LyOsun will be present at several Swiss festivals this summer.
DR
LyOsun is ready to make you high, dream and above all dance. Real name Raphaël Litzistorf, the Geneva DJ has just released his first EP entitled “A Room With a View”. A clever mix of melodic electro, techno, progressive house and some African sounds.
Before this album, the 33-year-old artist was leading a completely different project. “There was no electronic music, I used a loop station with several instruments,” he tells us. Indeed, he masters the guitar, piano and saxophone in particular. During confinement, he questioned his musical approach and adopted the name LyOsun. Since then, its success has continued to grow. He will perform this Friday at 9:20 p.m. at the Parc des Bastions, during the Fête de la Musique in Geneva, to unveil this new universe rich in sensations.
What was the creative process like for “A Room With a View”?
I put this EP together over the last nine months. I needed to get out of my recording studio in Plan-les-Ouates to find inspiration. So I sat upstairs in the family home, with a magnificent view of the vineyards and the Geneva countryside. The project was mainly composed there. I decided to call it “A Room With a View” because I was often in front of a large French window with a splendid view.
How did this view inspire you?
This perspective allowed me to look back on all these years of work with the LyOsun project. It’s a bit of an introspective feeling. We look back on everything that has been accomplished since the release of the first single, especially after the post-Covid era.
We find African sounds in this project. Where do they come from?
I collaborated with a singer named Sofiya Nzau from Nairobi, Kenya. I contacted her on Instagram right before she became very famous. Indeed, three months later, she released a title which was a hit worldwide (editor’s note: the song “Mwaki” with Zerb which has more than 126 million plays on Spotify). She also collaborated on this EP by adding her voice. This brought an afro color to the project, which was basically melodic electro, encompassing melodic techno and progressive house.
You start your EP with the title “Strong” which is one of the most striking songs of this project. Why this choice?
Originally, “Strong” was intended to serve as a hypnotic introduction to the new concerts. It all started with this haunting layer of vocals, and Eric Anderson, my co-producer, suggested adding a memorable synth riff. I like this pop touch in electro songs, where the repetition helps to anchor the melody. What was supposed to be a simple intro quickly became a song in its own right. We decided to delay the entry of the song so that it only started after three minutes, thus avoiding the classic verse-chorus structure.
The video for the single “Mwendwa We” was filmed at dawn on the roof of a building in Geneva. Waking up wasn’t too hard?
It was complicated. (Laughs.) But I worked with a great team called Flying Focus, based in Meyrin. She makes music videos with drones and the experience was incredible. We had to show up at 5 a.m. in front of the building. The concierge opened the roof hatch for us and we set everything up overnight to shoot at sunrise. Raising the equipment to the 15th floor with a trapdoor and a ladder was a real adventure.
It was also a race against time, right?
Yes, because the sunrise does not last long. It was therefore necessary to capture the good shots quickly. The concierge, not wanting to get up at 4 a.m., gave us only 1 hour 30 minutes to put everything together, set up and shoot. Finally, we made the clip in one shot and the result is really impressive. It was a unique experience, marked by adrenaline and the beauty of the sunrise.
What would be your next goal?
I have already done Montreux Jazz and Caribana. A great goal for 2025 would therefore be to finally perform at Paléo. I also still have this dream of playing at Burning Man in the United States. That would be amazing! With this kind of project, I know it could work well. Plus, I know a few people there. It could come true.
Why did you decide to move towards melodic electro three years ago?
The shift took place, as for many artists, during the first phases of confinement. I questioned a lot of things. This electronic music has always attracted me and I have listened to a lot of it over the last ten years. I realized that what was missing in the DJ world was performance. My goal was to add organicity, instruments, to a DJ set, and make it more concert-like.
What’s next in the adventure?
There are going to be lots of shows. For example, there is the Artichoke Festival in Estavayer-le-Lac on June 28 and the Pollen Festival in Sion on July 6. I’m also going to broaden my horizons and get out of Switzerland a little. I’m going to play at a festival in Cyprus. That’s exciting! I will also explore German Switzerland.
