RIMAR

RIMAR’s sounds are a conglomeration of R&B, retro samples, and savvy beat music. Although most of his songs are pop dance tunes, they arise out of basement grit, evoking urban cinematic imagery, making them that much more intriguing. Young and ambitious, Rimar’s momentum is only getting started with Higher Ground, and he has just released a video for his single of the same title.

Check out his music here: http://rimar.bandcamp.com/ and cop the 12'' treatment of Higher Ground from Bella Union.


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Matthew Sherling: How long have you been making music as Rimar and how would you describe your approach?

Rimar Villaseñor: I've been experimenting with music since high school. I grew up listening to popular music - billboard hits, specifically hip hop and r&b. My first run at music was producing rap instrumentals. It was more so an effort to emulate the artists I looked up to - Nas, Kanye West; they were very influential in how I attempted to sculpt my individual sound.

During college, I was producing for a few hip hop acts. I was semi-successful, my close friends really enjoyed my beats. They were the ones to give me the idea of just releasing a compilation on my own. It was early this year that I put out a short beat tape called 'A' under my name. 'Higher Ground' came a couple of months after.

I would say my approach is very loose. I'm influenced by a lot of things - from cloud rap to jazz to films and art. When I go to make a song, I try to aggregate all my ideas and surround myself with visuals that I'm feeling at the moment. Lately, I've been into this film called 'Enter the Void' by Gaspar Noe. I'm constantly browsing the internet for visuals and screenshots form the movie and really just let what I feel take over. I let my emotions choose my samples and sounds and I build from there.

Matthew Sherling: Nice. Yeah, I like 'Enter the Void' a lot.

Emotion-motivated music. That's great.

Besides music, do you experiment with any other artform(s)?

Rimar Villaseñor: Music is the only thing I'm really focusing on currently. I also do my own design work. But I do have aspirations outside of music. I'd eventually like to do film - writing and directing a movie. I have a music video coming out for my song, "Higher Ground," where I pulled some aesthetic influences from some of my favorite movies - Vivre Sa Vie, The Following, Manhattan... I'm really excited to show it.

I'd also like to try clothing as well. Potentially design pieces. I'm a fan of women's clothing...but I honestly don't know shit about it - my fascination comes from more of voyeur's view.

I just enjoy visuals. I try to make music visually - sort of imagining the type of images my songs would elicit. I imagine that's how 99% of musicians make their music - so I'm basically just following the mold.



Matthew Sherling: Oh sweet. When will you release the music video? It sounds you like have quality aspirations. And yeah, several musicians I've encountered seem to link their music to images in their heads. But I think that never ceases to be fascinating, and I don't think all musicians necessarily approach it that way.

So what's your recording / live setup? And how do you perceive the differences between the recording process and performing?

Rimar Villaseñor: Video should be coming out very soon, I hope. It's done, I'm just waiting on a few things.

Recording set up is pretty simple. Me with a laptop. Goes the same my live set up, except I also perform with an MPD and a microphone. I like to keep everything as simple and as intuitive as possible. I'm not heavy into getting a ton of equipment... as long as I have what I need to give a compelling performance.

I've seen a bunch of electronic/beat based musicians live. Not anything against them, but I've always been bored. It's like watching a dj. When I perform, I like to pretend like someone I'm not. Like Prince, or Morrissey. I perform the way I dance in my bedroom, alone... to my favorite Michael Jackson record. I probably look like a fucking fool when I perform, dancing...but for me, it's an enjoyable, expressive experience. And it usually involves me having downed a few drinks.

Matthew Sherling: So how do you see the internet affecting today's music culture / world at large?

Rimar Villaseñor: The internet makes it entirely easier to share your music with a wide, hungry audience. Although, at the same time it is scalable, it's equally frightening. I can be very neurotic and self conscious. Putting your music out there is putting yourself and everything you stand for out for judgment. At this very surface level, you want to be accepted... but then you realize at a large, attention doesn't mean anything but a few hits on bandcamp. People fall in love with something one day, judge it the next, and move on. I don't intend for my music to be consumed that way. I want it to be enjoyed for a long time, for people to understand it emotionally.

So the internet gives us this opportunity to gain some budding fame, but who knows how long will people will latch on. It's not really about that anyways. It's about creating something honest.

I love the fact that I can make a song, post it online, and have it be potentially adored by people in all parts of the world. I just think in this day and age, we still have to consent to quality - where the internet can have the potential of ridding us from having genuine taste.

Matthew Sherling: Yes, there's a threat that it's making music etc. so easily consumable that it's also disposable, fleeting.

So when can we expect your next release? And do you see it shifting in any way from _Higher Ground_?

Rimar Villaseñor: I'm taking time with my next release. I haven't made anything just yet, but I do have a lot of ideas of what I want the project to convey. I want it to be more sonically complicated than Higher Ground, darker...but still holding everything that I love about that project - dancy, poppy.

This next project is going to be very heterogeneous. I plan on saying a lot with it. The story and idea...even the title of the release...is already in my head. I just need to lay it down and manifest them.

Matthew Sherling: Oh, great. If you collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

Rimar Villaseñor: I've been listening to a lot of Messy Marv lately. Would love to work with that guy, make some beats for him or something - maybe potentially use his voice as a sampling piece, distorting it, expanding it, and stretching it out to build some type of unexpected atmosphere.

Matthew Sherling: Nice! Well as a last question, what are your thoughts about human consciousness - in general and in relation to art / music?

Rimar Villaseñor: It's something I've been thinking about lately. Over the past thousands of years we've been consistently developing in the physical realm. Changing our environment to suit what we believe is right - to fill a void and to make things ultimately easier, giving us time to do more. But we don't inherently know why. We assume faster is better. More efficiency is key.

I think the path of human evolution will be away from the physical realm in the space of the human consciousness. Outer space isn't the final frontier. There is the untouched, uncharted space that exists in our inner thoughts and ideas. All these advances in technology and in digital are unprecedented, but why is it we still know extremely little about the human mind? That's where our childrens' children will be finding their new developments and innovation.

As we relate it to art and music - our pursuit in creativity is only means to express the human consciousness, to define it, and to immortalize it. That's why anybody makes art. To say something that they can't necessarily say in everyday speech. We make art and music because it's really the only thing that makes us human and separates us from the rest of the animals.

Matthew Sherling: Beautiful. Thank you so much for your insight! Any final shout outs or comments?

Rimar Villaseñor: Much love to tumblr, babes.

Matthew Sherling: :)