Rocky and Ross

I started DJing in the mid 80s playing hip-hop, jazz, soul and funk. Hooked up with Diesel in 87 and did the first Rocky and Diesel gig in Barbarellas, West Londonon the 12thJune 1988. We started to make music with Ashley Beedlein 92 and made the first X-Press 2 record, Muzik Express. A string of club hits followed also started Ballistic Brothers along with Beedle, Dave Hill and Uschi Classen, a kind of pre trip hop, jazzy breaks sort of project. In 2001 X-Press 2 wrotet he album Muzikizum that included Lazy with David Byrne, that reached number 2 in the UK pop charts. Everything went a bit nuts after that. We released a second, third and finally ,a forth album in 2012, The House of X-Press 2, it featured the usual collection of straight up club tracks and a slew of collaborations. 

Around 2012 my love of all things soul was re ignited when, long time friends, Dean Thatcher and Steve Saunders asked me to play at their amazing monthly night, Studio 45. A night of RNB, Soul, Popcorn, Blues and all sorts of other rootsy tunes. Since then, regular bookings at Studio 45, several appearances at the Ibiza Soul Week, the Modcast events and various other guest spots have cemented that love. It was like I’d had a 25 year break fromthe music I’d started out with and I had a lot of catching up to do! Mainly collecting all sorts of 50s, 60s and 70s Soul vinyl these days, from cheap n cheerful bits that I missed back in the day to some of the Northern things that are all new to me. Still DJing regularly with Diesel as X-Press 2 as well and lots of soul gigs here and there, life is pretty busy.