Kagami Smile is Shenzhen-based ambient electronic musician Ryan Hill, originally from the United States. He started producing under the alias Chimess. His style incorporated plunderphonics and ambient. Over time, Hill began experimenting with beats, techno and noise. In 2019 he founded his own label Forgot Imprint. As Kagami Smile, he released over 100 records on labels such as Dream Catalogue, Pure Life, VILL4IN, House Of The Leg, Tekres and BLCR Laboratories.
skug: While preparing for this interview, I could not find another, so can you start by telling me a bit about yourself?
Ryan Hill: My name is Ryan and I am 35 years old, I am from the Midwestern United States. My wife and in-laws are all from Shenzhen, China, I now live here permanently, so I take a great deal of influence on my music from the Midwest and Shenzhen. The high-tech cyber world of Shenzhen mixed with the emptiness, abandoned places, forests, and lakes of my hometown.
For how long have you been making music as Kagami Smile?
I have been making music under Kagami Smile since about 2015. I didn’t find the peak of my artistry until about 2019–2020, when the pandemic started. At that time, I was making music in my room every night as a means of a meditational exercise.
I read the word »dreampunk« related to your music, which makes sense to me because musically, what you do is in between ambient and esoteric electronic music, but in attitude, it’s punk: DIY, releasing a lot of music fast. Does »dreampunk« make sense to you?
I think »dreampunk« fits for sure, my musical background comes from punk and screamo when I was in high school. But I was always interested in stuff like Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada, I release things very fast as I make music like a journal for my life and when something is complete, I just tend to put it out there.
Do you play and record at home right now? Do you make your music all digitally?
I record sometimes at home and sometimes at my office, I use mostly digital gear. The differentiation of gear doesn’t matter to me as recorded music all has the same effect to me and it’s about the journey and world created rather than how or with what it was made.
What does the name Kagami Smile mean?
Kagami means mirror in Japanese. My name is a way of looking inside the self to see what comes out of the other side of the mirror, it is also a way to connect spiritually with a higher presence.
Do you come from a noise / tape music / drone background?
I do come from a tape background, noise shows in basements, vinyl, etc.
