Ramrock Selectahs: Rosanne Erskine – Solid Selection

Ramrock Selectahs: Rosanne Erskine - Solid Selection

RRRLP006 – Rosanne Erskine – Cold Sun LP

Released on Ramrock Red Records on 10th June 2022, ‘Cold Sun’ is Rosanne Erskine’s outstanding debut solo album, with Saleem Andrew McGroarty adding his masterful production talents to the project as Sound Signals Productions. Having worked together in the 1990s, when Rosanne was with the groundbreaking ‘90s group, ‘Coco and The Bean’, the two friends reconnected in 2018 and pooled their respective musical talents to collaborate on the beautifully haunting and deeply personal ‘Cold Sun’. Since then, both Rosanne and Saleem have been instrumental in propelling the recent revival of Edinburgh's Urban music scene forward with their myriad of musical contributions. Starting out in 1982 as a ‘Revette’ in punk new wave band, The Revillos, Edinburgh based Irish singer/songwriter/musician, Rosanne Erskine has been working solidly on Ramrock Red Records tracks since 2018. With fellow Ramrockers, The Bum-Clocks, Rosanne’s vocals can be heard on their ‘Tree O' Liberty’ EP and her distinctive voice takes centre stage on ‘Meadows’ and ‘Kind of Strange’ taken from Joseph Malik’s ‘Out of The Ordinary – ‘Stranger Things Have Happened’ LP. Earlier in her illustrious career, Rosanne’s lead vocals drive Coco and the Bean’s 1995 Trip Hop classic, ‘Killing Time’ which garnered a prodigious NME ‘Single of the Week’ award. Rosanne’s lead vocals can also be heard on a wealth of lead vocals including ‘Wasters’ on the East Coast Project compilation [Natural Response], ‘Melted’ on Blunted: The Edinburgh Project [Shadow Records], ‘Witchman/’John Roome’ from the ‘Stolen Voices’ EP, featured on 3 major TV series ‘Nip, Tuck’, ‘Cold Case’ and ‘Pretty Little Liars’ as well as featuring on several of the superb tracks by ‘90s group, Finitribe. Check out the brilliant ‘Evergreen’ video here.Saleem’s musical career spans over 25 years and his collaboration on productions with Rosanne has culminated in the seamless results on the ‘Cold Sun’ LP. In the time honoured tradition of ‘in reverse order’, they worked together on the 2021 Bum-Clocks ‘Tree O' Liberty’ EP; on Check Masses high acclaimed ‘Nightlife’ 2020 LP of which Saleem is a band member and producer; Joseph Malik’s epic ‘Out of The Ordinary – ‘Stranger Things Have Happened’ Edinburgh collective LP with the single releases, ‘Kind of Strange’, ‘Doctor Frazer McGlinchey’ and taken from Joseph Malik’s 2018 ‘Diverse Pt.2’ LP – the unrivalled blues stormer, ‘Take a Left’ and ‘Lost Not Found (Reprise)’. Under his Sound Signals moniker in 2018, Saleem released ‘Soul Searching Vol 1’ LP on SFSB Recordings, arriving in 1996 with his ‘Qureysh Eh?’ Remix of Coco and The Bean’s ‘Killing Time’ ft. Rosanne Erskine which ft. on the OST of Gregg Araki’s movie, ‘Nowhere’ and in ’94 appeared on the legendary Mo’ Wax’s ‘Headz’ LP with Awunsound’s ‘Symmetrical Jazz’ (Flapper Till 5 A.M Mix).A special thanks to all the musicians who contributed their time and creative energy to the making of the ‘Cold Sun’ album:Bass: Jack Dorrian – ‘Cold Sun’/’Children of Nowhere’Bass: Cameron Bradley – ‘Nobody’/’Fading Away’Guitar: Joshua Çakir - ‘Cold Sun’/’Rattlesnake’Keyboards/additional strings: Steven Christie – ‘Nobody’Percussion: Paulo Riddle – ‘Rattlesnake’/’Flying High’Strings: Bell Lungs – ‘Cold Sun’Trumpet: Colin Steele – ‘Nobody’Trombone: Chris Greive – ‘Nobody’

Video – Rosanne Erskine – Children of Nowhere

The second single release from the 'Cold Sun' LP by Rosanne Erskine (singer/songwriter/musician). Produced by Saleem Andrew McGroarty - Sound Signals, Edinburgh. Released on Ramrock Red Records 2022. Video - Directed by Bonnie MacRae. Performed by Rosanne Erskine. Dancers: Hannah Collins, Salili Paris Young Funded by Creative Scotland.

RRR007 – Out of the Ordinary ft. Rosanne Erskine + Davy Henderson

Ladies and Gentlemen, Ramrock Red Records are proud to present the all-star Edinburgh collective ‘Out of The Ordinary’ with their first single 'Meadows' from the forthcoming LP ‘Stranger Things Have Happened’. After the phenomenal success of his solo album ‘Diverse Part 2’ in 2018, Joseph Malik decided to sit firmly in the producer’s chair and team up once again with the co-writers and production ‘dream’ team of arranger/producer Chris Greive, fellow producers Saleem Andrew McGroarty and David Donnelly to create ‘Meadows’, an open love letter to Edinburgh, the city they all love. It’s an anthem for well-being that embraces all races, all creeds, all colours, all genders and where Joseph shares his experience of homelessness and salvation. 'Meadows' contains the iconic hook from Jefferson Airplane's 'Today' and it was a joy to get the original song writers blessing to create a re-interpretation for their anthem of unity. Joseph knew deep down in his heart ‘Meadows’ had to be a duet but he did not want to sing on the track. So he called upon Ms Rosanne Erskine from Coco & The Bean and indie legend, favoured John Peel Sessions guest, and member of the 'Fire Engines', Davy Henderson. The resulting EP is nothing short of magnificent. The LP & ‘Café Graffiti’ versions are arranged by Chris Greive who crafted the soaring, live strings, played by violinist & Grit Orchestra founder, Greg Lawson whose improvisation has become another instrumental colour within the track. Along with trumpeter Colin Steele and 'The Proclaimers' keyboardist Steven Christie, a sound comparable to the golden era of ’66 Haight-Ashbury folk-psyche fusion was created. With the ‘North Street’ Vocal remix + Dub, Darren Morris and Jo Wallace take the progressive rock element and run with it. The fuzzed up Rhodes + Mellotron of Darren Morris’s keyboards, the mesmerising ‘electrified strings’ of Greg Lawson and the hypnotic repetition of Davy Henderson’s ‘there’s no evil’ vocal hook take you on a trip into an uncharted universe…..in addition to the 4 mixes on vinyl, the digital release also has the ‘North Street’ Dub, Gospel Mix and ‘North Street’ instrumental.Before making ‘Meadows’, Joseph spent time sleeping rough. He says:“It was April and it was getting warmer and I woke one morning in the ‘Meadows’ in Edinburgh. The sounds of the trees, leaves and birds filled my head and in that moment as the sun was coming up, the guitar hook from ‘Today’ came into my head inspiring me to bring the city together in unity”.Fellow ‘Fire Engines’ member, Russell Burn opened his studio to us even when times were tough. Every week the musicians gathered at Rusty’s studio in Easter Road to create ‘Meadows’ and the forthcoming album 'Stranger Things Have Happened'. The final recordings were taken to the new Silverback Lodge studio, just near The Meadows, for 'Out of the Ordinary' to mix the song in the location where it was written.

RRR014 – Out of the Ordinary ft Rosanne Erskine & Check Masses – Kind of Strange EP

‘Kind of Strange’ is taken from Edinburgh super group, Out of the Ordinary’s debut album, ‘Stranger Things Have Happened’. The original version is an eerily, atmospheric track with a classic film noir vibe, underscored with beats provided by Joseph Malik on the ones and twos, in collaboration with Check Masses members Vic Galloway, Saleem Andrew McGroarty and Philly Collins. Vocal powerhouses, Rosanne Erskine and Philly Collins will have you looking over your shoulder with their edgy, unsettling vocal delivery – was that a ghostly outline or just a curtain blowing in the breeze? Combine all of these elements with the mighty Steven Christie’s keyboard, Paulo ‘Brother’ Riddle’s anchoring percussion and Saleem Andrew McGroarty at the production controls, something rather special comes out of the speakers. To prepare for their ‘North Street’ remixes, Jo Wallace and Darren Morris immersed themselves in continuous re-runs of iconic TV series, ‘Randall + Hopkirk [Deceased]’ and ‘Tales of the Unexpected’ enabling them to channel their inner John Barry. Throughout the track, Darren provides swirling, cinematic vamps and lush string arrangements echoing the Warsaw Concerto whilst Chris Greive’s haunting trombone and Vic Galloway, on his electric guitar, beautifully underpin the melody, transporting the listener back to a world of Black and White mystery and suspense.

RRR028 – Rosanne Erskine – Fading Away EP

Ramrock Red Records are incredibly honoured to be introducing Rosanne Erskine’s ‘Fading Away’ EP, which is the first release taken from her forthcoming debut ‘Cold Sun’ album due for release on June 10th on Ramrock Red Records. Rosanne gives us an insight into the painfully raw, unfiltered process of writing and composing ‘Fading Away’: ‘It is about reaching a point of breaking through after a breakdown. When we are able to release and let go of the past, of all of the hurt and pain, and we can begin again. Each one of us struggles with life's challenges and at times it can feel very lonely and dark. It can feel daunting and impossible to see a way forward and make it through to better times. However, as surely as night will become day and day will turn night again, things will change. Through time and by listening and supporting one another we can come out of the darkness, and we can find our way forward again with the help and support of our good friends and family’. ‘Fading Away’ evolved from a couple of string and key samples that Saleem Andrew McGroarty had, which he then developed, put together with a beat and a basic bass line, added some other elements created using virtual instruments and sent it over to Rosanne via the internet. Rosanne then wrote a melody and lyrics and recorded the vocals and sent that back to him to complete the production. The finished track is almost identical to the demo instrumental Saleem sent to Rosanne at the very beginning of the process with the addition of a bass line which Edinburgh based musician Cameron Bradley recorded for the duo. The song was recorded both at Rosanne’s home studio, ‘Kitchen Sink Studios’ in Edinburgh, Scotland and mixed at the ‘Sound Signals’ home studio also in Edinburgh where Saleem works from and where he also completed the final production. The North Street West crew took their inspiration from the beautiful remixes by Frankie Knuckles + Eric Kupper of Hercules + the Love Affair ‘Blind’ and Holly Johnson’s anthemic ‘Follow your heart’ to create a subtle dance remix that understands and amplifies the message of hope in ‘Fading Away’.

RRR030 – Rosanne Erskine – Children of Nowhere EP

Ramrock Red Records are delighted to present Rosanne’s 2nd EP, ‘Children of Nowhere’, taken from her outstanding LP, ‘Cold Sun’. The original LP version is fundamentally a song about the power of music and dance to unite and connect us as people in delight, enjoyment, escapism and ‘joie de vivre’. In contrast, lyrically, it also touches on themes of children and people who find themselves displaced, alone, homeless, refugee or stateless, essentially those in extremely challenging situations seeking safety, a home, love, friendships, stability, fresh beginnings and a sense of belonging. The North Street West remix crew take the track and take it off on a dubtastic diversion with a Vocal Remix that has Rosanne’s vocals tripping out with xylophones, Darren Morris’s beautiful piano interjections, harps and French horns. Then, Dr R.E.Y takes it one dub step further with his melodica meanderings. A very diverse and wonderful EP.‘Children of Nowhere’ evolved from an idea that Rosanne had put together with some virtual instruments and a basic beat and bass line. She then wrote the melody and lyrics, recorded the vocals and sent it all over to producer and co-writer/collaborator Saleem Andrew McGroarty. He then added to and refined the music, upgraded the drums and completed the production. The finished track retains core elements of the demo Rosanne created at the beginning of the process with the addition of live bass provided by Glasgow based musician Jack Dorrian. The song was recorded at Rosanne’s home studio, ‘Kitchen Sink Studios’ in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished at the ‘Sound Still’ home studio, also in Edinburgh, where Saleem works as ‘Sound Signals' productions.

Rosanne Erskine - Dead Wood

To hear more of Rosanne Erskine, check out her showcase here: https://showcase.ramrockrecords.com/znglist/rosanne-erskine-showcase/?c=cG9zdDo5OTA3MTA=Ramrock...