Hot Press Meets Ryan Vail

It’s one of the under-appreciated pleasures of being a music fan: that moment when you realise an act you’ve recently fallen for shares a label with another that’s already taken its place in your heart.

Somehow the notion that these talented people are not merely lone operatives, but part of a larger network of fellow-travellers leads to the world feeling the tiniest bit bigger.
Following a series of incredible EPs, Unknown – the Northern act who despite withholding his name (and it is a ‘him’ – we can tell you that), picture and biographical details – has become a Pitchfork favourite and the low-thrumming sensation could be the most exciting new artist on the island.
However, should there be some kind of play-off necessary to confirm that title, chances are he could be challenged by Derry-based songwriter, Ryan Vail.
Both acts are modern and progressive and spookily emotional. And both are signed to Belfast’s Champion Sound Recordings.
The man behind the label and, therefore, the person entrusted – Klopp-style – with the development of such vital young talent is DJ and promoter, Lyndon Stephens.
“I’d worked for almost two decades in the industry in lots of roles and built up a pretty good overview of how it all functions,” he reveals. “I had a fairly good European contact list and knew I could make a go of providing a better platform for local talent. Champion Sound Recordings in itself has had a fairly diverse roster to date with Ryan, Unknown, Ghosts and T Polar. The only unique selling point or common thread is that we only release Irish artists. What we want to achieve is an Irish label that will be internationally recognised as being able to compete on a global scale.”
That he has Vail on his team-sheet will help Lyndon no end on this front. Comparisons have been made with James Blake, but Vail’s work to date is full of a burgeoning individuality.
“Ryan’s a one off,” Lyndon enthuses. “He bought a drum machine in a pawn shop and, when it didn’t have a manual, spent years trying to work out how to use it. He’s dipped in and out of lots of aspects of music – he was a hip hop turntablist DJ for quite a while – before returning to composing again. He’s a constant experimenter: someone who wants to throw away all the rules and is always pushing the envelope.”
And what about Unknown? For someone so reluctant to shout about themselves, the remixes for Mmoths, the sold-out debut EP, the celeb endorsements from Ellie Goulding, Ben Pearce and John Talabot would (taken together) suggest that word is spreading anyway.
“It started out, as all these ideas do, as a way to just present music with no personality or image to get in the way,” Lyndon avers. “But that’s become a bit of a double-edged sword as some reviewers spend as much time talking about his anonymity as anything else.
“We’re going to go for a slow reveal, but no matter what happens we’re keeping the name. Even though it’s made collecting any PRS money a bit of a nightmare!”

The I Cry EP by Unknown (featuring Gemma Dunleavy) will be out at the end of June.