Rafael Anton Irisarri Interview: “There’s always something trying to break through”

Rafael Anton Irisarri is an artist who deals exclusively in the immersive experience. From the school of influential ambient composers that includes Christian Fennesz, Tim Hecker, Benoît Pioulard and Adam Wiltzie, Irisarri has spent over 15 years scouring the darkest frontiers of experimentalism.

Irisarri works encapsulate the archetypal ‘phase’. Digging through the record collection and reacquainting with Glider, the 2008 release under Irisarri’s The Sight Below vessel, not only do moments like this reiterate the importance of record collections, but also recapture memories and magic of the past. It’s what can be defined as ‘good nostalgia’, and the album – one of the best of its kind from the ambient sound world – is like a pathway to beautiful possibilities.

Although crafted from a different corner of that same sound world, Irisarri’s work under his own name arouses a similar response. His recent performance at the 2024 edition of Le Guess Who? alongside Abul Mogard in the Jacobikerk, an endorphin rush where heady drones and blistering sonics formed as something likened to the sound of hope.

The performance was truly captivating, and just a day after the release of FAÇADISMS, the first record under Irisarri’s own name in four years, it comes at an interesting time. Whilst coincidental, at times the compositions that comprise of FAÇADISMS run along the same faultiness that continue to cause aftershocks following the recent US elections.

Take opening piece, Broken Intensification, and later in Dispersion of Belief – brooding thunderclouds of drone tailored for heavy moments. The multilayered textures that are woven through A Little Grace is Abundance also weigh heavy, as sombre tones create thick blankets of fog that feed into the ambiguity of these times.

Then there’s Control Your Soul’s Desire for Freedom. Featuring celloist Julia Kent and vocalist Hannah Elizabeth Cox, this is ceremonial drone conceived from the bottom of a canyon. A pure wall of sound that swells in beautifully magnetic ways.

It leads into the FAÇADISMS centrepiece moments, The Only Things that Belong to Us are Memories and Forever Ago is Now – stirring movements that feel inspired by open space and the environment, as Irisarri’s luscious textures teleport you to another place. It aligns with closing piece, Red Moon Tide. Featuring experimentalist, KRMU, Irisarri ends FAÇADISMS with a dispatch from the heavens in a moment that draws a line directly to the Le Guess Who? performance. The two experiences coexisting as the mind flashes back and forth.

It’s what Irisarri does best on FAÇADISMS. Not only does he capture time, but he freezes it in what is yet another immersive experience and Irisarri’s best work in years.

It caps off another great year for the Puerto Rican-born American composer. Alongside FAÇADISMS, Irisarri has also released the latest Orcas LP, How to Colour a Thousand Mistakes, his longstanding dream-pop-leaning collaboration alongside Pioulard.

During his current tour with Mogard and in support of FAÇADISMS, Irisarri answered some questions about his creative journey, including his inspirations, processes, technology, and more.

Sun 13: Do you remember the first piece of music or artist that really spoke to you?

Rafael Anton Irisarri: “Sure thing! When I was 10, I caught Guns N’ Roses: Live at the Ritz on the telly, and it absolutely blew my little mind. The energy, the attitude, the cussing, the smoking, the raw power – it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. From that moment on, all I wanted to do was play guitar, crank the volume to eleven, and curse like a sailor. That performance didn’t just leave an impression – it kicked off my full-blown obsession with music. It felt like I’d discovered this whole other world, and I never looked back.”

S13: Your performance at Le Guess Who? alongside Abul Mogard was something else. Does your approach change from when you perform in a solo capacity compared to collaboration?

RAI: “It does, and it doesn’t. I use the same exact setup for live shows, whether I’m performing solo or with Abul Mogard – same patches, pedals, guitar, loopers, everything. The gear stays the same.

What changes is the context and how I play it. For instance, when I perform with Abul Mogard, my focus is entirely on the guitar, improvising parts that sync up with whatever he’s doing on his synths and modular setup. Even though every set is structured, no two shows are exactly the same.

The flow and structure might be similar, but if you were to watch all the shows from this tour and compare them side by side, you’d notice the differences: one night I might play a melody with the guitar bow, and the next time I’ll use a slide; the order of notes might change, or I might play a sequence in reverse. The best way I can explain it is like a ‘Rashomon effect’ – like in the Akira Kurosawa film Rashomon. Each performance gives a different perspective on the same material.”

S13: Your compositions have always zoned in on the dark underbelly of the world, which feels quite prescient considering the events of the last couple of weeks. Is this something that you think about when composing, and was this an inspiration behind FAÇADISMS?

RAI: “When I’m making music, I don’t really sit down and think about the news, but all the feelings that come with it disillusionment, chaos, that kind of thing, definitely make their way into what I create.

At the end of the day, all art is political, whether you mean it to be or not, because we’re all shaped by what’s going on around us. FAÇADISMS is a great example of that. It actually started with this moment when I saw a sign in Italy that changed ‘The American Dream’ to ‘The American Myth’. And it just hit me, like, ‘Wow, that’s exactly it.’

“The idea that these big, solid-sounding concepts are actually myths – something that looks real but is just a thin layer on the surface. It made me think about things like brutalist architecture or Potemkin villages – these facades that seem real but are empty inside. When I started working on FAÇADISMS, that feeling of everything crumbling under the surface really became a big part of it.

“The music can be loud and chaotic, like a storm that doesn’t stop, which feels like a good metaphor for how I see a lot of systems today – loud, destructive, and hollow at the core. But there are also moments in the album where the noise calms down, where something real shines through, like catching a glimpse of truth in the middle of all the confusion.

“So yeah, even though I wasn’t thinking about the news when I made the album, it definitely feels super relevant to what’s going on right now. Some might even call it clairvoyant. It’s like everything’s falling apart, but we still get a few moments of clarity. It’s like life right now – everything feels intense and overwhelming, but if you listen closely, there’s always something trying to break through.”

S13: What was the most important aspect you wanted to achieve with FAÇADISMS?

RAI “With FAÇADISMS, what I really wanted to get across was this feeling of things looking one way on the surface but being something totally different underneath.

“Life’s kind of like that, right? It’s full of all this noise, chaos, and confusion, and yet there are these moments where you catch a glimpse of something real, something that cuts through all the mess. It’s that balance I wanted to capture – those overwhelming times when everything feels like it’s falling apart, but also those quiet flashes where you realise, ‘Wait, there’s still meaning in all this’.

“It’s the push and pull, the breakdowns and breakthroughs. But even more than that, it’s about questioning everything. What does living in a ‘free’ Western society really mean today? Are we actually free, or is that just some illusion the powers-that-be created to keep us feeling like we have control? Is our so-called ‘freedom’ built on the backs of those who are less fortunate?

“And maybe the hardest question of all – are we so stuck in a system that’s so corrupt, that we can’t even imagine how to fix it? And then, there’s the whole facade we all put up on social media. Everyone’s curating their perfect life, showing only the highlights, the filtered version of reality. We’re all guilty of it to some extent, right? It’s like we’re all trying to convince ourselves and others that everything is perfect, when beneath the surface, it’s far more complicated. FAÇADISMS digs into that too – how we’re all trapped in this cycle of fake perfection, hiding the messy, real parts of ourselves to fit in. It’s messy, it’s complicated, but it’s real.”

S13: Sonically, FAÇADISMS feels like all the compositional elements of your previous works combined. I’m not sure whether that’s something you’ve thought about?

RAI: “Yeah, that’s definitely something I’ve thought about. FAÇADISMS feels like a natural culmination of everything I’ve worked on before – it’s like I’ve been building up to this sound without even realising it. Each album I’ve made has been a piece of the puzzle, and with FAÇADISMS, it all kind of clicked together. There’s a lot of the chaos and texture you hear in my past work, but it’s also a lot more layered and focused. It’s like I took elements I’ve experimented with before – like the noise, the dissonance, the sudden calm – and pushed them further. The difference now is that I feel like all those elements come together into something that feels whole and cohesive, but still with that rawness and unpredictability. It’s like all the things I’ve learned in the past just kind of came together to create this new sound, which is cool because it feels like it’s both a continuation and a new direction at the same time.”

S13: The environment and architecture are other aspects that feel tied to your work. Whether it be where you live or by traveling the world on tour, how much of an influence are your immediate surroundings?

RAI: “My surroundings really play a big role in what I create. Whether it’s the place I live or the new spots I encounter while traveling, each environment brings something unique that shapes how I approach my work. Touring exposes me to all kinds of architecture and landscapes, each with its own vibe. From the clean lines of a modern city to the history-packed charm of places in Europe, these places spark new ideas and ways of seeing things. I also make a lot of field recordings from the locations I visit, and I use them during my shows. It’s interesting for me – and for the audience – to hear familiar sounds, but in a different context. It’s like taking something they know and re-framing it in a way that makes them experience it all over again. These recordings add a whole new layer to my work, giving people a more personal connection to the environment. Whether the sounds are energising, calming, or something in between, I hope they have a similar impact on the audience. The places I’m in – whether it’s for a short while or a long time – shape how I think, how I view the world, and in the end, they influence everything I create.”

S13: Once again, this release features many artists, including Julia Kent, Hannah Elizabeth Cox, Yamila, and KMRU. Did you know each of these artists beforehand?

RAI: “I’ve actually worked with all of them before. I’ve done mastering for a lot of their projects and albums. Each one of them is incredible in their own way, and I feel so lucky to have had the chance to make music together. It was such an amazing experience, and I learned so much from each of them along the way.”

S13: Can you shed some light on your creative process? With the amount of work you produce, I assume you’re working on something every day…

RAI: “I don’t really have a strict process – I tend to just go with the flow. A lot of the time, I’ll spend hours improvising on the guitar or a synth, recording everything as I go. Later, I’ll switch gears into composing mode, digging through those improvisations to find motifs I like.

“Once I hit on something that stands out, that becomes the starting point for a composition. Other times, I’ll start by building a sound palette and let that guide the music.

“I wish I could make music every day, but I have a regular job as a mastering engineer, so it’s not always possible. In a way, though, that’s not a bad thing. Those breaks actually help my creative process – they give me space to come back later, hear things with fresh ears, and discover new perspectives I might’ve missed in the moment.”

S13: In terms of new equipment and advances in technology, is this something you’re interested in to potentially enhance and evolve your sound?

RAI: “Always! I’m all about trying out new tools, whether they’re digital or analogue. Honestly, I’m a total gear junkie – I’ve got a collection that ranges from old-school vintage gear to the latest modern tech.

“Every time I pick up something new, it lights a spark. There’s this excitement in figuring out how to use something I don’t totally understand yet, and those moments where I stumble into a ‘happy accident’ are some of the best. That’s where the magic happens.”

S13: In a world where cost of living is out of control and the margin for bands to make a living from music is almost non-existent, as a solo artist do you feel as if you’re more future-proofed?

RAI: “Not even close! I’ve got a day job like everyone else. I’m a mastering engineer during the day, and while it’s awesome to work on music I love, it’s also a lot of hard work that takes time away from my own projects. So it’s all about balancing – working every day doing what I love, then saving up to hit the road and share my own music with the people who support me.

“I’m not really trying to be a ‘content’ creator, so that kind of limits my options. Honestly, I don’t think it’s possible to make a living from your own music these days – the system just isn’t set up for it. I’m almost 50 now, and it feels like it’s all just going downhill. I truly don’t know if I will be able to keep doing this for the next six months, let alone the next 20 years. It’s a very uncertain existence, I must say.”

FAÇADISMS is out now via Black Knoll Editions. Purchase from Bandcamp.