NOTION The Artists Vol. 1: Barry Can’t Swim

From Glastonbury live shows to DJ-sets in Ibiza, Barry Can’t Swim’s jazzy take on dance music has captivated the world in 2024. Meeting him at the end of his final tour of the year, the free-spirited artist is fired up and is showing no sign of slowing down.

Illustrious British music awards aren’t known for celebrating electronic acts, but in 2024 one name broke through onto almost every shortlist. Following his win in the Independent Breakthrough category at this years Independent Music Awards awarded by The Association of Independent Music, Barry Can’t Swim has been the name on everyone’s lips since the release of his inaugural album, When Will We Land last autumn.

Behind the playful and interest-piquing moniker is Edinburgh-born Joshua Mainnie, a multi- instrumentalist, producer and DJ. We meet the day after he wraps up the European leg of his second tour this year, hot off the heels of a jam-packed festival season. Calling in from London, where he now resides, Joshua is sprightly for a DJ logging on to a 10am Zoom interview. Indeed, the artist has a lot to be fired up about; his new live show has been selling out venues across Europe and is soon-to- be hitting New Zealand, Australia, South America and the US, and then there’s Barry Can’t Swim’s latest venture Earth’s Own Paradise – the record label which he launched this October.

“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Joshua says of being able to showcase the music he’s into and provide a platform for up-and-coming artists. “It’s an extension of my music curation, that’s what DJing is, right? This way you can feel even more connected and get more involved.” For the label’s inaugural release, he tapped fellow Ninja Tune affiliate, producer-DJ O’Flynn. Titled ‘Swiss Sensation’, O’Flynn’s track is funky and feel- good, rich with instrumental layers, catchy vocals and weird synths, it could seamlessly slide into a Barry Can’t Swim set. As with any of his musical endeavours, the choice feels authentic: “He’s mad talented, and he’s a good friend of mine, we’re always sending each other tunes and giving each other feedback on our music. It was just a really nice and natural way to launch [the label], with someone I’ve got so much respect for.”

It’s been less than five years since Barry Can’t Swim entered the electronic music sphere. Going with the first stage name that stuck, Joshua Mainnie embarked on his solo project after moving from Edinburgh to east London and a two-year hiatus from music. With zero expectations, he fulfilled a creative urge to combine his love of music production, jazz and playing piano. The instrumentally trained musician came at it with a wealth of experience; back in Edinburgh he’d completed a music degree, played in various indie bands and immersed himself in the jazz bar scene. Interning at a record label (SOMA Records) in Glasgow solidified his passion for electronic music; he honed skills in music production and not long after began releasing music as part of a duo. Taking a break from his craft after this venture ended, Joshua’s comeback arrived just before the pandemic shut down live entertainment. Hungry for an uplifting escape and an excuse to dance at home, making music for solitary reasons didn’t stop an audience finding Barry Can’t Swim; he was picked up by BBC Radio 1 after dropping his first two tracks on Spotify.

A Ninja Tune record deal, coveted Boiler Room set and award-winning debut album later, Joshua Mannie has made it to the rare first name basis of fame: simply known as ‘Barry’ to his fans. Traversing deep house, funky jazz, Afrobeat, and, every now and again, hardcore (see ‘Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore’ from his 2022 EP), Barry Can’t Swim’s sound is a euphoric amalgamation of genres. Speaking on his diverse influences – Fela Kuti and Ravi Shankar among them – he tells me, “I try to be open. If I like something, I don’t overthink it.” This applies to his most recent release, ‘Still Riding’, a high-energy, pop-infused bop which samples a song by Colombian-American pop superstar Kali Uchis. A longtime fan, he made the song two years ago and preserved it until he got the go-ahead for an official release.

Grounded by live instrumentation, Barry Can’t Swim’s free-spirited back catalogue – enjoyed by 3.4 million Spotify listeners – is the product of creativity guided by gut instinct and “happy accidents”. Joshua elaborates, “I’m much more concerned with feeling and emotion than getting something perfect.” Expansive, soul-stirring and deliciously unpredictable, ‘When Will We Land’ epitomises this ethos. Being the artist’s first album, there was a lot to consider: “It’s like the entire history of you up to that point,” he says, continuing, “I wanted it to be a total musical journey and to embody all the things that I love because you only get to do it once.”

The Scottish producer stands by the fact that the best work emerges from going with the flow, “I like to not have a preconceived idea of what I’m going to make,” he says. The second track on his debut album, ‘Deadbeat Gospel’ is one of his most spontaneous musical undertakings. It was recorded in the early hours of a night out and captures the moment Joshua bumps into an old friend – the artist and poet Jack Loughrey AKA somedeadbeat – on the streets of Dublin. On the finished track are snippets of their conversation and an impromptu poetry recital, which meet soaring synths and tender piano riffs, perforated by the gritty noises of the city streets which were purposefully kept in.

When it comes to collaborating, Joshua generally prefers to work with people he knows. Surprising as it is, the artist admits that he’s quite introverted, “especially, when it comes to making music,” he says. “I need to feel very comfortable in my environment, I personally find it quite hard to do what I want musically around people I don’t know, even if they are incredibly talented. It’s more about the connection.”

Nevertheless, Barry Can’t Swim isn’t one to shut doors on opportunities. Another enticing feature on When Will We Land is the Guinean singer and percussionist (now Margate-based) Falle Nioke. Singing in his mother tongue, Falle’s beguiling vocals bring soul to the stirring and percussive ‘I Won’t Let You Down’ – a sure standout of the album. How did this unlikely collaboration come about? For the simple reason that Joshua felt inspired: “He’s such a ridiculously talented artist… I just reached out to him and was like do you want to do something super DIY?”

The Scotsman still can’t quite fathom his success. But you can’t shy from the fact a lot has happened to the artist this year; Barry Can’t Swim has proven to be one of the most in-demand DJs of 2024. This summer he played 27 festivals, from Serbia’s Exit Festival to Barcelona’s Primavera Sound, and one on the M4 motorway called Junction 2. He also made his Coachella debut this spring and returned to Glastonbury where his set drew the biggest crowd the Park Stage had ever seen. The maestro admits that he isn’t immune to pre-show nerves, “My crew slag me off because beforehand I’m always like, ‘I hope people come, I hope it’s gonna be busy’,” he says, “but you don’t ever wanna start taking that shit for granted.”

Warm, open and enthusiastic, Joshua’s character is synonymous with the feel-good energy Barry Can’t Swim brings to the dancefloor. Does pressure ever get in the way of this authenticity? So far, not really. Revealing his mindset, Joshua Mainnie brings up the curious etymology of the word ‘genius’, “…I’m gonna get this exact thing wrong, but a while ago I read about how the Romans used the term genius in a different way. People weren’t geniuses, genius was like an external thing which artists could tap into.” Non-scientifically speaking the artist finds wisdom in this definition, “It’s a nice way of thinking about it, whenever you’re being creative you’re channelling something else, and you’re more just the vessel. Writing in that way alleviates pressure and removes ego, which I think is really not a good thing, you’re too caught up in your own head.”In between all the globe-trotting, Barry Can’t Swim has found time this year to work on a second album. He’s astonished at how quickly the project is coming together: “It’s been so busy this past year, but when I get back I’m so excited and ready to make music.” For Joshua, making music is still very much a hobby; it’s his escape. The limited time not on the road has, he believes, been conducive to his creativity, “The time that I do get has been so precious that I’ve just really enjoyed it, and when I’m enjoying myself I think I tend to make better stuff.”On his current tour, the producer has been testing out some of the material from his next album, which he hopes will drop in 2025. Without giving too much away, Joshua reveals, “One of the tunes seems to be consistently the biggest moment in the set, which is bizarre considering that no one even knows it. So that’s a good sign.” For all his accolades, the greatest reward comes from audiences and the wider music community embracing his music with a dance. To round off 2024, Barry Can’t Swim will be gathering the community together for ‘Eat Your Own Ears’, a night he’s curated at Manchester’s legendary multi-room venue The Warehouse Project on November 29th. The production of the event is guaranteed to be spectacular; lucky attendees of Barry Can’t Swim’s recent tour will confirm that the visuals and lighting are out-of-this-world, and paired with the right songs deliver a rush of pure ecstasy.