





by JEREMY GOULD
Musician Robert Raimon Roy has gathered some high-caliber attention with his critically acclaimed debut album King Warrior Magician Lover. With his upcoming new record, Le Tigre Blanc, from Dim Mak Records slated for early next year, Rob is poised for national attention. Jacksonville was Rob’s incubator, the place where he began to come into his own. Roy is now in L.A. aiming for the level he truly belongs on. Having done things on his own for many years, Rob finally has label backing, which to some can be a blessing, but to others, a curse. “I’m learning a lot about the true nature of the business. I have to check my rebellious/impulsive streak at times,” he commented in a recent interview.
Roy is no stranger to creativity. His combination of eclectic hip hop and an indie work ethic continues to push the boundaries on many levels, and with a penchant for inventive videos, Rob has already accomplished what many will not. Though he may now reside on the West Coast, Jacksonville, Florida, will forever be a part of Robert Raimon Roy, and he has absolutely no problem with that. Rob took time to answer some questions about his upcoming record and future.
EU Jacksonville: You have taken some time between the last record and this one. What can we expect on this new record?
Rob Raimon Roy: A hypergeography; a labyrinth. A post-hip hop and R&B collage work. The medium is there, but deformed in a way that creates a new language.
EU: What prompted the name change from Rob Roy to Robert Raimon Roy?
RRR: Robert Raimon Roy, which is my full birth name, sounds more appropriate in the context of the record.
EU: Jacksonville has been a staple in some of your previous songs. Can we expect more of the same?
RRR: It is my belief that an artist’s work is a way to tie up psychological loose ends, a means to complete the circuit. “Home,” a collection of the strongest memories from my past-this is always fertile ground to mine for inspiration. That said, there are certainly some obvious references, but interwoven with references to Los Angeles as well.
EU: What Jacksonville artists/bands have inspired you?
RRR: I’ve always loved RickoLus and Radical Face. Great lyrics, songwriting and art. Willie Evans Jr. will also forever be a funk genius to me.
EU: What subjects do you tackle in this newest release?
RRR: Prometheus, feces, polygamy vs. monogamy, pyramids, the Oedipal and Elektra complex [sic], contemporary Internet slang, seduction, the relationship between artist and observer, technological singularity, the waltz, the anima, aging, the role of the Father, mortality, and silence.
EU: The single ‘Little Egypt Wavy’ has a unique sound, ending in an epic hypnotic hook. The video seems to fit the song very well. Tell us how that video and song came about?
RRR: Regarding the video: I stumbled upon PJB [Peter J. Brant] while conducting a search for new directors. What I found most interesting in the work I saw was his use of deterioration, silhouetting, and overlapping of images—the juxtaposition of geometric shapes with a natural environment. To me, his work plays the perfect complement to the hybrid that is ‘Little Egypt Wavy.’ And as for the song itself: It is produced by Lucian Walker, with me. Lucian played a vintage Moog, a micro-Korg, and a few other synths for all the sounds. I was inspired by what I’d been hearing from James Blake and Bon Iver, primarily the idea of a hook (or two) comprising a song. There’s a lot to be said in praise of brevity. Knowing how to remove as much as possible from your writing, yet it still remaining intelligible, is the difference between those who can write and those who can really write. Omission is a form of creation. Hence, there are two different hooks and a single rap verse.
EU: Being on a label now, Dim Mak, how different is it then releasing your own record like previously?
RRR: It’s the same in the sense that I am being allowed full creative control. It is different in that there is a release schedule defined by the set-up of key things, which I’ve been naive to. I’m learning a lot about the true nature of the business. I have to check my rebellious/impulsive streak at times.
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