Tenderfoot Guest 02 - Rosy Ross
Our mothership Dalston Supertore has started a new weekly party - every Tuesday ‘Tenderfoot’ hosts one of the Dalston Supertore residents, and asks them to invite a fresh up-and-coming DJ to join then each week for a month. Throughout March our resident promoter Michelle Manetti takes the helm. Guest number 1 last week, was Catalina (a previous Fèmmme Fraîche Fresh talent DJ - check her previous interview HERE) Week number 2 see’s Rosy Ross joining our resident. Michelle first encountered Rosy, while tutoring at one of the SISU Crew DJ workshops, then after answering a call-out on Rhythm Sisters network, Rosy’s impeccable epic Spotify playlist caught her attention and she invited her to join her on March 12th as her second Tenderfoot guest. We asked Rosy to compile an abridged version of her playlist for our Friday Feels series, to give us a taster of what we can expect on Tuesday. We also had a quick chat with Rosy, about her DJ career so far.
ROSY ROSS INTERVIEW
Hi Rosy. So we’re excited to see you play this Tuesday at Tenderfoot and thanks for having a chat with us. So let's start at the beginning, when did you first start DJ-ing?
I’ve been playing songs at friends’ house parties and vying for control over the speakers at any general gathering for years now, sometimes using CDJs but more often from my iPod shuffle. It was last August I bought a controller and started practising mixing more regularly.
So what was it that first inspired you to take to the decks?
I spend a lot of time and thinking and money on music - tracks, records, gigs, going out dancing, getting obsessed over genres and radio shows and music scenes - and I can’t imagine that changing, ever. It’s life! I think there’s a need to channel all that consumption back out somehow. I’ve dabbled in other forms of music-making, but I also love to dance and those moments when you’ve picked the perfect song, or when a synth sound or bassline or vocal electrifies the whole room.
Fab! So tell us a little about your DJ journey so far.
I guess I had a ‘tempus fugit’ moment last summer. I’m more scared of regretting not doing something than the other way round. But I also know what I’m like - I need a community and a bit of outside pressure to practise regularly and stay motivated. So I also set up an open decks night and went on a DJ course run by Sisu. I’m about to start producing radio shows at Threads. All this has introduced me to loads of wicked people and projects - I feel totally alight at the moment!
Yes, music is food to our soul as they say! So tell us, what’s been your highlight gig so far?
Probably new year’s day, my friends’ kitchen in Brockley, playing to the several people still going, including some of my dearest friends. I kicked things off with Soulphiction’s remix of Alma Negra (I have to include this, everyone needs to know this track!!) and it just seemed to flow. We danced hard!
That's a tasty little track indeed! (just belting it out now) So where would you like to see your DJ career take you?
I’ve not thought too far ahead... Okay that’s not true, but I guess at the moment I need to practise shitloads and get some gigs. I would love a radio show! I also think it would be so excellent later on to get together with some friends and throw a small-ish festival like Field Maneuvers.
Festival sounds fab - Sign us up!! We hear you run an open decks night? Tell us a little bit more about that?
I know people with amazing and voracious tastes in music, who I think should be sharing this more widely. And there must be so many more out there. Most other open decks nights seemed only to be inviting people to bring records and play a few songs. But it’s a different thing to be playing ‘in public’, to have the time to build a set and the space to respond to the audience and change the plan, if needs be. So I set up TBAM or ‘there’s been a mix-up’, which is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the idea of an ‘amateur’ stepping up to the professional-looking (and, frankly, intimidating) DJ booth and taking over for the night. It is intended to be as accessible as possible. I want all the genres and I don’t care whether people can mix or not - that’s not important (although it’s a good opportunity for anyone learning to mix to practise in a fairly relaxed setting as well). As I said, it motivates me to practise and gives me a regular gig :D Always looking for more peeps to get involved!
Sounds FAB, so finally, what musical treats can we expect from you on Tuesday?
Mostly disco, italo and wonky 80s pop
Brill! So there you have it, check out Rosy's Friday Feels spotify playlist below and don't forget to follow her on her socials.
