Richard Earnshaw

British producer and DJ Richard Earnshaw has been nothing short of prolific when it comes to his musical output. Under his various collaborations and pseudonyms, notably Spiritchaser, One51 and Inner Spirit, Richard has co-written, produced and remixed some of the music industry’s greatest. Aside of his productions for his own labels, Duffnote, One51 and Guess Records, Richard’s music has also graced prominent labels such as Soulfuric, Defected, Reel People Music, Groove Culture, Salted Music, Purple Music,  Swing City, Hed Kandi, Ministry of Sound, Sony Music and many more. As his new single, ‘Touch Me’ lands on Fool’s Paradise, DMCWorld checks in for a chat…

Hey Richard, Thanks very much for taking the time to sit down with us here at DMC World. How’s 2024 been for you so far?

Thank you having me, and yes, 2024 has been a good one so far. A lot of different hats being worn both in the studio and out on the road which has been a lot of fun. And there’s still time for more of that before the year is out.

Please can you introduce yourself to our DMC World readers.

In short, my name is Richard Earnshaw. I am [ahem!] years old and whilst I’ve been playing piano (and other instruments) since I was 7, I always had a keen interest in music technology and composition throughout my teens. Whilst I was at college doing my A-Levels, I started to properly throw myself into it. This was 1991 so I was 16. It was early days but I was 100% sure this was to be my path to a career in music.

Then onwards to Goldsmiths College/University of London where I did a Music degree (1993-1996), and from around 1994 I started to make a little extra money on the side with recording/producing/mix engineering. After completing my degree I explored a few career opportunities at some London studios but ultimately left London early 1997 and moved to the South Coast. This is where things picked up pace with producing music and the beginning of the journey to where I am now with early projects as Fusion Groove Orchestra, the start of Spiritchaser in 1999 and my first solo Earnshaw productions from 2001. All in all, this means this year is my 30^th year in music as a ‘job’.

What is the best piece of new music you have heard recently?

Difficult one to narrow down but I have very much been enjoying Peacey’s new album “Play It By Ear” on Atjazz Record Company and also Crackazat “Beat Tape 02” on CKZT.

How would you describe your signature sound and what inspires your music?

My sound has always leaned towards a more soulful end of the spectrum. I guess this was inevitable as I was playing a lot of jazz as a pianist and when I started to lay that down over some (primitive) programmed beats I accidentally found myself making dance music with a jazz/soulful inspired vibe. But my inspirations are drawn from pretty much every style of music you can imagine so I love to write and produce all forms of music. I think it’s my technical approach to the production, the mixdown, the mastering…the detail. These are the glue to what contributes to my sound, whatever the genre.

What’s been your own most successful release so far?

Of all the projects/collaborations I’ve been involved with, Spiritchaser/Est8 “These Tears” is the most notable achievement/success so far. Release on our Guess Records label in 2010, it was eventually picked by Sony Music South Africa in 2011 and went on to top the mainstream charts for 9 weeks and is still on regular radio rotation and has been covered, sampled, synch’d a number of times.

Congratulations on your new single ‘Touch Me’ on Fool’s Paradise. What made you decide to cover the Fonda Rae / Wish 80’s classic and what can we expect to hear?

It all started with a writing camp at a studio in London arranged by the team at Fool’s Paradise. After laying down a few ideas, getting a few jams going, it was kind of a “this is a cool vibe, how about we try this acapella over the top and see where it takes us” thing. So essentially it was not so much a decision but an off the cuff idea that stuck. Only I didn’t want to replay it, I wanted to create a whole new musical foundation for the song/vocal.

You’ve been running Duffnote, One51 and Guess Records labels for a long time now, looking back what have been your label highlights?

We’re into our 21^st year with the business and there have been so many highlights. We’re super proud of every release on all of them. I mentioned the success of Spiritchaser/Est8 “These Tears” earlier and that really has been a special thing on Guess Records. My very first solo release on Duffnote which was the first label to be established was “Feel Love”. It was a long time ago now but I still work with Simon Green and James Vargas and safe to say 20 years later we are still good mates and work together. The lesser known “Decade Mix” is my favourite.

For One51 Recs it was discovering a lost version of an earlier One51 release “Elevate” ft. Heidi Vogel very randomly whilst sifting through the hard drive archives. No idea why it was never finished at the time but since we had just been plunged into lockdown for the pandemic, it was a wonderful project to revisit with and to (albeit remotely) work with musicians who suddenly had a lot of time on their hands.

On KMG we’ve got a new collaboration called the Love Klubb and it’s been gaining some great momentum and support since it’s first release “Ready For Love”. The whole process is all about uplifting, fun, music making.

You’ve co-written, produced and remixed big names including Roy Ayers, Jocelyn Brown, Ursula Rucker, Natasha Watts and Kenny Thomas and so many more. Who else would you love to work with?

I have a list of people written in my note book and I fully intend on reading out to them with a view to (hopefully) collaborate with them on the new album. I’m going to be annoying and not give anything here… you’ll just have to wait until I reveal all for the new album next year.

Among your many guises, you’re also one half of Spiritchaser with Mark Bamford, together releasing the fantastic ‘Always For Love’ album in spring. What can we expect to hear and how’s it been going down?

The great thing about Spiritchaser, even after 25 years making music together is that we will never know what will happen in the studio. We like to tell a story with our album projects, so there is a lot of variation. “Always For Love” covers a lot of styles… deep house, ambient, chill out, garage, progressive, and more in-between. We try not to pigeonhole ourselves so expect the unexpected. One track that has certainly crossed a few boundaries and attracted the attention of DJs/listeners from all over the genre spectrum is “Tonight” with Dyanna Fearon.

It’s actually been 14 years since you released your epic solo album, ‘In Time’, have you any plans for a new Richard Earnshaw long player?

I know!!! 14 years is a long time. But even to this day of writing this interview, that album gets a lot of support. At the time I set out to create something that would (hopefully) stick around for a while. But it is time for another one… and I am currently working on it with a view to release in the late spring/early summer of 2025!

Your iCulture party brand is still going strong, what have been your highlight parties this year so far and what’s coming up?

We have just completed our annual residency at Purobeach/Barcelona which are always a lot of fun. For London, we have secured a date at Q in Shoreditch for 30^th November, but next for us is ADE. We’re all set for our party on Friday 18^th October as part of a very exciting program of events at the Vic Bar/Park Plaza Victoria.

You’ve been making music for a long time, how has the industry changed since you first started out and what now needs to change for the better?

Gosh… this is a belter of a question. The last 25 years have seen things change beyond recognition! At every stage, every level. In the way we create music, distribute music, promote music, consume music. It’s very easy and nice to reminisce and be nostalgic about the way things used to be. And in many ways, it was better. But everything evolves so it’s important to keep an eye on things. Make changes where you need to or want to. Embrace them, make them work for you. There’s a lot about the way things are now I don’t like, but rather than be distracted by it all, I will always prioritise music. The music is the most important, most constant thing in the 30 years I’ve been creating and performing it. That part will never change.

Have you any pearls of wisdom to pass on to up and coming producers looking to break through?

This is a question I get asked a lot, and it’s a tough one because I’m of an older generation and my values and perspective on certain things may not align with those of up-and-coming producers. I will always say whether in the studio or in the booth/on stage, the music is the most important thing of all. Be passionate about it. Nurture it. Dedicate yourself to it. Be patient with it.

We come to raid your record collection, which embarrassing record do you chuck out the window before we arrive? 

Okay… well to be honest, I’m not really embarrassed about any of the records in my collection. If you find anything that needs an explanation, I’m happy to talk you through why it’s there.

What record makes you say ‘damn, I wish I made that’?

Easy…Earth Wind & Fire “Let Your Feelings Show”.

What new productions are you working on that you can tell us about?

In the most part I’m working on the new album. But I also have other projects to come before that. Plenty of one off Earnshaw singles and I have a couple of EP series too… “Deeper Than Usual” and “Different Spaces”. These will probably end up resulting in a series of EPs within themselves… or I’ll package them up as LPs. There’s pretty much a whole album of material to wrap up under my Inner Spirit profile. And there’s already a load of new Spiritchaser material happening. Basically there’s never a dull moment.. Just getting the music done.

Richard Earnshaw ‘Touch Me’ is out now on Fool’s Paradise.

https://fools.lnk.to/TouchMeFA