Ross From Friends launches his own label, kicks it off with his new song Burner
After sharing his debut album via Brainfeeder, the British producer and DJ steps forward with new material, but this time under a label of his own.
Posted By Hayden Davies 2 years ago
Header image by Fabrice Bourgelle.
Ross From Friends - no, not David Schwimmer - is somewhat of British house music royalty.
Across the last six years, the Essex-born producer and DJ has blossomed into one of dance music's most adored and celebrated names; a commonly-found favourite spread across strobe-lit club shows and major festival lineups alike. It's not too hard to understand why either, as the producer's work manages to snap together the intricate beauty of dance music at its most subtle with the heaviness that comes from a deep connection to club culture, and the relentless freedom that comes with heaving rhythms and sprawling melodies.
It's a combination that Ross From Friends has explored in many ways over the last half-decade of releases, swerving amongst different club worlds through the EPs that littered his earliest break-out, while his debut album Family Portrait was something both dance-ready and emotional, drawing on stories from himself and those around him to create pacing bursts of house energy. At the time, Family Portrait felt like a pioneering release that would pave a pathway to further more intimate and personal club records to come; proof that dance music can be used to tell stories even with the most slight shading of melodies.
It was something special, and coming from the Flying Lotus-ran Brainfeeder, you'd expect nothing less. His Epiphany EP brought something similar, dedicated to his sister - "one of the most important role models I have," - with slick yet rough-around-the-edges dance music at its message-bringer; the EP being a stark contrast from much of his work in its complete dive into the mania of club music. "I constantly wanted to take a step back and think about the structures in a more conventional sense. I spent a lot of time making it sound like it could be played in a club," he reflected.
Now, with his new single Burner, Ross From Friends' natural arc is ever-evolving, and taking a step inspired by one of the artists who had such a profound impact on his life: Flying Lotus. It comes in the form of Scarlet Tiger, a new label ran by Ross From Friends underneath Caroline's dance music umbrella LG105 - which from the peeps we've heard already, is shaping up to be a special and versatile addition to the dance music roster.
"I've always sent music back and forth with friends and folk I've met online over the years, amassing all of this music, so it made perfect sense for me to start a label to release all of it," he says on the label's foundations. "There seems to be a general path that flows through all of the things that grab me which is some kind of UK electronic music," he continues, explaining the music he wishes to elevate through the label.
The first release, however, is one of his own. It's a new single called Burner, one that seems to welcome everything Ross From Friends hopes to spotlight with his work through the eyes of someone making sure of it. It's an exciting release that shows what Ross From Friends does best, capturing the raw and personal songwriting Ross From Friends is able to present even without the use of lyrics - the swirling melodies and thick-cut bass telling the stories instead, in a way that he hopes much of Scarlet Tiger's releases will.
There's a very Windows Media Player-esque video coming alongside it, and you can take a dive into it below:
Follow Ross From Friends: FACEBOOK
Follow Scarlet Tiger: FACEBOOK
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