps me with writing - by holding onto those memories for later.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

“You have to work hard everyday - you can’t rely on talent alone.”

Is there a moment that you consider the highlight of your career up to now?

If I’m honest with myself, I’d say signing at the Capitol Music HQ building was the highlight of my career since it made me feel like I was a legitimate artist. I struggled and continue to struggle with imposter syndrome, probably because I was an engineer first and artist second for so long. Having that memory makes me feel like maybe I can do this whole art thing even when I feel like a big nerd 99% of the time haha.

What inspires your sound?

I realized that I don’t really process stuff that’s happening to me in the moment and it takes some time for me to fully digest it all. When I’m alone in the studio that’s when things come out and where I get to take a snapshot of those memories and freeze them in time with my music. I get all shaky when it comes to life in the moment and that’s when I know I wrote something down that matters to me. Finding sounds that mimic the emotions I had during those memories is what inspires me the most when I’m in the studio.

Check out his latest collaboration with Panama here.