RYAT

WEIRDEST BAND IN THE WORLD
Our latest submission comes to us from Eddie’s hometown, Philadelphia (he’s actually from Ardmore, but Philly sounds less lame). RYAT are an “indie electronic” duo who make music that kind of sounds like Portishead on a crappy sound system and a bad day. We can’t decide if it’s annoying or awesome. It’s probably a little of both. They’ve also apparently collaborated with Disco Biscuits, but we’ll let that slide.
Anyway, Ryat (is it all caps or not? they can’t decide either) have a new album out Sep. 10th called Avant Gold (we’ll let that slide, too) and a whole bunch of tracks posted on their MySpace page. Check ‘em out and decide for yourself if songs like “Superficial Friction” are, well, superficial…or just SUPER! (See how we did that?) And then come back here and vote, dammit.

weirdestbandintheworld.com/submit-and-vote - WEIRDEST BAND IN THE WORLD

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2010
Ryat at Reggies







I saw and heard the organic, beat heavy, electronic sounds of Ryat last fall I believe when they played Reggies. They were promoting the CD "Street Noise orKestra". That title right there tells you what they sound like live. And it was just two of them, and they both had drums on the side. They had their way of making each show a finger-print different from the last. In part its how they use the live drums to site just one thing. That first Chicago visit had them on the cheaper side of Reggies, long tables for people to eat as they kinda pay attention to you. So the crowd was luke-warm to indifferent as I recall. Well, the long tables and booths kind of discourage dancing. They encourage passive observation. So that makes the crowd hard to read. There was one other person as into them as I was. I've been into them since. I am a fan. After that visit to Chicago they toured Europe I think. Well, I know Italy and Spain and...perhaps London. I wonder at how well they were received. I feel real lucky to have gone on a whim to see Ryat instead of what I originally planned. Ryat I discovered by accident. This second time 13 September after touring Europe and The States I saw them purposefully. There is something very original in terms of how they use beats, keyboard, and guitar; where and how they produce them. When I say organic, that means that all the elements seem to land where they may, not where expected. I don't mean that the music sounds like disorganized noise-jazz or something. Everything that we are familiar with are renewed here in how they are used. Like in a dream. Dreams twist and reinvent what is familiar to one's experience. Ryat does that with the guitar, keyboard and drums, .......the drums. They use their instruments in unconventional ways without really wanting to alienating an audience, and also without pandering to expectations. Remember how original and resonant Portishead sounded. How they sounded just came naturally, and internally, and yet it resonated worldwide. Most music that aims to make you dance I believe panders to expectations, and so can strike the music snob (yes me, I admit) as corny. That is not the case with Ryat in both CDs they now have out. I do speak more about the new CD "Avant Gold" as it sinks into my mental landscape and becomes permanent.
Ryat was fun to watch because they do all the percussion live, and that invites the unexpected. Ms Ryat herself beat her drum so savagely it broke apart. That was fun to watch. Oh, yeah Ms Ryat is also quite the attractive lass. The CD "Avant Gold" is awesome and hints at what they are capable live. From the first song "In Your Face" you want the space to dance. I knew from that song that I would stay broke, 'cause I had to buy the CD and shirt. And as you are feeling the effects of that first song, the rest come at you like a Wing Chun chain punch. They can make beats out of anything in front of them. The first time there were just two of them and both multi-tasked their instruments with live drums. Now they have a live drummer and he has to add more drums to his drums. Everyone beats on something and it makes for an awesome live organic show. They were here promoting the beat-driven electronic trip-hop leaning "Avant Gold" CD this time to a hard to read crowd that mostly stayed back at the booths. I was glad Reggies had them again but it was awkward to see such a dance-inducing band in a place that has tables to sit, and booths to hide in, and tacos that make you sit. If this was the Empty Bottle people would be dancing, or at least would have the space to. This post has been sitting and fermenting for ever it seems in search of more words to put into it. Sometimes it's just best to kill the beast of the process and post the bastard already

Zig

http://gothtraveler.blogspot.com/ - Goth Traveler

THE MARTLET


Philly duo to electrify audience
RYAT to entrance Rifflandia patrons with unique blend of instruments, beats
Sept. 23, 2010
Jason Motz
One of the biggest coups for Rifflandia this year is the Victoria debut of RYAT.
The electronica outfit from Philadelphia, which features Christina Ryat on vocals and keys and Conley Conley on guitar, is a sure bet to be one of the festival’s many highlights.
Touring in support of their recently-released album, Avant Gold, RYAT haves been weaving their way through Europe and the U.S. almost non-stop since the begining of the year.
Over a crackling line from Lincoln, Nebraska, Ryat and Conley expressed their excitement about their upcoming Rifflandia gig. Word of B.C.’s natural splendor — and swift ferry service — has reached into the States and piqued the band’s interest.
“The part of the tour I’m really looking forward to,” Conley said, “is seeing Vancouver and coming over to the Island on the ferry.”
RYAT formed slowly and organically over an eight-year period. The pair met at a weekly jam session held at a Philly club hosted by a mutual friend. Soon after, the duo started to work together and before long, RYAT was born.
“In nature we are very experimental … this time around we wanted to make a more structured, pop record,” Ryat said of the bands working methods.
Blending guitars, loops, beat patterns and processed vocals, RYAT creates one of the more unique sounds around today — think Radiohead-via-Portishead, add a dash of Brian Eno and you have a clear idea of what to expect when RYAT hits the stage at Club 9ONE9 this Friday, with their laptops in tow.
Both Ryat and Conley are quick to point out, however, that any and all Eno influences are purely “unconscious.”
As far as influences go, Ryat cites hip hop and her parents’ Pink Floyd collection as being more influential than Eno.
“I loved electronica at a young age, hip hop and Portishead,” she said. In particular, she liked the way hip hop incorporated sampling into the musical structure. Sampling is an integral fixture to RYAT’s methods of writing and recording.
“We were kind of in our heads with this one,” Ryat said.
“Both of us are kinda like jazz rejects,” Conley said. Both were schooled in jazz but found that the genre did not connect with them personally.
“Jazz is amazing, but we wanted to create our own music, our own modern thing and to do that you almost have to set stuff aside and use it when you can,” Conley said. “You have to experiment with all of the modern tools you have now.”
That experimentation has paid off in a stellar sophomore album. Avant Gold is beautifully textured and haunting.
In a year of great electronic-based albums from the likes of Holy Fuck, the Chemical Brothers and LCD Soundsystem, RYAT has added their own unique beats to the party.
Fans of Goldfrapp, Bjork and Radiohead would be remiss to not catch RYAT this week.
RYAT performs Friday, Sept. 24 at Club 9ONE9 at 7:30 p.m.

http://www.martlet.ca/martlet/article/philly-duo-electrify-audience/ - THE MARTLET

MOG.COM
RYAT
?

RYAT is a Philadelphia-based experimental, electronic duo comprised of a chick going by the moniker Ryat + guitarist/composer Tim Conley. They sent over their album Avant Gold (out Sept. 10th on their self-run label, Obvious Bandits) and it was a whole bunch of fractured awesomeness with Ryat's Bjork-y vocals overscoring everything. Check out the crazy cut "Not For This Life Time" below.

RYAT - Not For This Life Time

http://www.myspace.com/RYAT

http://mog.com/blog_post/content/1335/2303268 - MOG.COM

KING BRITT
Ryat is one of my favorite artists right now.  She has been building a very dedicated fanbase worldwide, with her technology driven shows.  Together with Tim Conley, they are a force to be heard.  Their new album, Avant Gold is here!
http://kingbritt.com/2010/09/22/561/ - KING BRITT

Friday, October 1

The Last Solid Gold Dancer Philadelphia-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and all- around musical performance artist Christina Ryat has been compared to a cross between Bjork and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke for her avant-garde style of electronic experimentation, genre- bending beats and ethereal vocals. Currently on a national tour with collaborator Tim Conley to promote her new album Avant Gold, Ryat will perform in Flag at Mia’s Lounge, 26 S.
San Francisco, at 10 p.m. Local hip-hop reggae group Summit Dub Squad will open the show. To know more, call 774-3315 or check out www.ryat.info.

http://www.flaglive.com/flagstafflive_story.cfm?storyID=217235 - Flagstafflive.com

Blog: Richmond Playlist
The Electric Sounds of RYAT
Oct 16, 7:00am Richmond Playlist
Electronic, indie duo RYAT just release their debut album "Avant Gold" and are hitting Strange Matter tonight for us to enjoy. The tour will aslo feature special guest drummer Chris Wood (of Grimace Federation and Orbit to Leslie), who is also featured on the record. Also playing are Roy G Biv , Totem and Tenenbaum Boys and Girls Club . The group's mash-ups and big-beat styles make "Avant Gold" a raw, organic, electric, indie-pop album that blasts your senses into overdrive.

http://rvaplaylist.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/the-electric-sounds-of-ryat/ - Richmond Playlist

Philadelphia duo RYAT play moody electronic pop the right way.  They’ve just released their debut album Avant Gold this month and, truthfully, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.  The genre they’re part of is a popular one these days, and a lot of sub-par music comes out of it.  Not the case with Avant Gold.  Take a listen to a few:
mp3: RYAT – In My Face

mp3: RYAT – The Gaze

Stream and buy the album on Ryat’s Bandcamp.
http://pastaprima.net/artist-reviews/quick-hits-ryat/ - Pastaprimavera.net

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2010
RYAT



RYAT is a Philadelphia-based experimental, electronic duo comprised of a chick going by the moniker Ryat + guitarist/composer Tim Conley. They sent over their album Avant Gold (out Sept. 10th on their self-run label, Obvious Bandits) and it was a whole bunch of fractured awesomeness with Ryat's Bjork-y vocals overscoring everything. Check out the crazy cut "Not For This Life Time" below.

RYAT - Not For This Life Time


http://grubtunes.blogspot.com/2010/09/ryat.html - Grubtunes

Album Review: Avant Gold - Ryat

Local siren Ryat (a.k.a. Christina McGeehan) stretches the limits of electro-pop with her recent full-length Avant Gold. Collaboratively paired with composer/boyfriend Tim Conley, Ryat’s “inter-dimensional” soundscapes create a universe of their own, luring listeners in with smoldering backbeats and dizzying synth. Expressive and pronounced, Ryat’s work is delicate, fierce, and daring, departing from the norms within her genre for destinations elsewhere. Heard in the decibels of last fall’s Street Noise Orkestra, Ryat’s songs are textured and rhythmic, built by an aesthetic mix of influence, outward and inner. “Polaroid” and “Interest Rate Lover” are emphatic with clipped beats and lines, sounding polished yet sincere. Similarly, Avant Gold shines.
 
The buzzing chords of “In My Face” frame Ryat’s bold but pretty vocals alongside a handclap-like tempo and resonating beeps. Delivered like a ballad, Avant Gold’s opener is infectious, bringing to mind the universal experience of letdowns and arguments. “The Gaze” feels global like M.I.A’s “Jimmy”, slow, fast, and engaging with Ryat’s voice rising above a flawless trail of synthesized beats, later fading from brief repetition into a well-crafted end. The calculated clicks of “Superficial Friction” add emphasis to sporadic notes on piano and dancey distortion, making the song’s rhythmic backbone bend away from the vocals in a disjointed yet constructive distance that nears charming dissonance. During “Bells” Ryat’s inner Bjork surfaces ringing out over a shuttering pulse of sound, suggestive of shuffling snare. Warm and ambient, “Bells” oozes allure, drawing in all ears to the duo’s uniquely formed composition. Dramatic, but appropriately so, “We walk slow, but as fast as they rush” begins with far off chords that focus into a concerto-like pairing of piano and strings. “Time Worn”, with its start/stop progressive intro, seems to mimic time itself through clock-like ticks and echoed loops. Closing with “Equipoise”, the album’s end settles into its listeners’ memory as Ryat softly sings “I think it's time to let you go.” A befitting outro, Ryat’s breathy farewell leaves fans transfixed and optimistic for whatever comes next, whatever comes after gold. You can stream and purchase the album here. - Dianca Potts - the Deli Magazine

Just think of a marching band with electronics and samplers involved. Add beautiful echoed vocals and that's just what "In Your Face" sounds like. Ryat are from Philadelphia, and create amazingly catchy, electronic, big-beat jams that will have you bobbing your head and shaking your booty at the same time, looking like a complete idiot. The vocals are also stunning, beautiful, lovely, need I go on? Just have a listen for yourself and stream "In Your Face". You can also purchase their latest album, Avant Gold, for $10 on their bandcamp page, or itunes for $8.92 if you prefer that. - Aurora Vibes

19 SEPTEMBER 2010
by Jason Motz

RYAT offers up some electronic experimentalism, Philly-style. Melding Bjork, Radiohead and Eno into a digital brew, RYAT has produced one of 2010’s more unique albums.
Avant Gold is the second full-length from RYAT, the follow-up to Street Noise Orchestra. Avant Gold is an attempt by the band to explore the structure of pop music. The album teems with melody, layer upon layer of sound, and has its moments of gentleness and distortion. Even in the same song. RYAT’s greatest strength is their ability to improvise and to collaborate with sound without a resulting mess of half-baked songs. Avant Gold is a seamless beauty ripe with bold noises.
RYAT is made up of Christina Ryat, vocals and keys, Tim Conley, guitar, and a revolving door of drummers who are enlisted for touring purposes. These jazz trained musicians use loops, beats, and vocal manipulation to create a hypnotic whirl of music. Christina, a professionally trained singer, has a range of dynamics that constitute RYAT’s most recognizable feature. At times echoing Bjork or Beth Gibbons, Christina uses her vocalisms as a pastiche. At times haunting (“The Fish that Lived Out of Water”) her voice can also be the engine to drive Avant Gold’s more pop-oriented tracks, (“Bells,” and “The Gaze”).
Christina’s vocals float along the surface of these ten experimental tracks like an ominous wind. There is a light quality in her vocals but always with a hint of power and danger. Her phrasing on “We Walk Slow But Not As Fast They Rush” is clipped and glacial, a clear tip of the hat to Bjork.
RYAT does not imitate their influences, but rather plays them off against the other. “Time Worn” is the most aggressively experimental album tracks, with its Laurie Anderson-like vocal play and its Amnesiac backbeat. - Kitemag.net

Girls Are Rad: Ryat
Ryat gives 'Street Noise Orkestra.'
By: Leah Urbom




Formerly a member of the collaboration As Human, Philly-based multi-instrumentalist Ryat is now out on her own with her soon-to-be-released, self-written and self-produced album, Street Noise Orkestra. Though she’s been compared to Björk, her vocal bouts will never at any point make you want to stick an ice pick in your ear, and the reference can be taken in the most complimentary of ways. Also compared to Thom Yorke, Ryat recently covered “15 Step” with a full band backing.

Straddling the line between vocal and instrumental, Ryat is clearly a fan of the instrumental arts, and the visual arts as well, as she frequently collaborates with multimedia artists, choreographers, and filmmakers. Last year, she scored a live improvisational piece to accompany a film for the Philadelphia Film Societies Annual Producer and Directors Event and has also hosted electronic music seminars in Philadelphia and L.A.

For Street Noise Orkestra, Ryat was endorsed by Reason software to play with all of their newest toys and gadgets on her quest to make the record. On the album, she collaborates with composer Tim Conley, and live she may be accompanied by drummer Mark Guiliana, bassist Jason Fraticelli (Matisyahu), or Chris Wood. Street Noise Orkestra will be released in January on Obvious Bandits and is filled with Ryat’s warm, pulsating electronic sounds and layers and loops of her textured voice, which creates a mechanical rhythm for the songs (see: “Too Many Identities”). Ryat will also be featured on upcoming albums from King Britt and the Disco Biscuits.
- heavemedia.com

“From the second you hear Ryat’s voice, you’re instantly pulled into her world of Bjork-influenced melody and experimental effects. The dreamy pop that As Human (Ryat’s band) creates falls somewhere between "OK Computer" and Brian Eno’s ambient series, meeting at the intersection of structure and sonics. Jazzy without being jazz, electronic without being electro and a bit rockin’ without being rock, Ryat is the rare artist who really defies genre definitions. “ - phrequency.com

"Ryat unravels her light-as-air, personal narratives rather effortlessly over the instrumental sonic wash" -AllAboutJazz.com - allaboutjazz.com

"Philly's mistress of experimental soul and ambient jazz...with this city's best voice and most expressive lyrics" -AD AMOROSI, Philadelphia City Paper - Philadelphia City Paper

"Artist to Watch!" -Straight No Chaser(UK) - Straight No Chaser (UK)

"Ryat...took the stage and adjusted her headband as she began to toy with dials and knobs on fun little gadgets that affected and sustained‚ even looped‚ her vocal output. In an instant‚ the echoes of what I thought was a sound check melted into a colorful cacophony of jazz-infused rock -- or rock-infused jazz -- when wildly moving bass lines and thoughtful scribbles from Conley's lead joined the crescendo of Ryat's sweetly haunting vocal layers. Perfect syncopation complements the use of pedals and effects to tune feedback into tone‚ allowing As Human to splash around in the barely charted waters of a techno age for improvisational indie rock." -State of Mind Magazine - State of Mind Magazine

"When vocalist Ryat takes the stage, you don't know what form she's wearing to the show. It could be the dreamy female singer on her song "Formula" or the dark spacey voice on the track "Level." The use of vocal manipulating devices allows her to push the boundaries of live voice performance. While sustaining a high pitch, she uses effects to give her voice an eerie wavy sound. She's not all smoke and mirrors though. Her unrefined voice is powerful, and at times touches the dark pop realm achieved by musicians like Tori Amos and Bjork. " -Phrequency.com - Phrequency.com