A Universal Language: RxDIO's Story

RxDIO was brought into the AUL project at the very last minute. After months of planning and running back-and-forth, AUL was surrounded by great uncertainty as the disappointments persisted. After it had emerged that we had to change our whole narrative to better accommodate the new subjects of our story, RxDIO came in and contributed to what is probably one of the most intricate stories I’ve ever worked on. He welcomed us into his home and introduced us to his world. RxDIO released his Live A Little EP in August 2013. In my view, Live A Little will be those ‘always-on-repeat’ type albums. Songs like Toberman St, Slave To The Truth, Merrier, and a song which had me reflecting a lot, Liars, are one of the many musical gems in a body of work that is both personal and graceful. What blew me away about him was his ‘unfilter-able’ and ‘unedit-able’ personality. In my opinion, his Live A Little EP embodies great substance. 

His responses to my questions bring a new dimension to the AUL story, revealing moments of reflection and wisdom. It’s important for artists to understand the source of their inspiration, not to only know it, but to understand it. Artistry occupies an intricate place in those who shape it. The AUL story is about those intricacies. What I’ve observed from RxDIO in the few months I’ve worked with him is that the source of our strength is in our inspiration. The degree to which we remain anchored to who we’re truly are depends on the significance we place in that which we draw our strength from. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve through AUL. 

phsicsmag (p): Based on your understanding, what would you say constitutes to the idea of “a universal language”?

RxDIO (R): The same way some would say there is beauty in everything, or that God is in everything, I believe all of those statements and others similar to those are true. I think when looking for the beauty in something, or God, there is certain understanding to be attained and a way of perceiving things around us to be utilized. I think the revelation of an idea and ideas such as this and applied to our daily lives is when “a universal language” is spoken.

p: Do you feel music is still the “universal language” it once was, or are artists better off creating musical niches for themselves?

R: Music will always be the “universal language” it once was...to me, artists “creating musical niches for themselves” is what helps music to be the “universal language” it is. We are all unique individuals who have unique reactions to the unique moments of our unique lives so of course sometimes things in our lives aren’t representative of how we may feel, like music, but that would be a bias opinion of my own if I felt that way. I’m not the only one this planet. So what I do is create music that speaks for how I feel. The same as the person miles away from me with a totally different life, lifestyle, way of thinking, and musical preference. How I see it, it’s not what type of music we do, or what we say, or if we agree or have totally different views or how we do it. It’s simply us doing it that allows someone to “speak the language”. To feel attracted to something as much as it is attracted to you.

  article originally published in phsicsmag's A Universal Language issue available for download here

PhsicsMag Issue no.4 - A Universal Language

Working on this fourth annual issue made me be that person who forced their way into very uncomfortable situations. As people we are afraid to get uncomfortable. I found myself having to convince people who have never heard of what I do that they could work with me to produce something as remarkable as this publication. I’ve also introduced film to be an extended medium of this magazine. 

Waking up knowing that your film is in its second day of production, and everything is up in the air will have you asking yourself “what did I get myself into?” and frankly speaking,there’s nothing glamorous about feeling that way. You actually find yourself in a very uncomfortable position, and the only thing you can do is to put your life jacket on and hurry along. In the end, the greatest feeling comes when your product comes out exactly the way you had envisioned it to be. Even if only two people share it among themselves, knowing that you pushed through that very difficult storm to be where you are is the best feeling in the world. The creative process is similar to sailing through an endless ocean. There are moments of calmness, and there are moments of “we’re about to sink!”, but nowhere can you give in. The escape is just too perfect. A friend of mine challenged me. She’s about to launch her resort bag collection which was assembled in Ghana and Burkina Faso. She left her air-conditioned London home to be out there under the sun, on the grind, far from the glamour! If you had to ask me what other fashion people are doing right now? Probably picking outfits for Instagram or browsing the web for “inspiration”.My problem with glamour is that it’s very short sighted. 

During my recent trip to Milan I caught up with a friend who knows all about the fashion industry. He told me of how the back-end of the fashion business over there treats and nurtures its talent. On the surface it looks very glamorous, but what actually goes on is unbelievable. In this publication’s fourth edition, A Universal Language, I wanted to broaden my scope. I’m not a music reviewer and I never was. I knew that writing about music would challenge me. I wanted to do a music issue. I wanted to be uncomfortable. From where I’m sitting right now, this issue is more than a music review. It’s personal and it carries a lot of intricacies. I wanted to achieve exactly that be it with the publication, the documentary film, and the Private Life collection; each of these elements of my brand speak A Universal Language. Stay blessed

Download the full magazine here

A Universal Language Trailer: RxDIO’s Story

Taking on a project like A Universal Language requires one to be level headed and articulate. Film production is not easy. A strong motivated team can be the difference between a project’s success and failure. It’s important for me to explore film production so early in my career because I’m passionate about telling the untold story. PhsicsMedia is not an outlet for counter culture; it’s an outlet for universal culture. I want to be able to project honest, tasteful stories. If the magazine is the manual, then Digital Timeless is the embodiment. I was blessed enough to work with Les Deux, a brand which I’ve come to respect and appreciate. We wanted to bring a brand communication that was more than about the clothes. We wanted to make it about people. 

Meet RxDIO, he’s one of the musicians featured in the AUL documentary. In my opinion, his Live A Little EP is the embodiment of substance. RxDIO was able to put together a project that is both personal and graceful. What blew me away about him was his unfilter-able, unedit-able personality. There are no scripts here, and this is what AUL is all about. We encountered a lot of hiccups during the documentary’s production stage, but the team I worked with was simply out of this world. Working on PhsicsMag’s fourth annual issue has introduced me to the intricacies of stories. This journey has taught me to appreciate every little detail that my subject chooses to reveal, and the value it brings to my publication. A Universal Language will premiere early 2014 along with the release of the magazine. You can also lookout for Phsics.Private’s new collection which will be available soon. Subscribe to the Digital Timeless Youtube channel, and don’t forget to monetize those dreams. Stay blessed.