A Conversational Primer with Ian Ewing
California’s Ian Ewing has spent the bulk of the last decade wisely; with dozens of singles, collaborative tracks, and a fully-stocked LP covering the territories of RnB, lo-fi, trip-hop, and every pocket in between, he’s clearly amassed a rolodex of songs, not to mention instrumental and compositional skills. Appealing to an extremely broad range of fans and listeners, Ewing’s personal infusion of multi-instrumentalism stands in stark contrast to the ever-growing “in the box” production and recording phenomenon for music producers, and is the standout factor throughout all of his minted originals and collaborations.
Next weekend, The Rust is hosting Ewing and a smattering of other potent acts for a Morning Coffee two-night escapade at The Chocolate Factory in Brooklyn, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t take the opportunity to get a few questions and answers on the record – read the full interview below.
April 10th & 11th in Brooklyn:
parkbreezy & pheel. + Morning Coffee, VCTRE, Ian Ewing, Vinja, SAM-E, Talex & Squalpat
Join us: Tickets • RSVP
The Chocolate Factory
70 Scott Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
21+ | 10pm ‘til late
Powered by Void Acoustics
The Rust: We're very excited to have you out here in NYC with us for this particular weekend. What's your read on this city?
Ian Ewing: I’m so honored to be invited for this! Oh man, I love NYC so much. I started coming out here more often around 2018 or so, playing shows put on by the Sundae Sauce collective. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a bunch of other beat makers and artists who live out here, so I always have some friends to hang with whenever I’m swinging through. And outside of that, I just love the scale of the city. I always feel so small when I’m here, but in the best way! You can be as free and weird as you wanna be here, cuz there’s always someone more free and more weird than you lol. And the bagels!
The Rust: Your output since 2017, but particularly in the 2020s, has been extremely consistent. What's your writing process like? What's powering all of this music?
Ian Ewing: I appreciate that! I’m fortunate enough to be able to put a good amount of time into making music, so I figure I should make the most of that! I’ve always really admired prolific artists, so I think I just try to emulate that in whatever small ways I can. I always want to be sharing something that I’m working on, even if it’s not in it’s most perfect form. For me, releasing a lot of music just allows me to move on and make the next thing, and that next thing is hopefully better than the last. In my experience, being overly attached to what I make has made me feel quite stagnant creatively. I try my best to let go of the perfectionist mentality, knowing that it’s not about making something perfect, it’s about making something as best you can that represents you at that point in time.
The Rust: Your Lakehouse LP put a serious array of influences on display. The jazz, hip-hop, and RnB infusions are right at the forefront of your sound. What are some of the records that influenced your development around that time?
Ian Ewing: I can definitely recall listening to and being inspired at that time by Flying Lotus, Kaytranada, and Galimatias. Musically, I’ve certainly always been blown away with these artists, but I think even just conceptually, I was really inspired by how these instrumental producers were making really cohesive albums, and incorporating a lot of vocalists. Beyond that, these artists really transcend genres to me, or rather, they’ve created their own genres. That really made me want to make a project that sounded different than, say, a lofi hip hop project.
The Rust: Your list of collaborations is extremely extensive. How do you end up plugged into all of these pockets of musicianship? What are some of the more notable collaborative releases for you in the last few years?
Ian Ewing: Yea, I feel so lucky for that! It’s really just been the power of the internet. My artist project has largely evolved in the online world, and I’ve been fortunate enough to connect with all types of creators through it. Whether it was Soundcloud in 2017, Discord in 2020, or Instagram in 2026, the internet has connected me to a ton of incredible people, collaborators, and music lovers. I seriously love all of my collabs, but some of my faves are some drumming features I did for both Cautious Clay and Galimatias. I’ve also done some official remixes for Braxton Cook, Masego, and Pale Jay.
The Rust: Your myriad styles have plenty of crossover with the overall direction of all.Lo Collective and their frontrunner producers. How are you feeling about this upcoming performance?
Ian Ewing: Definitely! I’m super stoked, I really dig the sound of all these artists and I think it’s gonna be a really rad night of music.
The Rust: Speaking of performances, you've got a fair share of videos displaying your acumen behind the drum kit. How do you approach solo performances/presentations in the concert space? What are you considering as you prepare for the show next weekend?
Ian Ewing: I’ve experimented with all types of live set ups, but as I’ve never really consistently toured, there’s always considerations that have to be made as to what the set up is. I really like having a drum kit when I can have other instrumentalists involved. But if I’m solo, I like to base it closer to a beat/DJ set, and just get creative with it. I like to include old tunes, new releases, unreleased stuff, live edits I make just for that show, whatever! Throw a couple FX controllers and a drum machine in there, and I got a lil improv beat/DJ hybrid set going.
The Rust: While you've got a significant amount of music already on the airwaves from 2025, what's 2026 looking like? With 7 years having elapsed since your last full studio album, are there any plans for more long form releases?
Ian Ewing: Yes! I have some singles, collabs, and an EP forthcoming this Spring. I definitely plan to make another long form release. These tend to take some time for me, both the writing/producing and lining up collaborators or vocalists. So I’m currently just trying to up my level musically and hopefully I can slowly build something that will eventually be the next long form release.
The Rust: What's your favorite kind of sandwich bread and why?
Ian Ewing: Highly dependent on the type of sandwich! But even still, the answer is sourdough because how can you say anything is better than sourdough??
With such a consistent output, we’re never in a dearth of Ewing’s musical offerings. Whether it’s a solo endeavor or a companion project amongst friendly musicians and producers, he never fails to leave the mark of his midas touch. With just over a week to go before the double-header weekend, don’t miss the opportunity to catch Ian Ewing amongst an amenable cast of producers, including pheel., Parkbreezy, 5AM, VCTRE, and more.