Richard Russell (born 18 March 1971) is an English record producer and the owner of British record label

XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. It releases an average of six albums a year. T ...

Career

was founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes to release

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

. Richard Russell joined XL as an A & R scout in 1991. In 1992, Russell released a single titled " The Bouncer" as part of a duo named Kicks Like a Mule. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described the song as

rave music A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

that was "knocked into shape in about five hours" which "crossed over from pirate radio to reach number seven in the charts." Russell appeared on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' and was initially signed to

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

for an album but was dropped from London before its completion. By 2007, Russell was a chairman and half owner of the record label XL Recordings, which had released albums by groups such as

the White Stripes The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a British rapper and MC. He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by ''Complex'' as one of the greatest British ...

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician who is the vocalist and main songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. He plays guitar, bass, keyboards and other instruments, and is noted for his falsetto. ''Rolling Stone'' desc ...

and MIA. Between 2007 and 2009, Russell worked with the American musician and lyricist

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author known for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Jackso ...

to produce the album ''

I'm New Here ''I'm New Here'' is the 15th and final studio album by American vocalist and pianist Gil Scott-Heron. It was released on February 8, 2010, by XL Recordings and was his first release of original music in 16 years, following a period of personal an ...

'', released in 2010. He also conceived the reworking of the original album, ''

We're New Here ''We're New Here'' is a remix album by American vocalist Gil Scott-Heron and English music producer Jamie xx, released on February 21, 2011, by Young Turks (record label), Young Turks and XL Recordings. A longtime fan of Scott-Heron, Ja ...

'', remixed by

Jamie xx James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the indie pop band the xx. He has been described as a " ...

and released in 2011. In 2011, Russell joined

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (, ; born 23 March 1968) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman, main vocalist, and lyricist of the rock band Blur (band), Blur and the co-creator and primary musical con ...

and several other producers on a trip to Congo where they recorded the album '' Kinshasa One Two'' as the newly established DRC Music (

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Music) group. The album features various producers including Russell,

Dan the Automator Daniel M. Nakamura (born August 29, 1966), better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark. Early life Daniel M. Nakamura wa ...

Jneiro Jarel Omar Jarel Gilyard, known by his stage name Jneiro Jarel, is an American recording artist, music producer, composer, and DJ. Recognized for his versatile, abstract, and often experimental style, he is also known for his beat-making alias Dr. Who ...

, T-E-E-D,

Rodaidh McDonald Roderick William George "Rodaidh" McDonald is a Scottish record producer, and record company executive. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and currently resides in Los Angeles, California, United States. His production and mixing credits include ...

and Kwes alongside various local musicians from Congo. It was released on 7 November 2011 on CD and LP, following a digital release the previous month. In 2012, Russell and Damon Albarn co-produced '' The Bravest Man in the Universe'', the new studio album from

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack ( ; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's ...

. 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,

was named Label of the Year at the ceremony. In April 2020, Russell released his autobiography ''Liberation Through Hearing'' through publishing house White Rabbit. He has spearheaded the music project Everything Is Recorded. It has released three studio albums: '' Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell'' (2018), '' Friday Forever'' (2020), and '' Temporary'' (2025). Everything Is Recorded released a song called "Never Felt Better" in 2025, featuring

Florence Welch Florence Leontine Mary Welch
(born 28 ...

(of the indie rock/pop band

Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...

) and Sampha. He is also a member of the duo Sam Morton, along with

Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her work in independent film with dark and tragic themes, particularly in period dramas. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including the BAFTA Fellowship ...

. The duo's debut studio album, '' Daffodils & Dirt'', was released in 2024.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Everything Is Recorded by Richard Russell'' (as Everything Is Recorded, 2018) * '' Friday Forever'' (as Everything Is Recorded, 2020) * '' Daffodils & Dirt'' (as Sam Morton, 2024) * '' Temporary'' (as Everything Is Recorded, 2025)

EPs

* ''Close but Not Quite EP'' (as Everything Is Recorded, 2017)

Production

– ''

'' (2010) * Gil Scott-Heron &

– ''

'' (2011) * DRC Music – '' Kinshasa One Two'' (2011) *

– '' The Bravest Man in the Universe'' (2012) *

– ''

Everyday Robots ''Everyday Robots'' is the debut solo studio album by British musician Damon Albarn, best known as the frontman of Blur (band), Blur and Gorillaz. Described by Albarn as his "most personal record", the album was co-produced by Richard Russell ...

'' (2014) * Ibeyi – '' Ibeyi'' (2015) * Ibeyi – '' Ash'' (2017) * Ibeyi – '' Spell 31'' (2022) *

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and human rights activist. He came to prominence as the original frontman of the rock band Genesis. He left the band in 1975 and launched a solo career wit ...

– '' I/O'' (2023)

References

External links

*
Interview, HitQuarters September 2008

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Richard British music industry executives Living people English electronic musicians English record producers Breakbeat hardcore musicians 1971 births Musicians from London XL Recordings