Ready to Ryot

If you’ve been keeping up with the local English music scene, you’ve undoubtedly heard of eight-member funk band Ryot Jones, and perhaps even caught a few of its electrifying live performances.
Fans now have an even bigger reason to cheer, as the band will be dropping its first official studio single, Dancing Shoes, tonight at Atas By Bijan Fx in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
And you can bet on the band members – Kyren Thomas (lead vocals), Izzy Azhar (bassist), Deo Karmawan (guitarist), Jazmi Jamaluddin (saxophonist), Clifford Tan (saxophonist), Joelle Magindaan (keyboards), Mohd Irhas a.k.a Payung (trumpets), and Aaron Gideon (drums) – to get you grooving to their music.
Izzy, who used to be a bassist for a metal band, said: “I’m so excited. I’m so happy that the song is finally coming out. It’s been in the works for god knows how long ...[fans] will come up to us and ask when the song is coming out."
The song was actually written last year by Kyren, and the band has already performed it at several gigs. However, Kyren explained that the band decided to take its time with the recording process.
“That one song [Dancing Shoes], we re-did three times because the initial version we recorded … didn’t sound like what we did live,” said the 25-year-old full-time musician.
As the saying goes, third time’s the charm. In the final recorded version with new keyboardist Joelle (who replaced former band member Eddie Askari), the boys were finally happy they managed to capture the essence of one of their live shows.
“We have the base kind of down already, like the foundation, and whatever we want to jump on [next], we can proceed smoothly,” said Izzy about moving forward with the music-making process.
Dancing Shoes has its origins to the time the band were competing in Live House’s Rock the House talent search in 2016, which they won.
During one of the jam sessions just before the finals, Kyren took the unusual step of asking Deo for his guitar, before playing chords for him to follow.
“And I hardly do that because I feel embarrassed to play the guitar in front of Deo,” said Kyren. “Deo’s a beast.”
As Deo played the chords, the inspiration continued with Kyren asking Aaron for a pattern on the drums, and thought it needed a horn line.
“And then it just came,” he said, humming the tune to Dancing Shoes.
As the band played the impromptu music on a loop, the lyrics of the song soon flowed naturally. Kyren added that most of his songwriting process happens like that because he hates writing lyrics, but enjoys structuring melodies of the songs.
And from there, they just continue to fine-tune the music and experiment with different sounds to make it better.
“It’s very organic. The energy that comes out of that moment, and then we work with it over time. Like, Dancing Shoes, the first time we ever heard it, it sounds so different from how it sounds now.
“It’s about [how time polishes] it, what vibes we’re testing on it, and what I’m trying to say with it."
Kyren also stresses that when it comes to creating music, chemistry is important, especially in a band with so many members.
“We’re like best friends all of us. We have barbecues, we hang out, and we can go out for dinner with each other. So, I think that energy shows itself."
Making the move to finally record and release their debut studio single is a bold step for the unconventional band, who stands out not just because of the number of its members, but also because of its unique funk vibes, with trumpet and saxophone merging harmoniously with the other instruments.
However, the band refuse to define themselves into one specific genre, always performing with the goal of everybody having a good time, and unlike most bands, a live performance trumps recording in the studio.
“There’s not really a brand of sound. We call ourselves ‘festival funk,’ which I don’t think is an actual genre. It’s a performance,
“And emphasis on the word performance because it’s not only what you hear, it’s what you see as well. We practice really awkwardly in the studio trying to dance, so, it’s always a good time [when] you’re listening to it.”
The band member's relationships with one another can be likened to the characters in the Fast and Furious films, where the concept of 'family' is key.
That camaraderie continues to show on stage as well.
“We’re a bit self-indulgent in our own music,” Kyren quipped. “We love what we play. It’s very genuine, because it’s us.
“I feel really lucky to have found my voice. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”