Friends of Friends Beatmaker Kyson on his Debut Album

Huddled up in his Neukölln studio, at a time when many of his peers may choose to escape their adopted dwelling place, Jian kept himself busy this past winter by working on his first full-length record as Kyson. Without a record deal in place, but with a handful of EPs already under his belt, Jian decided that it was time to immerse himself in his most ambitious project to date. “At one time when I was writing this album I was actually in my studio for three weeks without going outside, in the winter in Berlin. That was really a low point.”

He mentions the track “How Long,” which came out of this particular period. “It’s about the question of ‘how long until you get what you want?’ You come here, but is it what you want? Are we always gonna be on this constant chase for what we want or is it ever gonna come?” Jian laughs. “It’s quite deep. But that’s how I was feeling.” His music, but also the way in which he carries himself, reflects this easy-going earnestness. Jian comes across as a thoughtful young man who has had to deal with his fair share of obstacles and found music as a way to channel his emotions.

“Back in Australia, I wrote this song ‘Ceremonies,’ which is about my friend passing away when I was 19. It’s just a three-sentence song but for me these three sentences mean so much.” Jian’s music is vulnerable, yet far from afraid, and dotted with moments of supreme joy. His songs often burst from their subdued beginnings into ecstatic, multi-layered arrangements. Entirely written, composed and recorded himself, The Water’s Way is an accomplished effort that comes as a result of many years of challenging himself as a producer.

“Something started frustrating me about the Australian hip hop scene in a way. Just the way it was composed. Everyone always acting all American in a way. I also wanted to start making music that I could have as a whole song and that wouldn’t be based around a 16-bar verse and 8-bar chorus. So I started experimenting a bit and listening to other stuff. It just naturally formed from there.” Jian started learning keyboard and experimenting with synthesizers. “It was a lot of trial and error,” he says, “and it still is. But that’s also what I enjoy about it.”

Of all places, the 4/4-imbued ground of Berlin actually proved to be the perfect setting for Jian to expand on his hip hop sound palette. Linking up with beat music collectives like the Project Mooncircle label provided inspiration on his way forward. “I started going around and seeing different little experimental nights and realized that there’s not just this huge techno scene, but there also is this other, more experimental side of electronic music that is happening here. That really inspired me. People playing cellos that go into a computer and looping it. That sort of thing. Just having fun.”

His experiences have now culminated in an album that struck a chord as far away as Los Angeles, where the Friends of Friends crew heard his album and decided to put it out on their label. The LP title The Water’s Way thus becomes an analogy for Kyson’s journey and where his roads have taken him, capping off a series of travels both physical and musical that in retrospect seem almost coincidental.

“Sometimes I get too deep into thinking about that. Like ‘what would have happened had I not met this person at this time? Would that change every single thing that has happened in the last six years?’ I really think it can, you know? It’s that chain. That’s what the water’s way is for me.” The water will carry him on.