Tyrone Lindqvist - RÜFÜS (08/04/2014)
It’s been a big year for Sydney indie-dance group, RÜFÜS. From appearances on major Australian festivals to their gold debut album, ATLAS; the group has made it.
Lead vocalist Tyrone Lindqvist realised just how big they had become during the recent Falls Festival tour.
“After each show you would come off stage and the guys would be like, ‘Let’s celebrate, let’s grab a beer’. I’d be like, ‘Nah I’m good man, I don’t need a beer cause it’s just gonna soften the high that I’ve got.’ I don’t think there’s any drug I could ever take that will be that high that you get coming off stage after having a couple of thousand people singing songs with you.”
The trio’s mix of dreamy electronic melodies and vocals creates a sense of mystery, much like the name of their production.
“We really loved the name RÜFÜS because you couldn’t really pin it to anything, It’s not really German, it’s not really Scandinavian, it isn’t really European or American or Australian. No country can really own it and you couldn’t really say it was from a certain place. It’s sort of foreign and we really love that.”
And what does RÜFÜS mean?
“RÜFÜS doesn’t mean anything,” Lindqvist said.
It’s this mysterious side of RÜFÜS that came to the fore when their new name was announced recently. Forced to come up with an alternative moniker for their North American tour due to copyright, they chose the exotic RÜFÜS DU SOL. Lindqvist said DU SOL means a lot of different things in a lot of different languages.
“You can’t pin it as German or Norwegian or Spanish or anything. It’s kind of its own thing and it’s got a good ring to it.”
Having conquered the Australian music landscape, the group is now shifting its focus on the global scene, with upcoming tours scheduled for North America, UK and Europe.
“As fun as it is playing shows over here where people know your stuff, it’s also equally as exciting to go play in front of small crowds that don’t know any of your stuff. It’s a different experience, you go and play in front of an audience on stage and they aren’t necessarily on your side. It’s really fun to go out and make friends with them. By the time you get to the end of the show, hopefully they are more on your side and just watching the show and having a good time.”
Lindqvist said there is a great satisfaction in playing these shows.
“Watching a crowd shift like that is sick, you get a mad kick out of it and it’s a bit more intimate. So I can’t wait to do these next two months in front of smaller audiences, and see if we can win a few people over.”
Returning for an Australian tour in May, RÜFÜS will perform on some of the biggest stages they have ever played. Lindqvist said they have dreamt of playing these bigger shows for the last three years.
“Shows where we can do the light show we really want, the visual show and make it a bit more of a full blown experience as opposed to just getting up and playing the tracks. The Enmore is my favourite venue in Australia. It’s been my dream to play there and we get to play there so we’re pinching ourselves.”
The past year has been full of highlights for RÜFÜS, but Lindqvist said his personal highlight was their set at Byron Bay Falls Festival.
“As soon as we walked out, I was just there. When you go out and perform sometimes when you start out it takes five or six songs before you are there with the audience and you’re actually enjoying yourself. The energy you got off an audience like that, around 8,000 people, you just deliver right back and you’re kind of sharing with each other. They’ve got you in the palm of their hands just as much as you’ve got them in the palm of your hands. That show was very much that for me and for the guys. It was the perfect show, mistakes and all; it was exactly what we wanted. I think often of the highest I’ve ever been, and coming off stage there was nothing you could give me. I was satisfied.”
Although RÜFÜS’ debut album went gold, Lindqvist said the group was already proud of their record regardless of the success.
“When we started writing the album we wanted to make something that we personally wanted to hear, so we spent a long time trying to make it something that we are proud of for ourselves. I think this going gold is a really good representation and showcase of how many ears are actually listening to your music, which is sick. We’re all over the moon about it and it’s a really nice thing to see that people are connecting.”
Well known Australian electronic artist, Flume, has recently spoken about the ‘Australian Sound’ movement in the electronic dance music scene, and Lindqvist supported Flume’s sentiments.
“There’s always talk when we get interviews from overseas. That’s often a question, ‘What’s going on down in Australia? There’s this definite vibe down there where there’s music that is of its own and it’s really exciting to see what Australia is coming up with.’ And I agree, I’m really loving all the artists that are popping up. There’s a bunch of bedroom producers in Australia that are killing it.”
Hayden James is one of these upcoming artists and will feature on the RÜFÜS Australian tour.
“We got to see his live show a few months ago and it blew my mind. He had these really cool visuals and it was just a really nice show. The sound that he’s got is sort of like an offspring of Flume’s stuff. Downbeat melodic jams that could be played in a club or could be played at home or next to the beach.”
The radio station, Triple J, has come under fire recently from some artists who feel they are not being given a fair go and are dictated to produce a particular ‘sound’ to be played on the station. Lindqvist said Triple J can’t be expected to play every artists material. “There’s a million kids making art and they’re making it because they love it so of course its gonna feel a little disheartening when someone doesn’t pick it up like Triple J.”
RÜFÜS worked hard to get airplay and gigs, and were supported by Triple J.
“You’ve gotta work on your live show, you’ve gotta work on your music and if it connects with people, if your live show connects, if everything else connects on the net, then eventually Triple J’s gonna listen.”
Following their international and Australian tours, RÜFÜS will head to Berlin in July to record their sophomore album.
“It was out of New York and Berlin. We went to Berlin last year and fell in love with the city. We all knew that was where we were going to write the next album. Hopefully we’ll set up show in an apartment or a studio and write for five or six months and hopefully we come back with a new album.”
Mitchell Guy
Lead vocalist Tyrone Lindqvist realised just how big they had become during the recent Falls Festival tour.
“After each show you would come off stage and the guys would be like, ‘Let’s celebrate, let’s grab a beer’. I’d be like, ‘Nah I’m good man, I don’t need a beer cause it’s just gonna soften the high that I’ve got.’ I don’t think there’s any drug I could ever take that will be that high that you get coming off stage after having a couple of thousand people singing songs with you.”
The trio’s mix of dreamy electronic melodies and vocals creates a sense of mystery, much like the name of their production.
“We really loved the name RÜFÜS because you couldn’t really pin it to anything, It’s not really German, it’s not really Scandinavian, it isn’t really European or American or Australian. No country can really own it and you couldn’t really say it was from a certain place. It’s sort of foreign and we really love that.”
And what does RÜFÜS mean?
“RÜFÜS doesn’t mean anything,” Lindqvist said.
It’s this mysterious side of RÜFÜS that came to the fore when their new name was announced recently. Forced to come up with an alternative moniker for their North American tour due to copyright, they chose the exotic RÜFÜS DU SOL. Lindqvist said DU SOL means a lot of different things in a lot of different languages.
“You can’t pin it as German or Norwegian or Spanish or anything. It’s kind of its own thing and it’s got a good ring to it.”
Having conquered the Australian music landscape, the group is now shifting its focus on the global scene, with upcoming tours scheduled for North America, UK and Europe.
“As fun as it is playing shows over here where people know your stuff, it’s also equally as exciting to go play in front of small crowds that don’t know any of your stuff. It’s a different experience, you go and play in front of an audience on stage and they aren’t necessarily on your side. It’s really fun to go out and make friends with them. By the time you get to the end of the show, hopefully they are more on your side and just watching the show and having a good time.”
Lindqvist said there is a great satisfaction in playing these shows.
“Watching a crowd shift like that is sick, you get a mad kick out of it and it’s a bit more intimate. So I can’t wait to do these next two months in front of smaller audiences, and see if we can win a few people over.”
Returning for an Australian tour in May, RÜFÜS will perform on some of the biggest stages they have ever played. Lindqvist said they have dreamt of playing these bigger shows for the last three years.
“Shows where we can do the light show we really want, the visual show and make it a bit more of a full blown experience as opposed to just getting up and playing the tracks. The Enmore is my favourite venue in Australia. It’s been my dream to play there and we get to play there so we’re pinching ourselves.”
The past year has been full of highlights for RÜFÜS, but Lindqvist said his personal highlight was their set at Byron Bay Falls Festival.
“As soon as we walked out, I was just there. When you go out and perform sometimes when you start out it takes five or six songs before you are there with the audience and you’re actually enjoying yourself. The energy you got off an audience like that, around 8,000 people, you just deliver right back and you’re kind of sharing with each other. They’ve got you in the palm of their hands just as much as you’ve got them in the palm of your hands. That show was very much that for me and for the guys. It was the perfect show, mistakes and all; it was exactly what we wanted. I think often of the highest I’ve ever been, and coming off stage there was nothing you could give me. I was satisfied.”
Although RÜFÜS’ debut album went gold, Lindqvist said the group was already proud of their record regardless of the success.
“When we started writing the album we wanted to make something that we personally wanted to hear, so we spent a long time trying to make it something that we are proud of for ourselves. I think this going gold is a really good representation and showcase of how many ears are actually listening to your music, which is sick. We’re all over the moon about it and it’s a really nice thing to see that people are connecting.”
Well known Australian electronic artist, Flume, has recently spoken about the ‘Australian Sound’ movement in the electronic dance music scene, and Lindqvist supported Flume’s sentiments.
“There’s always talk when we get interviews from overseas. That’s often a question, ‘What’s going on down in Australia? There’s this definite vibe down there where there’s music that is of its own and it’s really exciting to see what Australia is coming up with.’ And I agree, I’m really loving all the artists that are popping up. There’s a bunch of bedroom producers in Australia that are killing it.”
Hayden James is one of these upcoming artists and will feature on the RÜFÜS Australian tour.
“We got to see his live show a few months ago and it blew my mind. He had these really cool visuals and it was just a really nice show. The sound that he’s got is sort of like an offspring of Flume’s stuff. Downbeat melodic jams that could be played in a club or could be played at home or next to the beach.”
The radio station, Triple J, has come under fire recently from some artists who feel they are not being given a fair go and are dictated to produce a particular ‘sound’ to be played on the station. Lindqvist said Triple J can’t be expected to play every artists material. “There’s a million kids making art and they’re making it because they love it so of course its gonna feel a little disheartening when someone doesn’t pick it up like Triple J.”
RÜFÜS worked hard to get airplay and gigs, and were supported by Triple J.
“You’ve gotta work on your live show, you’ve gotta work on your music and if it connects with people, if your live show connects, if everything else connects on the net, then eventually Triple J’s gonna listen.”
Following their international and Australian tours, RÜFÜS will head to Berlin in July to record their sophomore album.
“It was out of New York and Berlin. We went to Berlin last year and fell in love with the city. We all knew that was where we were going to write the next album. Hopefully we’ll set up show in an apartment or a studio and write for five or six months and hopefully we come back with a new album.”
Mitchell Guy