First rising to prominence with acclaimed remixes including Laura Mvula’s ‘SHE’ plus his two free EP’s ‘Hot Telescopic’ and ‘Lisbon’, Brighton based Laurie James Ross has begun to carve a niche for himself and earning a lot of respect along the way. He has since remixed the likes of Josh Record, Sivu, Naughty Boy and Fenech Solar. His musical style is a hard to pin-point with a mix of genres and instruments throughout his productions, one of the reasons his music is so fresh and appealing.
Eagles for Hands music has been a big success across YouTube music channels such as Majestic Casual with his tracks amassing a serious amount of views. However it’s his new track ‘Glass Heart’ (below) which has really propelled Eagles for Hands into the public eye with support from Monki, Annie Mac, Zane Lowe and B.Traits to name but a few.
After confirming two live shows at London’s Oslo (Hackney) and Manchester’s Soup Kitchen, (TICKETS HERE)
we thought we would catch up with the man with the hands and pick his musical brain too…
Hi Laurie, What are you up to at this very moment?
Hi! I’m down in my basement studio room in beautiful Brighton. It’s was this old public toilet from the 80s. It’s changed a lot now though, thankfully.
So do you actually have eagles for hands?
Only on Wednesdays.
If you could have any animal for hands what would it be?
I think I’d pass on it to be honest. They’d be stealing my food, I’d have to stroke them to keep them calm but I wouldn’t have any real hands to stroke them with. The whole thing would be a total nightmare.
You’ve just confirmed two live shows for November, what can the audience expect from your live show as opposed to a DJ set?
I hate seeing someone turn up and play to an audience with just a laptop so I wanted to make my show as close to a live performance as possible. I have a keyboard, drum machine and some controllers on stage with me plus a bunch of other things that I can make noises out of. I use a lot of looping during the show and as much live playing as humanly possible.
You’ve played a stack of great festivals so far this year, any highlights?
Secret Garden Party was a lot of fun. I played in the late afternoon so got to enjoy the evening properly and got myself some much needed festival fun.
Is there a track you particularly love playing out in your sets?
I’ve got a few. I’m loving the new SBTRKT record and a really amazing remix of a track called ‘Kuar’ by Emanuel Jal. It’s remixed by Olof Dreijer, it’s quite an old track now but it’s just so much fun to play out. The vocal is incredible and always puts a smile on my face.
It seems like you’re getting a lot of admirers for your remix work, which has been your favourite to work on?
I’ve actually just finished one for a new artist called Laura Doggett. The vocal was a real pleasure to work with. I hope you get to hear it soon.
If you could remix any track, which one?
Oh god I dunno, too many to say really. Maybe something by Little Dragon. I love her voice so much.
Your music is truly a mix of styles and genres, is it frustrating when people ask you to define it or can you define it?
It’s really hard to define your own music. I much prefer to let other people decide for themselves. That way
you haven’t put ideas in their head and they get to listen to it without any preconceptions. It’s probably the same for most producers.
you haven’t put ideas in their head and they get to listen to it without any preconceptions. It’s probably the same for most producers.
Who would you say have been key influencers in your music throughout the years?
Going right back i’d definitely say the Beatles. Because growing up that was the only pop music my dad played so it was firmly etched into my brain. After that It was grunge and punk and then metal and hardcore and then finally electronica. Massive attack were probably the first band that got me into more electronic music. A gateway band if you will.
Has the success of Glass Heart so far gone beyond your expectations?
The reaction so far has been totally amazing. I made the track at the start of the year but it felt like the summer was the right time to get it out there.
What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?
I’m working on a new EP at the moment, which I hope to have out in late October and then I’m playing a few UK dates in November. It’s going to be a whole new show, all new music.
So which tracks are currently listening to on the road to get you psyched up for a set?
Here goes (Spotify Playlist Below)…