Shropshire's Ryan chills out as track hits airwaves

The 20-year-old has muscular dystrophy, a progressive condition which causes the muscles to weaken.

And although Ryan's condition means he cannot play a musical instrument, he is able to produce pieces on his computer.

His track Relax has been played twice in as many weeks on the BBC Introducing Shropshire programme, which showcases unsigned musicians from across the county.

"Having muscular dystrophy has been a help in some ways because it makes me more determined about making something," said Ryan, from Dudleston Heath near Ellesmere.

"I can't play an instrument but I make electronic music on the computer with a midi keyboard."

Ryan said that because of the problems his condition causes he hadn't considered a career in music until a friend got him interested. "I was at Walford College and one of my mates was DJ-ing, and I bought some turntables from him," he said.

"I started DJ-ing and it was fun, but you get more out of making your own music than playing other people's. I liked music but before that I hadn't really thought about it."

Once he became interested in making music, Ryan signed up for a six-month course at the school of Sound Recording in Manchester.

He said: "It really helped me broaden my technical knowledge and to develop my own style. I really like trying a lot of genres, but I would say Relax is a house track with a techy edge.

Proud

"It's great that Relax was picked for the radio and I'm really proud of how it sounds. I can't say I'd ever thought about a career as a musician but this is really encouraging.

"For me, this is about the music more than anything else. If anything else comes out of me making music, it'll be a bonus."