RUTHVEN

In the organizer's words:

Ruthven - aka Sean Nelson - has always been characterized by a certain passion. The South London musician first came to prominence in 2017 when he was one of the first artists signed to the Paul Institute - the label founded by A.K. and Jai Paul. At the time, he was a member of the London Fire Brigade and recorded his tracks in the fire station, using small windows of time between call-outs.

With much deliberation, Ruthven continued to develop his unique mix of R&B-tinged future-funk, attracting critical acclaim ("creates Prince-like jams with the contours and elegance of sports cars" - The FADER). He eventually went on tour with Sampha. His recent collaboration with Sampha and Little Simz on "Satellite Business 2.0" sits alongside his feature with Overmono on "Gem Lingo (ovr now)".

On his debut album Rough & Ready, Ruthven invites listeners into his intimate world. Across 12 tracks, he relies on classic songwriting combined with opulent instrumentation to create a sonic portal that traverses different decades. "It's jazz-influenced, but it also pulls from many other genres," he says. "Even yacht rock artists like Michael McDonald and Steely Dan have had a big influence on me." The result is an album that combines the distinctive edges of early Prince B-sides like "17 Days" with the smoky atmosphere of D'Angelo's Voodoo era, particularly "Africa".

The making of Rough & Ready presented some challenges, including technical glitches, but Ruthven stayed true to his goal of creating deeply personal yet relatable music. The result is an album that needs to be heard.