Xyla - Ways

Leaving Records introduces San Francisco’s Xyla to the world. The classical musician-turned-producer’s debut full-length Ways presents a fresh, electronic yet organic sound that deftly skates over and around genre limitations into a deeply felt, lush and hyper-futuristic group of songs. Echoes of sweaty rave anthems and classic IDM head trips can be heard strewn throughout Ways’ serpentine compositions, awash in deep ambient swirls and intriguingly twisted samples. Of the album’s title, Xyla states, “Sometimes you think of how things could’ve been. There’s a million different ways things can go.” The eight tracks on Ways each feel like a uniquely personal expression, heavy feelings processed by the producer’s classical music training and extrapolated through exciting self-taught production methods.

The trajectory of Ways covers many different moods and atmospheres. Early standout “Now” inhabits a reflective space, emotive vocal samples mingling with a variety of expressively filtered synths. Xyla states, “It was a very vulnerable time when I was making this music. It was winter, I quit my job, and I had lost a few close people.

released October 30, 2020 on Cassette tape.

all music produced and mixed by Xyla
art by Kendra Azulírís
flute by Joyce Lee
layout by Brin