A Chat with Ocean Flor (08.04.25)
Ocean Flor, a duo consisting of Ralf Schmidt and Jesse Trinidad, has released their highly anticipated single, ‘Never Let You Down’, showcasing their years of creative exploration and personal experiences. We chat to the duo about all things music below.
OSR: ‘Never Let You Down’ feels like a powerful track with a lot of emotional depth. Can you take us behind the scenes and share what inspired the song’s lyrics?
Trinidad: ‘Never Let You Down’ came from one of those moments of self-reflection – when everything goes quiet and you realise you’ve played a part in your own undoing, or someone else’s hurt. It’s that weight of knowing, not in a dramatic way, but in a quiet, honest one. The kind that sits with you. The song isn’t about blame, it’s about facing that truth and what comes after. It’s about the space between regret and redemption.
OSR: Ralf, you woke up one morning with a melody already in your head. How do you usually approach writing music, and how often does inspiration strike like this?
Schmidt: Most of the time, I start with a blank page and just follow wherever inspiration leads. It’s actually pretty rare that I begin with a clear idea already in mind, but when that happens, I know it’s something special. I don’t usually make music first thing in the morning either, but that day I felt this sudden rush to create, and I’m really glad I listened to it.
OSR: Jesse, what role do you play in shaping the sound of a track like ‘Never Let You Down’, and how do you complement Ralf’s creative process?
Trinidad: We wrote and recorded the lyrics together, I laid down the guitar part at my studio, and added some percussive elements to help shape the groove. Ralf and I have this rhythm – he brings a distinct energy to the production, and I try to complement it with something raw and personal. We trust each other’s instincts, so there’s a lot of space to experiment, but also to refine things until they feel emotionally true. There’s mutual respect in knowing that the track leads the way, and the focus stays on making something that feels honest and complete, regardless of where each piece started.
OSR: The track was born from spontaneity, but how much of the final version was planned, and how much was improvised on the fly?
Schmidt: As usual, it was a mix of planning and improvisation. Once the first melody and chord progression came together, I asked Jesse to send over a voice memo of his beatboxing – I had this idea in mind for something breakbeat-inspired, and the tempo felt perfect for it. I also loved the idea of not giving him too much of a guideline, but rather seeing what he would come up with, and it fit perfectly. After we had the instrumental sketched out, I drove up to Gibraltar to record vocals with Jesse. He nailed it in a single take, and later I shaped the vocals to fit the arrangement. Then, Jesse recorded the guitar at his place, and I brought it all together back in my studio, sprinkled some magic dust and finished the final mixdown.
OSR: The lyrics “I’ll never let you down” carry significant emotional weight. Was there a particular moment in your life when this promise took on extra meaning during the creation of the song?
Schmidt: When we started recording the vocals at Jesse’s place, I got a call from my girlfriend.. She’d just come down hard with the flu. I originally planned to spend the whole weekend in Gibraltar, but as soon as I heard, I packed up and drove straight home to take care of her – I would never let her down!
OSR: You mentioned the long drives and border crossings between Gibraltar and Málaga played a role in shaping this track. How does the landscape and lifestyle of Andalusia influence your music?
Schmidt: I don’t think we’d be making the same music if we lived in a big, grey, hectic city. The slower pace of life here really helps us tune into what matters most – there’s less pressure, and more space to breathe. Being surrounded by nature’s beauty and the constant presence of the sun puts you in a particular headspace. In many ways, we’re trying to create a soundtrack to our everyday experiences. I often picture our music playing while driving along the motorway, gliding past Málaga’s rolling hills with the sea shimmering in the distance.
OSR: Did you have a clear direction for this song, or did it evolve as you worked together in the studio? How do you typically decide on the overall vibe of a track?
Trinidad: The direction revealed itself. I remember I was at my mum’s place, and I received a message on WhatsApp from Ralf saying something along the lines of “ I need a beatbox, like now, I’m at the studio”. He turned up at my place a few weeks later with this breakbeat drum groove, that was the only part we started recording with, which in itself already drove the character. This one came together really fast – super spontaneous. The vocals were a first or second take, after deciding there was something innocent and unpolished in that take that felt genuine. Usually, we take more time with projects, reworking certain elements, or I want to re-record vocals endlessly. But with this track, it was almost immediate.
OSR: How does the collaboration between the two of you differ from working on solo projects? Do you approach the creative process differently when you’re working as Ocean Flor?
Schmidt: I usually know pretty quickly whether something I’m working on fits with Ocean Flor. There’s just a certain vibe to our stuff that I can immediately recognise. I really love working with Jesse – we’re constantly bouncing ideas off each other and inspiring one another, not just musically, but also when it comes to visuals and how to share our work with a wider audience. It also helps that we have a pretty similar taste in a lot of things. Ocean Flor feels like its own little world that we’re building together. When I’m working solo as Aera, I tend to focus more on the dancefloor and how a track holds up in that space. But with Ocean Flor, we have the freedom to explore beyond DJ culture and try new things.
OSR: What challenges did you face while working on this track, and how did you overcome them?
Trinidad: There weren’t really any major challenges during the writing or recording; that part felt natural. The song came together pretty smoothly. If anything, the real challenge was in creating the visual concept. That side of things is newer for us, and translating the feeling of the track into something visual took some exploring. Even just finding the words to explain our visual ideas to Chris, our director. It pushed us out of our comfort zone in a good way, and we learned a lot through the process.
OSR: Given the personal nature of this song, what do you hope listeners take away from it, both musically and emotionally?
Schmidt: We don’t want to dictate what people take away from it; we’d rather they find whatever they need in it. If listeners feel even a bit of the satisfaction and inspiration we felt while creating, then we’ve done our job.
OSR: Looking ahead, are there any new directions or sounds you’re exploring for your future releases? How has working on ‘Never Let You Down’ shaped where you want to go next as a duo?
Trinidad: We’re not really chasing a specific sound – it’s more about what feels good and true in the moment. Dance music’s always gonna be part of our language and colour palette, just because of where we come from, but we’re not setting any rules. ‘Never Let You Down’ showed us how natural it can be when we don’t overthink it. Working with Ralf is easy like that, there’s room to mess around, try things, and see what sticks. That’s the direction we want to keep leaning into, comfortably uncomfortable.
Many thanks to Ocean Flor for speaking with us. Find out more about Ocean Flor on their Instagram and Spotify.
