‘Intimate Desolation’ brings forth dark R&B and slow hip hop tracks merged with ambient sounds followed by 70s haziness. Ryan Willms introduces us to his musical alter ego who compiles intricate mixes as an after-hours activity for pure fun.
Before Inventory and eclectic menswear, music was one of Ryan Willms’ first influences. From Michael Jackson and Boyz II Men to different sub-genres of hip hop, Ryan genuinely makes mixes for fun and reaches back to his initial artistic inspiration by playing around with other people’s music. As he explores this side of his expansive creative spectrum more and more, he finds digging around the internet for new tracks, old goodies and talented musicians as a meditative and revitalizing pastime. Much like a late-night crossword puzzle, he enjoys squeezing his brain to come up with different mix titles.
“I started making mixes last year and have found it a great way to sort of meditate but still be productive and discover new things. I used to be really into music and finding new artists but somehow let myself become too busy. In the past year I’ve really enjoyed searching through SoundCloud and following links to piece together various interesting mixes. In the recent AKA series I’ve been doing, there is a lot of dark, moody tracks with minimal instrumentals and a bit of an ethereal trap sound, mixed with some more gritty rap songs and slowed-down R&B. I also quite enjoy coming up with names for them, which are a bit humorous but they also tie into the music and hint at something going on currently in my personal life.”
Here’s one such mix from the AKA series that goes by the name of ‘Intimate Desolation AKA Yung Cashmere Moth.’
Tracklist:
Setsa – More Sake
Eric Dringus – 1224 Love
MD$ – Metro Lobby
Collard – Soddum Shorter
Gravel Palm – Iron Technique
Eric Dingus – Have I Lost You
Gucci Mane – Shooter (Eric Dingus Mix)
Klimeks – Water City
Soulja Boy ft. Gudda Gudda – Withdrawl
VRSYJNES – Sucked ’93
Klimeks – Nightglide
OG Maco ft. Key! – Dying’ Just From Living
Fifty Grand – Scary All Over
Ty Dolla $ign – Paranoid (OSØ Mix)
SEmotional Trap House
Corbin – Worn
Ryan, thanks for sharing a bit of your musical alter ego with us !
For more of Ryan’s characteristic mixes, head over to his channel. Have a listen to all of our FvF mixtapes and stay tuned for more.
Revisit our interview and small tour around Vancouver with Ryan Willms.