Richard Russell | |
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| Born | (1971-03-18)18 March 1971 (age 54) Dollis Hill,London, England |
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| Labels | XL |
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| Website | XL Recordings |
Richard Russell (born 18 March 1971) is an English record producer and the owner of British record labelXL Recordings.
XL Recordings was founded in 1989 byTim Palmer andNick Halkes to releasedance music.[1] Richard Russell joined XL as anA & R scout in 1991.
In 1992, Russell released a single titled "The Bouncer" as part of a duo namedKicks Like a Mule.[2]The Guardian described the song asrave music that was "knocked into shape in about five hours" which "crossed over from pirate radio to reach number seven in the charts."[2] Russell appeared onTop of the Pops and was initially signed toLondon Records for an album but was dropped from London before its completion.[2]
By 2007, Russell was a chairman and half owner of the record label XL Recordings, which had released albums by groups such asthe White Stripes,Dizzee Rascal,Thom Yorke andMIA.[2]
Between 2007 and 2009, Russell worked with the American musician and lyricistGil Scott-Heron to produce the albumI'm New Here, released in 2010. He also conceived the reworking of the original album,We're New Here, remixed byJamie xx and released in 2011.[3]
In 2011, Russell joinedDamon Albarn and several other producers on a trip toCongo where they recorded the albumKinshasa One Two as the newly established DRC Music (Democratic Republic of the Congo Music) group.[4] The album features various producers including Russell,Dan the Automator,Jneiro Jarel,T-E-E-D,Rodaidh McDonald andKwes alongside various local musicians from Congo. It was released on 7 November 2011 on CD and LP, following a digital release the previous month.[5]
In 2012, Russell and Damon Albarn co-producedThe Bravest Man in the Universe, the new studio album fromBobby Womack.[6] In April 2012, Russell became the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Strat Award, named after music manager Tony Stratton Smith, at the Music Week Awards in London. Russell's label,XL Recordings was named Label of the Year at the ceremony.[7]
In April 2020, Russell released his autobiographyLiberation Through Hearing through publishing house White Rabbit.[8]
He has spearheaded the music project Everything Is Recorded.[9] It has released three studio albums:Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell (2018),Friday Forever (2020), andTemporary (2025).[10] Everything Is Recorded released a song called "Never Felt Better" in 2025, featuringFlorence Welch (of the indie rock/pop bandFlorence and the Machine) andSampha.[11]
He is also a member of the duo Sam Morton, along withSamantha Morton.[12] The duo's debut studio album,Daffodils & Dirt, was released in 2024.[13]
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