Rossi

Rossi. is one of the hottest new DJs in the London club scene, making a name for himself with his own fresh unique spin on the Minimal House sound. With a residency at fabric, he’s now a popular fixture at events across London and regularly headlines clubs across the UK, with his releases being supported by the likes of Jamie Jones, waFF and Michael Bibi, Following the release of his rework of classic 90’s House track ‘Paradise’ out on Gavin Koolmon of Disciples’ new label SIKR, we chat with the rising star to discuss his career highlights, upcoming summer plans and all about his new track ‘Paradise’…

Thanks for joining us today, what have you been up to recently?

Thank you for having me! Recently I’ve been working on a lot of new material in the studio, to go towards some new releases for early 2020. Also, at the same time I’ve been building myself a new studio which I should be able to move into in the next couple of weeks! Over the past few weeks, I’ve had gigs in Leeds, Amsterdam, Manchester and Birmingham… I’m finding that each place I go to has their own sort of vibe and it’s really refreshing to see.   

You’re relatively new on the electronic music scene, what have been some highlights of your career so far?

So far I’ve had a really cool journey. Some highlights for me include warming up for East End Dubs at Fabric and my debut in Amsterdam was a very special moment. Another highlight for me was seeing the reaction to my Dub Inventions EP, It’s always hard to judge how your music is going to be received by the masses and this was my debut digital release so and when the EP came out, the support and reaction to my music was brilliant!! Hearing people playing your music or seeing videos of people really enjoying themselves to it was special, so that time at the beginning of this year is a real highlight for me.

You’ve teamed up with Insight to recreate his classic house track ‘Paradise’. Can you tell us more about this and the inspiration behind the track?

I was first shown the original 93’ version of ‘Paradise’ around a year ago now by a friend of mine Joe O’Leary. We both thought that the vocals were so exciting and current, that it would be really cool to see if I could re-work the track for today’s scene! We got in contact with Alex and Trevor (Insight) and not only did they allow us to go ahead and do it, they even re-recorded the vocals and some of the stems themselves for me to put into my version as the reels that the original stems were on had warped over time. So it really feels like a collaboration between the old and new, which is why this track feels very special to me and why we wanted Insight to be credited!

You’re releasing the track on SIKR, the label ran by Gavin Koolmon from Disciples. How did this collaboration come about?

I was introduced to Gavin a couple of months after working up the track. We met and I showed him the track and he was really enthusiastic and was excited to have it as part of his label. Working with Gavin is great, he is a really nice and down-to-earth guy! His ear for music is great and he and the SIKR team have been really helpful in the process.

Your productions have been supported by the likes of Jamie Jones, waFF, Apollonia and Michael Bibi. What does that mean to you? Did you ever expect your music to get picked up like this?

To be honest, when getting into production, I just made music because I love doing it! I never really expected or imagined that the likes of those legends would be playing my music in clubs one day! When I first saw the video of Jamie Jones playing my track ‘RKiNN’ at Kappa Futur I had chills and rushes of adrenaline. He is an artist that has pioneered throughout my lifetime and to see him playing my track internationally gave me a big boost in the belief that achievements like this are possible if you work hard and focus on your music! Then when I saw other DJs starting to support, I had the feeling that this was the start of a new journey in my life, and the birth of my career.

You’ve held a residency at fabric as well as playing venues including Ministry of Sound, Printworks as well as a number of clubs across the UK. How does it feel to play such well-established clubs? What have been some of your most memorable performances?

Yea I have been very lucky to play some really cool events with great DJs! I recently got to play the main room at Printworks which was XL! Fabric for me is always really special to play, the club has such a history so it’s always an honour to get behind the turntables there. But I have to say playing in Amsterdam for No Art at Claire was an incredible night. It was my international debut and I played a 2 hour warm up. The Dutch people are amazing and they give such good energy to you whilst you’re playing… the room was electric. Then to top it off, we finished the night with a B2B2B2B2B between Rich Nxt, ANOTR, Toman and myself. Playing with those guys at the end was a special moment for me.

You’re playing in Ibiza with Solid Grooves this summer, is this your first time playing on the island? How are you looking forward to it?

I cannot wait!!! From the age of 16 I’ve been going to Ibiza every summer and partying. My dad was the first person to take me out there actually! It’s an Island that has given me so many amazing memories already, and now I’m starting to play out there and I can’t wait for the many more special moments it will bring. I am preparing a very special set, making a lot of new music specifically for that set.

You present your own radio show ‘HomeGrown’ showcasing some of the best artists in the underground scene. Where did the concept for this come from?

I have always loved the idea of having my own show on the radio because I listen to a lot of music. The idea of HomeGrown was to invite artists on the show who are both upcoming or household names in the scene. But I always wanted to talk on the show, I like to introduce and tell listeners a bit about the artists they are about to listen to. I feel it lets the audience engage with them on a more personal level and hopefully after listening to their sound, support them going forward. The next episode will be out in the next week, I’m really excited about the upcoming episodes, they all feature brilliant artists!!

What’s the best bit of advice you have been given as an up and coming artist?

There are some things that I have been told by people that have always stayed with me.

• Your ear is your biggest tool, if it sounds right to you (doesn’t matter how you made it) what matters is that it sounds right in your ears, no one can tell you how to make your own music… believe in your sound and everything will flow naturally.
• Play what you want to play, and the right crowd will follow…
• Surround yourself with like-minded people and learn from each other, work together and support each other.

Finally, what else do you have coming up in 2019?

Up next I’m going to be travelling to South America for the first time to play out there, which is really exciting for me! It’s a part of the world I have longed to visit and being invited to play out there is a privilege. Then of course, I will be making my debut in Ibiza with Solid Grooves and in between those I will be playing up and down the UK! I also have a couple of remixes that I am working on, which will land later this year and so far I have two more EPs scheduled for 2019 but I will let you wait to see on which labels!