Though they come from quite opposite ends of the spectrum, there’s a tangible sense of understanding and appreciation between singer/producer/cult artist Ry X and producer/live electronic artist/label owner Frank Wiedemann. The former hails from a background of folk-pop songs that revolve around freeness and simplicity; the latter remains a king in the underground as 1/2 of Âme, with layered productions that build around a tight 4/4 structure. One had a wild bohemian upbringing in remote Australia, the other grew up in Karlsruhe, a forward-thinking hub of science and technology in Southwest Germany. One lives in Los Angeles, the other 9 hours ahead in Berlin. Both Frank and Ry X often use the word “magic” when describing their productions, their live performances, and the project as a whole. And for good reason: there’s a special sense of happenstance and symbiosis to everything surrounding Howling, from the way they met (over a Skype video chat with a mutual friend, having no knowledge of each other’s music), to their first project (a sketch that became an unintentional hit), to their first live performances. Asked to perform at a Berlin radio station and Watergate (having never performed – or even played – together previously), during their first soundchecks they found themselves improvising naturally, intuitively, and unendingly, and recorded the sessions. Those recordings began forming a larger body of work, unforeseen to either artist, in a way that’s nothing short of, indeed, magic: their debut album ‘Sacred Ground’ is out now on Monkeytown/Counter Records.