The Avalanche

Saturated

Drips

I Was There

Arcadia

This Life by Ryan Harris

Latest single by Ryan Harris. For fans of; Hollow Coves, Ocie Elliott, Hazlatt and other indie folk artists

This Life

When brutal force is normalized, we the people are dehumanized. Please don't let 'em power hungry cowards stampede our peace with greedy double-standards and manipulative lies, because peace is everything... and being honest, vulnerable, and fair is being brave. 

Ça je le sais, dans mon coeur. Et le rêve qui m'anime, il est fait de paix et d'amour sans peur.

Artistic expression is my Force Douce. And it ain’t a skill, or an asset, it’s a gift, to you and me! 
Making music ain’t about ego, nor fame, or #godforbid money, #corporatebranding or #copyrights it ain’t even really about hard work, nor what buttons one pushes, or what strings one plucks—it is about intentional exploration, about pulling the invisible yet super awesome magic strings only brave pure loving #souls dare to share, as we leap forward, trusting we’re all here to learn aka evolve, grateful we’re all born equal, as divinely mighty as fragile, i.e. #human 💌

✪ ✪ ✪

“La Force Douce” @bananasutra #lyrics en Français: 

[Couplet 1]
Il faut être bien malheureux 
pour semer la douleur sans raison,
pour étouffer la lumière d’un cœur 
par simple trahison.

Mais moi j’ai vu que la paix, 
c’est pas la fuite ni la peur,
c’est un feu tranquille, 
un courage qui guérit nos rancœurs.

[Pré-refrain]
Ils disent que la bonté c’est faible, 
moi je dis c’est divin,
regarde les rivières: 
elles creusent la pierre, 
sans jamais lever la main.

[Refrain]
Bananasutra 
chante la force douce,
celle qui choisit d’aimer 
quand tout s’écroule autour.

Bananasutra, 
les âmes justes avancent nues,
intègres, vulnérables, 
mais debout jusqu’au bout.

[Couplet 2]
Il faut être bien audacieux 
pour parler vrai sans armure,
montrer ses cicatrices 
comme des fleurs sous la blessure.

Justice, ce n’est pas la vengeance, 
c’est l’équilibre des vents,
où chacun gagne en donnant, 
où l’humain devient vivant.

[Pont]
Quand le monde crie “gagne seul”, 
je réponds “gagnons ensemble”,
le futur n’est pas une guerre, 
c’est un chant qu’on assemble.

L’amour n’est pas dangereux, 
c’est la seule loi qui sauve,
et la tendresse, 
c’est l’arme des braves.

[Refrain]
Bananasutra, dans le feu des jours,
tu gardes la foi, tu redonnes l’amour.
Bananasutra, même au bord du monde,
ta paix rayonne, et jamais ne succombe.

[Outro]
Il faut être bien pernicieux 
pour punir sans comprendre,
mais il faut être divinement fou 
pour continuer d’aimer tendre.

—

"The Gentle Force” lyrics in English (unedited AI translation, for the curious :)

[Verse 1]
You have to be very unhappy
To sow pain for no reason,
To stifle the light of a heart
By simple betrayal.

But I saw that peace,
It's not flight or fear,
It's a quiet fire,
A courage that heals our grudges.

[Pre-crorus]
They say that goodness is weak,
I say it's divine,
Look at the rivers:
They dig the stone,
Without ever raising your hand.

[Chorus]
Bananasutra
Sings the gentle force,
The one who chooses to love
When everything collapses around.

Bananasutra,
The righteous souls advance naked,
Honest, vulnerable,
But standing until the end.

[Verse 2]
You have to be very bold
To speak the truth without armor,
Show your scars
Like flowers under the wound.

Justice is not revenge,
It's the balance of the winds,
Where everyone wins by giving,
Where the human becomes alive.

[Bridge]
When the world shouts "win alone",
I answer "we win together",
The future is not a war,
It's a song that we put together.

Love is not dangerous,
It's the only law that saves,
And tenderness,
It's the weapon of the brave.

[Chorus]
Bananasutra, in the fire of days,
You keep the faith, you give back the love.
Bananasutra, even at the edge of the world,
Your peace radiates, and never succumbs.

[Outro]
You have to be very pernicious
To punish without understanding,
But you have to be divinely crazy
To continue to love tender.

[03] La Force Douce - French GROWsutra Gipsy Flamenco Duende Chanson INDIE

Stuck in Traffic is olliray’s first album. The story begins in 2017 with the release of BoxRox, a small electronic idea that became the spark for everything that followed. Over the next two years the music grew slowly and naturally in a small flat in South London. Most of the songs began as simple synth sketches that later opened into fuller pieces with piano, guitar and voice.

The title came from a real moment in late 2018. Olliray was waiting for his dad to arrive for lunch. His dad was stuck in traffic and the delay gave him an unexpected pocket of time. In that quiet stretch he recorded all the vocals for the title track in one take. When his dad finally arrived he played him the music and asked what he should call it. His dad smiled and gave the answer that became the name of the whole album.

Stuck in Traffic holds the feeling of that early period. Raw, instinctive and made by ear. A blend of electronic textures and intimate melodies shaped between 2017 and late 2018, and released in January 2019.

For fans of synthwave, retrowave and 80s inspired electronic music.

How They Communicate

An intimate piano and vocal cover of Co-op by Bess Atwell ; recorded live in one take on a baby grand in London ; keeping it soft ; close ; and honest ; with a few natural pauses so the lyrics can breathe.

This Alt Mix keeps the same performance ; but adds one gentle synth line over the top of the piano ; just to widen the atmosphere a touch.

I have loved this song for a while. I used to be working over on Portland Road ; and back then I would keep popping into the Tesco nearby ; I did not even know about the Co-op at the time. I definitely prefer a Co-op and wish I had been going there instead ; but Tesco still had that thing where they were always playing music ; so the place is tied to songs and little moments for me.

It also takes me back to being younger in house shares ; finding bits of furniture left out on the street ; carrying them home ; and redoing the place with whatever we could make work.

If you are searching for Bess Atwell covers ; Co-op cover ; piano vocal covers ; acoustic covers ; or stripped back sessions ; I hope this gives you something calm to sit with.

Listen to more of my music and collaborations here:
https://on.soundcloud.com/8c5UO64MEz22HWpIlM

Rita Road Sessions
Music from the heart of London.

Co-op ; Bess Atwell (Acoustic Cover by olliray) (Alt Mix) (Live)

An acoustic version of the Radiohead original. ..
Inspired by the rare live version in London on 25.11.25

Like Spinning Plates (Radiohead Acoustic Cover)

An intimate one take cover of Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen ; recorded live on piano and voice as part of the Rita Road Sessions in London.

I kept it simple and close ; letting the lyrics carry the weight ; with a slower pace and a few natural pauses so the words can breathe. Something about “New York City” in the lyric just hits ; it sets the whole scene.

Leonard Cohen was also some of the first music I ever remember hearing ; playing in my dad’s car when I was a kid ; so this one feels personal to come back to.

Rita Road Sessions
Music from the heart of London.

Tags
leonard cohen ; famous blue raincoat ; piano cover ; cover ; live ; one take ; intimate ; mellow ; reflective ; melancholic ; soothing ; singer songwriter ; folk ; ballad ; london ; rita road sessions ; male vocal ; new york city

Famous Blue Raincoat ; Leonard Cohen (Piano Cover by olliray) (Live)

Remix for @cameronjameslaing on @suara
Release Date: April 30, 2018

Cameron James Laing - Her (Peter Pardeike Remix)

The first single taken from their album 'Something, Everything'. Out Now
Download/Stream: https://thisneverhappened.ffm.to/assassin

Follow Sultan + Shepard:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sultanshepard/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sultanshepard
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sultanshepard/

Buy / Stream

Sultan + Shepard - Assassin

olliray makes emotive, cinematic music that sits between intimate piano ballads and modern electronic soundscapes. A singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from London, he blends live piano and guitar with textured production to create songs that feel close and expansive at the same time.

Alongside his original work, he records stripped-back piano and guitar covers of songs he loves. These late-night performances sit naturally beside his own writing, shaped by the same focus on atmosphere, storytelling and emotional detail.

He had a short spell of violin lessons when he was younger; everything else on piano, guitar and production is self-taught. That instinctive path runs through his music; he writes, plays and shapes his songs by ear, chasing what feels honest rather than what follows the rulebook.

His debut single BoxRox and first album Stuck in Traffic captured a raw, lyric-driven phase where he produced and sang everything himself. Between followed, pushing further into experimental electronic textures. He then released Piano for Yoga, a live, meditative piano recording created in a single continuous flow for a yoga video soundtrack.

In 2024 he returned to his roots with Lost Romance, an album built from songs written 18 years earlier and revisited with a more reflective, nostalgic perspective. It moves between gentle piano pieces and fuller arrangements, tying his early ideas to the sound he has grown into now.

He is currently working on new music that continues to blur the lines between acoustic songwriting and electronic production, always searching for the balance between warmth, space and emotional weight.

For a first listen, start with Stuck in Traffic or How Long if you want reflective, cinematic songwriting, then explore the Covers Playlist to hear his take on songs by artists he loves. Fans of Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Nick Mulvey, Coldplay and M83 may feel at home in his world.

Explore the Covers playlist, then dive into the Originals.

You can also find my music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube through the profile links below.

How They Communicate

olliray • piano • covers • originals

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