Interview: Austin artist Raw Lew keeps it positive while exploring beats

For those stuck inside going stir crazy with the latest spike in the Omicron variant that is running rampant across the country, check out Raw Law for some positive-focus music to start off 2022. Austin-based Raw Lew, aka Lewis Loatman has been making music since 2015. The Cosmic Clash’s Christina DeSteffano sat down with Loatman to discuss his work, Austin and the process of creating music in an intimate interview.

Loatman’s tropicalia track “Better Days” calls on positive energy with the reassuring voice of Lola Rhodes to uplift the listener: “Don’t lose yourself, don’t lose your faith, I know there’s gonna be better days,” she sings over a looped guitar riff.

If you are a fan of lo-fi electronic tracks, check out his EP Space Voyager. “Space Flex” presents itself as concentration music with a calculated melody of high hats and a distant piano, while “Chunky” channels Flume straight from the get go. Fans can also catch up with Raw Lew on Instagram.

I caught up with Raw Lew at Crow Bar:

Lew: “Most of the stuff I do is electronic, but I feel that is really hard for me because I challenge myself to push boundaries as much as I can to learn how to do different genres or blend what I like. I started off rapping. Producing… I started to learn all these different sounds and that was fascinating. I still can’t put myself… I still can’t put myself, I can’t say what genre my music would fall in. The genres I have had the most success in as far as sync is electronic, EDM, and hip hop beats.

Christina: “So you switched over from rapping to producing, what led to that transition? How did you get started with producing music?”

Lew: “My best friend, Nick, he used to make all the beats. One day, I decided I wanted to make the beats. I wanted to write songs, but I didn’t have any beats to write to. It has taken me away from writing.”

C: “That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Lew: “Originally, I got started writing to my own instrumentals. That’s something I need to get back into. I wanted to make my own stuff. Nick’s stuff was good, but it didn’t resonate with me.

C: “Were there any artists that resonated with you or emulate their sound?”

Lew: “Starting off: Kid Cudi and the XX. The XX’s sound… and I’ve gotten nowhere close to replicating their sound, their music was influential [in] diversifying my palate. Their music was important to me.” 

C: “I remember being back in college and listening to a 4-hour loop of Intro.”

Lew: “I had a homegirl introduce me to The XX back in 2010, 2011 maybe. At that time, I was still rapping, but it introduced me to a lot of different sounds. Even my friend Nick introduced me to a lot of different sounds. He knew a lot of classic records. He sampled a lot of different tunes. One of my biggest hits when I was rapping, performed at my college, we sampled “Lovefool”, by The Cardigans.

I grew up on hip hop and R&B. At night, I would watch MTV and it introduced me to random music videos. The Script. That was one of my first shows. I don’t like boundaries, I like to see what else is out there. I made a cinematic piece with a piano, just a midi I got placed. Kid Cudi and The XX both have a hypnotizing sound. You can listen to their stuff on loops, which is definitely harder when I make electronic music which is dududududu. 

C: “Are you working on any projects?”

Lew: “Right now, I am trying to do lo-fi tracks. Like I said, I want to try different genres. Once I tried my hand at a cinematic track, I could do anything. Once I landed that, I wanted to try everything. Creating electronic [music] can be formulaic. Alright, this is what I want to do here, this is what I want to do here. Early on, this is something people struggle with creatively, the more you know, the less creative you are sometimes. The more I learned about mixing and music theory, the less time I spent on what felt right and what felt cool.”

C: “Do you think you’ve created those boundaries?”

Lew: “I do think I have created those boundaries, but it’s a good thing to know about how things mesh sonically. It can take away from the creative side. You can tell the feeling when you have a snare hitting a little bit harder.”

C: “What makes Austin home for you?”

Lew: “I always felt like this place was much more open and inviting than what I was used to when I lived in Maryland and New York. I didn’t know southern hospitality was a real thing. Austin seemed like a big open…hug. I randomly picked it from a YouTube video. It’s been great to me as far as finding myself. It taught me not to judge a book.”

C: “What music bars / venues do you like to go to or visit?”

Lew: “ACL Live [the Moody Theater]. I saw Miguel there. It was such an intimate experience. I prefer more intimate settings.”

Raw Lew – Sounds like: Cashmere Cat, Snakehips, Kaytranada

 Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/artist/43ToMmpx4nWA5Yu4kG8b8A