Young Wonder

Turning pitch-shifts and vocal snippets into musical works of art, Ian Ring and Rachel Koeman of Young Wonder have managed to carve out an infectious electronic pop sound unlike anything else we’ve heard this year.

Beginning with fantastic production that blends everything from dubstep and house to R&B and dreamy, Young Wonder combine traditional Irish roots with a love of creating the perfect soundtrack to your Friday night house party. Chopping up samples and live vocals, Young Wonder is a whirlwind of layered percussion, harmonies and beats that paint a picture that dances across your memory long after the music stops.

Bringing more than just great recordings, Young Wonder’s energetic live show has packed crowds across Europe, providing another reason why Young Wonder has quickly stolen our heart and refuses to give it back. Ian and Rachel were kind enough to chat with us about their love of Michael Jackson, what happens when things don’t go as planned on stage, and of course their forthcoming EP and tour. Check it out.

The last time I saw you guys was when you played Dublin and you’ve done a ton of shows this year. So how’s 2012 been?

Rachel: Yeah we have been playing a ton of shows. Ian is sort of the studio guy, and I get really excited about playing live gigs. This year has been really crazy. We started playing gigs in April of this year. Our first gig was at The Pavillion in Cork, and it was just kind of like an opening, and the most amazing night. The crowds were amazing. It was a really good introduction to playing live.

Since then we’ve played a load of gigs in Dublin, Galway, Limerick, London at the Sebright Arms, and even better, we just played in Torino at Club2Club Festival. The crowd there was amazing. Italians rule. So friendly and welcoming.

Your live show, for me, was a mix of pop, house, dance, and regardless of genre, this energy between the two of you that really draws the crowd in. What’s your live setup like?

Rachel: So what our live set up is now, I’m singing vocals, but I use a Kaoss pad. I have effects on it, like I have delay and reverb already on it. Also, I actually record my live vocals in little snippets, and I’ll play them back live. So it’s kind of like that Purity Ring effect of the chopped up vocals, but instead of them being pre-recorded, I record them live. So there really is no room for error, which has happened once or twice, where I will record feedback and it sounds a bit strange. Haha

Trial and error! Haha

Ian: Yeah, I’m still using decks and midis and a glockenspiel, I don’t want to be just standing in front of a laptop. I’m more comfortable using Pioneers, because I’ve dj’d all my life, so it just feels more natural. Anything I want to do, I can do with the Pioneers.

Oh no, you move around, you get sweaty. Haha.

Ian: Yeah. It’s a good sweaty. Haha

Do you have a favorite song to play live?

Rachel: Yeah, I think ‘Orange’ is probably my favorite. This sounds really bad, but it’s the last song in our set, and I’m always so sad, that I don’t want to go off stage. So I think I really try to make the most of it. We have a new song that we haven’t played live yet, that I know is going to be my favorite. It’s called ‘Electrified,’ and it’s my favorite song ever. It just reminds me so much of winter and it’s so lovely.

Ian: ‘Tumbling Backwards’ is really cool live.

So how did Young Wonder get started?

It’s an interesting one. Well I was going out with Brendan from Feel Good Lost, and he was doing a video for Ian’s solo project at the time. And I guess Brendan just saw a ton of potential in Ian and what he could do as a producer. He just thought why not get me on a song singing and see how it goes. It was actually the song, ‘Orange’ that we first worked on. It just worked out.

So how did that song come about?

Rachel: Don’t talk about the old lyrics Ian! Haha. Basically we went into the studio and wrote these really cheesy lyrics. I had to go home and rewrite all of them. So bad. Haha.

So if you had to pick a food or dish to describe your sound, what would you pick and why?

Rachel: Pavlova. It’s sweet, it’s yummy, it’s baked. Haha.

Is it bad that I don’t know what that is?

Rachel: Oh! Well, Pavlova is kinda like Baked Alaska, but with fruit and chocolate. It’s really good.

Most outlandish description of your music that you have read so far?

Ian: When we released the track, ‘Lucky One,’ this blog said it was “Like two mice having sex”.
Rachel: In all fairness, I think they are right. Haha.

Has growing up in Cork influenced your sound at all?

Ian: I listen to every type of music, hip hop, soul, jazz, and I come from a hip hop background. And to be honest, Young Wonder was just an experiment. Brendan turned me on to all these cool producers in Ireland, like SertOne and Monto, and people like MMOTHS. So I just took little influences from these artists and tried to make it my own.

Rachel: Well when I was in school I was in choir and doing musicals, and I think that kind of shaped the way I sing, and how I sing. And in regards to my lyrics, I’m influenced by nature and my surroundings, so of course Cork is a big part of that.

Can you tell me about your creative process?

Ian: I’ll write a draft of the music, and I’ll send it to Rachel and I’ll send it in sections, verses and choruses, and then we’ll talk about the bridges and the chorus and then she’ll go write some lyrics. I think what makes our sound so different is that I use Rachel’s voice as an instrument in the line of production. Especially on songs like ‘Orange’ and ‘Flesh’.

So Rachel, where do your ideas for songs and your lyrics come from?

Rachel: Mostly from nature, and just looking outside my window really. Haha. I can’t really write about my own experiences, I’m more inspired by other people’s experiences and human experience. I write a lot about imagery.

What did you guys grow up listening to?

Rachel: I grew up listening to ABBA. I went through this phase where I listened to Linkin Park and Avenge Sevenfold. And I loved Britney Spears. I might revisit that album tonight. Haha.

Do you have any music idols?

Ian: I’m sure I have a Britney Spears album around here somewhere. As far as idols though, one of my biggest influences, and my musical hero, is Michael Jackson. I couldn’t go to sleep as a baby unless there was music playing. My parents used to play me tapes of Michael Jackson to fall asleep.

So you guys put out an EP on Feel Good Lost’s label earlier this year, and you have a new EP coming out in 2013. What’s changed?

Ian: I think we’re getting more comfortable, and finding out who we are as a band. The EP is stronger overall. It’s still experimenting, but not the same. It’s all an experiment. I’d like to make every single song strong.

Rachel: I think our sound has matured. And we’re not conforming to the fashion of electronic music, or what’s out there at the moment. I think we’re finding our own little niche, instead of conforming to what’s already out there. Perhaps a bit more pop on the new EP. I’m singing more in the newer sounds, and less chopped up vocals. There’s more structure as far as the verses and choruses.

Ian: You can compare to songs like ‘Tumbling Backwards’ which has a difference influence and sound, but it’s still Young Wonder.

So what can we expect on the new album?

Ian: I think one of the biggest tracks is going to be a song called ‘Time.’ I always wanted to produce a song based around time which involved sounds reversing and building into this one big moment! I think the influence came from The Chemical Brothers, ‘Where Do I Begin’. I think that track is probably my most favorite production of all time. I wanted to do it in a way that was Young Wonder and fit in with with we are doing. Hopefully people find the song to be bit of an ear trip. Ha.

Also this our first collaboration we have done. We got our good friend Darragh from Sacred Animals to lay down some lovely male vocals for us which turned out great.

What does 2013 hold for Young Wonder?

Rachel: An EP release (hopefully) on the same day that our first EP came out on last year.
Ian: We’re working on a European tour, but really the plan is to keep making good music.