coat. YENESAI
trousers. KUSIKOHC
shoes. ROMBAUT
belt. Stylist’s Own
opposite
coat. YENESAI
trousers. KUSIKOHC
sunglasses. PARASITE EYEWEAR
belt. Stylist’s Own
LSDXOXO – the alias of singer-songwriter, performer, DJ and Producer RJ Glasgow – is on a nomadic worldwide trajectory. When we speak to him, he’s in New York, after a whirlwind month of touring, releasing an album, fashion week marathons and shoots. Based in Berlin since 2017, Glasgow is on the point of making his next move, to a new city, with coordinates currently unknown. The Philadelphia-born artist saw his beginnings take shape in the early 2010s when he started releasing remixes via Soundcloud, before joining the cult collective GHE20GOTH1K.
His debut album, released in September, flawlessly charters his journey with his signature hybrid of dance, electronic, club and techno sounds, with a touch of pop and optimistic nihilism mixed in for good measure. LSDXOXO made a global impact with his collaborations as a producer for Kelela, remixes for Lady Gaga, PinkPantheress and Shygirl, regular appearances at Club Shygirl, a performance during FKA Twigs’ EUSEXUA tour, and more recently the soundtrack to emerging fashion favourite Luis de Javier’s first runway show.
Reflecting on his debut tour as a singer-songwriter and with a full album boosting his discography, he talks to Schön! about the fantasy of DOGMA, about sex positivity in an era of connection, honing in on his artistry through collaborations, and about dual identities.
mesh top. ALGIERI
trousers. Bow Jeans YENESAI
necklace. KISKA LAB
Could you walk us through your latest album, Dogma?
I set out to make this album about 4 years ago. My intention behind it was to put myself through the tutelage that’s needed to become a songwriter, as well as a more fully rounded musician and composer. At the time, I’d been producing solely by myself. I was like a bedroom producer who started with remixing work, and I just wanted to broaden my horizons. The process was me learning a lot, and applying it to my music-making. So the album was that, but it was also me just wanting to have some fun with my sound.
Where did you work?
So I worked on it over a span of about 3 years, between Berlin, LA and New York. It was quite a global project. A lot of the people I wanted to work with were in different parts of the globe, and especially from a production standpoint, I wanted it to feel like a collaborative effort. Nothing started from scratch when I approached producers, I first started work on the tracks, and then handed it over, either in person or remotely. I worked with producers like owwwls, Oscar Scheller, … They were super helpful in the process because it was something I hadn’t done before, this way, bringing my sound into the realm of other producers or artists, with that closeness.
jacket, long hooded jacket + shorts. YENESAI
opposite
mesh top. RACER WORLDWIDE
shorts. YENESAI
necklace. KISKA LAB
belts. Stylist’s Own
The multitude of pathways really shines through. You’ve spoken about your dual identity as an artist before – from your remixes, DJing, to writing and producing your own material – do you separate these roles?
I try to have everything come under one umbrella. There’s a duality to it, but I don’t necessarily practise that intentionally. It kind of comes through my personality, where I have just so many different influences, from different areas: cinematic, comedic, sexual… I weave everything together. While the span of influences is quite broad, I try to have these influences tell the same story, which is mine. The cohesion is there. I like to showcase both sides of the spectrum.
This project is more personal – more than my first EP, which was very dance-heavy, quite Ghetto house-influenced, quite comedic in a way. It was the first step in getting my personality through to my fans. It had to feel like an entryway, as opposed to laying everything out on the table straight away. The album, on the other hand, was my exercise in doing just that.
You’ve mentioned lots of angles and themes – for example horror – what inspired you in that specifically?
If you look at some of the videos of the project, as well as the subject matter in general, it can get a bit gothic, and it can get a bit horror-inspired. I’m a big cinema buff, I love certain directors and genres, and love to apply them to my work, especially my visuals. I try to draw a lot of influences from pop culture, and horror is certainly one of those. It’s considered to be low-brow, but it’s not. BLOODLUST was inspired by the movie Saw – I really wanted to create something that was sexual but also musical, as they aren’t exactly things you’d think about when you watch that film. It felt quite foreign.
jacket, long hooded jacket + shorts. YENESAI
shoes. ROMBAUT
The sex-positive aspect of your work is important – what aspect of this did you want to explore with this album?
A lot of the subject matter of the album is my personal evolution with sex and romance. I feel like my approach is not to be so heavy-handed when it comes to treating themes like sex positivity, but that it happens quite organically because that’s how I evolve in the world. That’s just how I am, naturally. BLACKLIGHT and BRAND NEW speak about how I navigate sexuality. I don’t intentionally try to bring these topics up constantly. It just happens sometimes. I’m an open book, in general [laughs].
How do you want people to relate to your music?
Whenever I make music, I want to drum up some sort of conversation. It’s just music, but people do turn to music as a form of protection, as a point of expression, and escapism. When there’s a message there, and something as important as sexual expression and freedom, I want that message to come through. I feel like it’s important to have these conversations. I’ve always had it on the back of my mind when writing music – for people to feel comfortable to ponder their sexual identity.
The pop elements of your work – the hybrid genres that you work around – is key for letting in people. This aspect especially speaks to the LGBTQIA+ community, I feel.
Pop culture in general I feel is a way for people to enter into spheres. People discover more about themselves and the people around them through pop culture. While musicians make music from a selfish perspective – we make music for ourselves, in general, to get our voices out there – it can be experienced in a way that can open horizons. It becomes someone else’s once it is released. People apply their own stories when they listen to music. It can take on that life and be helpful for someone else.
mesh top. RACER WORLDWIDE
shorts. YENESAI
shoes. ROMBAUT
necklace. KISKA LAB
belts. Stylist’s Own
opposite
mesh top. ALGIERI
necklace. KISKA LAB
How important are live performances for you?
When I began, I was quite introverted. I’ve blossomed quite a bit, when it comes to navigating the more social side of things that I do. Live performances are one of those things. I began to try and work on exercising, really breaking out of my shell. I wanted to remove myself from the comfort of doing things by myself and for myself. The lives were a great way of connecting to my fans, and also seeing their reactions to my work in a more visceral way and removing the wall between me and them. That connection is not comparable to any other form of expression. I’m really thankful to have it.
You finished doing your tour recently…
I had never done a live tour before, apart from DJ sets – so this last month was my first experience of having a tour in the States – it’s been really nice to be able to connect to my Western crowd because I’ve been living in Europe for the last 6 years. I spent the bulk of my time as a live performer in Europe. It’s bringing my work back to where I began. It’s nice to be able to establish a new connection here.
How would you compare your existence as an artist in the States and in Europe?
When I began making music in the States, I was producing totally by myself, so it was a totally different thing. I’m working more in LA now, and I’m in the studio with other musicians, so the process has become more of a joint effort, a conversation with other people. Working in Berlin, I was able to grow what I do, especially from a technical standpoint. New York is another city that has a lot of talented artists, and possibly fewer resources – but I find a lot of benefits to working here as well.
mesh top. ALGIERI
trousers. Bow Jeans YENESAI
shoes. ROMBAUT
necklace. KISKA LAB
What drew you to Berlin?
I’m leaving Berlin so I wouldn’t say that I love it right now [laughs]. Going out in Berlin, the social side here is fun – it gave me the space to grow as an artist, the pace here is totally
different from New York. A lot of my reasoning about moving here was the space that I was given to grow, as a musician. I wanted to figure out what I wanted to do as an artist.
Where is next, then?
I’m still figuring it out right now [laughs]. I’ve been looking at quite a few cities. I’ve not landed on anything yet. I’m quite nomadic, so we’ll see where the wind takes me.
The visual element of your work is key – I was wondering what came first – the visual arts, fashion, the music – and how they interact.
I find it really important to figure out how you present as a person, and how much energy you pour into how you present. I feel like it changes a lot how you’re perceived, but also how you perceive yourself. I feel like when I’m dressed I want to be dressed and feel myself the way that I feel best on the inside, it really translates to how other people take me in. It just changes the game. A lot of my influences from style really help to mould my personality as a musician. It helps people understand who I am, as a person.
What comes next?
When I finished my album, my initial plan was to take a decent amount of time off from making music. I wanted to give myself a break and thought I would have creative fatigue after finishing that project because I had never done a project that had taken so much time. As it turns out, I had this renewed sense of energy and had a lot to say after I had finished my album, so I could be in spaces that I could make music in, from LA to London. So I began making new music. I’ve had an amazing year and so much has happened, so I think it’s about appreciating those moments and taking them in, whilst they’re happening. Right now, I’m just trying to figure out how to deliver the new material to the people that listen to my people. But I’ve also just got to give myself the time to rest. It’s one part rest, one part roll out. The duality strikes again.
top. KUSIKOHC
skirt. LUMEA TRIBE
trousers. RACER WORLDWIDE
shoes. ROMBAUT
necklace. KISKA LAB
DOGMA is out now via F.A.G. / Because Music.
photography. Gabriel Francez
creative direction, fashion + production. Alix Taccardo
talent. LSDXOXO
make up. Swan
special thanks. Coralie
assistant. Théo Belmas
location. La Machine du Moulin Rouge
words. Patrick Clark
