The gamble paid off handsomely, and I managed to make contact with someone who appears on my own list of desert island discs (most of my other picks are either long dead, don't speak english very well, or both). My interviewee is an artist who eschews most trends and makes very personal music that appeals directly to the emotions. Centuries-old traditions and new musical technologies are married into a timeless, yet timbrally modern hybrid, the strengths of each creating a very beautiful whole. Being a composer who has had a great impact on my approach to music, it is with great excitement that I (C.S. Graves) bring you...

C.S. Graves: Tell us a little about your musical background, training, influences, etc...

Ray Lynch: I began studying piano at age 6, then took up classical guitar at age 12. At age 18 I studied classical guitar with Eduardo Sainz de la Maza in Barcelona for three years. I practiced 8 hours a day, saw him twice a week, and I covered a lot of ground in those three years. Eduardo was a great teacher and he was also a composer, and I became increasingly interested in composition. I left Spain to return to the University of Texas in order to study composition and music theory. I also spent 7 years in New York City as lutenist with the Renaissance Quartet.

CSG: When you're composing, what are the qualities you hope to achieve in your music?

RL: Beauty, elegance, proportion. Music that is compelling and deeply felt.

CSG: Do you dislike being called "new age"?

RL: Only if those who use the term think it means something.

CSG: Rumour has it you're a perfectionist. What's the longest time you've ever spent on a single composition?

RL: Yes, I am something of a perfectionist. I spent a year writing and developing "The Vanished Gardens of Cordoba" on "Nothing Above My Shoulders but the Evening".

CSG: Was there a time in your life when you considered giving up music? If so, what changed your mind?

RL: At 30 years of age, I went through a crisis and seriously considered giving up music. My spiritual teacher, Adi Da Samraj, encouraged me to continue with music and changed my mind.

CSG: Is there anything that you find to be a regular source of inspiration?

RL: I don't necessarily "try" to be inspired before beginning. I usually begin with seed ideas which seem promising and interesting and "play" with them in various ways and let the inspiration develop as I come to understand the inter- relationships. At some point I will use my mother's approach ( applied relative to her paintings) "Demand excitement, expect surprise".

CSG: On the albums Deep Breakfast and No Blue Thing, one notices what seems to be an affinity for FM sounds and delay effect algorithms. What is it about FM synthesis in particular that appeals to you?

RL: Those albums reflect FM sounds because that was what was available at the time - i.e. those were the best ( most appropriate ) sounds I had access to when producing music. E.G. FM produced believable attacks and harmonic complexity which I couldn't achieve with my other analogue synths. Delay lines are interesting to me because of their efficiency in producing various kinds of rhythmic complexity (patterns and textures).

CSG: What are your favourite synthesizers and why?

RL: I am not familiar with many synths so picking "favorites" doesn't really mean very much. The synths I currently use the most are the K2000 and the JV 1080. I often combine several different synths for one sound.

CSG: On "The Music of What Happens" there's some obvious samples being implemented. Do you think we'll be able to expect more sampling in future Ray Lynch material?

RL: Yes - it's almost impossible to avoid sampled sounds these days anyway - most synths use them for their basic sounds.

CSG: There are those who might argue that acoustic and electronic instruments are incompatible, and should never be mixed as is done on many of your albums. How do you respond to this?

RL: If it works, it works. Ultimately, I don't wish to exclude, on principle, any sound (however produced) from the aural "universe" in which music may appear. On the other hand ( despite the fact that the line between acoustic and electronic is becoming harder to draw ), these two approaches have different strengths and weaknesses and must be used appropriately in relation to the musical gesture (s) envisioned. Some pieces demand a purely acoustic approach or a purely electronic approach ( I've done both). More often, I've found that a combination ( and only a combination) will produce the effect I wish to achieve.

Finally, to me, it makes no difference how the music is "made" ( acoustic, electronic, sampled, whatever ). What is important is that the music itself be faithful to, and reflect the intelligence of the heart.

CSG: I noticed many fans have picked "Celestial Soda Pop" as their personal favorite Ray Lynch piece. What composition of yours are you most proud of?

RL: One answer is that I had to be proud enough of all of them to put them out there to begin with. My " favorites" ( in the sense of which pieces I tend to listen to if and when I sit down to listen to Ray Lynch) will be different at different times.

Currently, I would probably choose "Quandra", "The Oh of Pleasure", "Your Feeling Shoulders", "Drifted in a Deeper Land", "The Vanished Gardens of Cordoba", "Ivory", and the two new pieces on "Ray Lynch Best Of" ("Ralph's Rhapsody" and "The Music of What Happens").

CSG: Your listeners come from all walks of life, and are of all ages. I'm sure there's a lot of artists out there who would like to know how they too might hope to achieve such a widespread audience.

RL: I think it is futile to "try to achieve" a widespread audience, and a "successful artist" ( in this sense) is not necessarily artistically successful for having done so. A better approach, it seems to me, is for the artist to concentrate on making the music "succeed" as music and let the widespread audience take care of itself.

In other words, love what you make so much that you will endure the struggle to get it right ( hence, fully allowing its inherent beauty to "successfully" appear ) and don't worry about what it may bring to you by finding an audience. If what you make is beautiful, you already have the most important reward and whether or not your work finds a widespread audience ( which can depend upon many factors beyond your control or understanding ), you can be proud of, at least, of having done your part.

CSG: Thank you for your time, Mr. Lynch. It is much appreciated.

(and also many thanks to Adi Da Samraj, without whom it's likely none of us would be enjoying Ray Lynch's work today!)

You can visit Ray's official website at www.raylynch.com for more information about the man and his music.

Contact me via email at