Ryan Whyman - Days Gone By

Written By Jordi Esquerra

It’s been five years since I discovered Ryan Whyman and, from that day, he has been one of the artists I have listened to more consistently. It’s not just because of how smoothly he balances classic and contemporary nor the elegance of his playing, the main reason is how well “Days Gone By” with its hip-hop twist, and some other tracks of his amazing “Fantasies & Memories” match my spirit when I need some pause.

Sometimes my head feels a little saturated and I need music to bring me peace, when I’m in that mood it’s when I get the most selective about what I listen to. I can’t simply hit play on any random relaxing music soulless algorithmic playlists, it has to be meaningful music but at the same time the amount of information my brain is willing to process is rather small.

That’s when Ryan Whyman becomes a perfect fit, as his talent is such that he manages to be meaningful and evocative by using just the necessary amount of notes.

Some time after I discovered this album, I started to dust off my piano skills. I had studied classical piano and music theory for 7 years when I was a child, up until I was 15 years old, when hormones and new music preferences led me to drop out from the conservatory and to switch from piano to guitar. Music became much more fun then, as soon enough it went from playing alone at home or at the conservatory’s recitals, to playing with friends and to form our first band. On the other hand, to my regret, I let most of my piano skills get rusty, the main victim being my reading skills which were pretty decent at the time.

Listening to Ryan’s music was one of the elements that brought me to take piano lessons again a few years ago, this time with a more contemporary and jazzy approach. My daughter was a few months old at the time and Ryan’s “Lullaby” was one of the tracks I often played by ear to her. There were other songs from the album I wanted to learn so I decided to reach out to Ryan, to show him some appreciation for his art and to ask if he had any music sheet from the album. He was really kind and quickly prepared a few sheets he sent me by email, and some weeks later I sent him a video of myself playing one of the tracks with my baby on my lap.

So check out “Days Gone By” and tell me, isn’t it the most elegant Lofi inspired track you have ever heard?

WHERE CAN YOU FIND IT:

PS: If you also want to check out my custom “Relax” playlist with more of Ryan’s tracks and some other artists just follow this link!

PPS: And if you want something more upbeat, just dig on my main playlist Nu-Funk Alt R&B Indie Soul Picks Playlist.


Jordi Esquerra
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