In an eclectic performance in The Button Factory on Friday, September 21st, music producer and DJ Ross from ‘Friends’ played for a packed-out room of people highly energised on the soothing and nostalgic sounds of old-school dance music.
From the moment the producer, Ross (Aka Felix Clary Weatherall) from the hit series ‘Friends’ began his set, it was clear that this performance was going to differ from the average DJ set.
Alongside Ross stood two live musicians that also happen to be close friends of the producer, accompanying him with the soothing tones of a saxophone and mellow basslines in a way that made the performance much more of an evocative experience than that of a typical DJ.
The producer played purely original tracks which proved to be a popular choice among the crowd as the combination of dramatic lighting and steady beats had each person dancing in a way that felt second nature and coagulated to create a type of ambiance that would leave a person feeling almost nostalgic.
Ross, being a man of few words, features rare snippets of lyrics in his tracks. A favourite among the crowd was one of his few songs featuring lyrics, ‘(Talk to me), You’ll Understand’. The song originally surfaced in 2015, and now boasts an impressive 4.3 million view on YouTube since its release.
A chorus of people singing ‘Talk to me, you’ll understand’ sounded through the dancefloor of The Button Factory back to the producer.
Ross originally learned his craft from his father and being an apprentice of sorts meant that he learned how to produce music at a young age, experimenting with various types of music until he discovered the type of lo-fi house music that he is renowned for producing today.
The style of music he creates can be compared to that of other artists such as DJ Seinfield and DJ Boring who seem almost reflective of the 1990s pop culture that these artists would have grown up listening to.
In a previous interview, Ross stated that he has gained ‘a real love for the old-school sound, where it really just sounds worn-out and knackered, and it’s got a lot of character.’
This statement is an accurate representation of how Ross performs live. His music has a unique paradoxical quality whereby it can make a whole room of people dance for three hours straight without stopping, while at the same time being the type of music that a person could listen to on their own in their bedroom at home.
Much of the music the he produces can be considered almost futuristic in nature, with songs such as “Project Cybersyn” featuring digital undertones that seem like the kind of style of house music that could be popular in 30 years time.
There is no doubt that Ross is an idiosyncratic game-changer in terms of what is popular in house music today.
Aine O’Boyle
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