Alice Russell

Benji B

Alice Russell.

[Applause]

How are you doing?

Alice Russell

Very well, thank you for inviting me.

Benji B

Our pleasure, I hear you went straight in last night.

Alice Russell

I’ve got the shakes, haven’t had much sleep.

Benji B

Macarena [club]? A lot of fun? Where have you come in from?

Alice Russell

Brighton.

Benji B

Is Brighton where you call home?

Alice Russell

Yes, 15 years now. It’s near the sea and relaxing.

Benji B

Can you explain where that is, for those who don’t know where Brighton might be?

Alice Russell

It’s on the sea coast, just south of London.

Benji B

And what makes Brighton special, in a musical sense?

Alice Russell

It’s quite small, the music community is small and you can walk everywhere, studios are just a little walk down the road. It’s close-knit, and that’s worked well for Tru Thoughts.

Benji B

Have you always been in Brighton?

Alice Russell

I’m a Suffolk girl, the little bum-bump of England, the little round bit in the south-east.

Benji B

So you’re a country girl.

Alice Russell

Yeah, in the fields.

Benji B

We’ll get onto that in a second. But I think it might be worth starting in the present, with some music. You’ve got a new album coming out.

Alice Russell

I have indeed.

Benji B

What’s this called?

Alice Russell

It’s called Pot of Gold… Double check, track one, I think.

(music: Alice Russell – “Turn & Run”)

Benji B

So that’s where you’re at right now?

Alice Russell

Yes, the exact point.

Benji B

So let’s go back to when you decided you wanted to be a singer. You’ve got a very particular sound – are you influenced by gospel music?

Alice Russell

Yes, as soon as I heard it I was, “Oh, my God!” A pasty little country girl jumping up and down in her bedroom to that. It just struck a chord in me, because it was so emotional and expressive – it just made sense. And the harmonies as well…

Benji B

Is that where you first got your sense of harmony?

Alice Russell

I originally sung in a very English church choir, which was completely different from the sort of choir I’d like to have sing in. But it taught me about harmony.

Benji B

And how long did you do that for?

Alice Russell

Until I was about nine, and then I thought I don’t need to do this any more. I’m a bit old now [laughs].

Benji B

Who was the first vocalist who blew your mind and made you want to be a singer?

Alice Russell

I think it was Stevie [Wonder] and Aretha [Franklin], in tandem. Stevie, because of his melodies and riffs; Aretha, because of the rawness of her. And a lot of blues stuff.

Benji B

Is there anything you want to play us?

Alice Russell

A gospel track on there, number five, one I used to jump and down to. It’s the Edwin Hawkins Singers. When I first heard this, it moved me.

(music: Edwin Hawkins Singers – “To My Father’s House”)

Benji B

Once you decided you were into that sound, how did you feed your appetite?

Alice Russell

I just kept eating and eating. I kept getting Aretha stuff, but also in Suffolk all the boys were into hip-hop on that side of the country, and from that came finding all the samples for those tracks and getting into loads of other stuff, the funk stuff, and loads of other records you’d never heard of. So, it all branched off at the same time. Then getting into the hip-hop and finding the tracks for those and expanding out.

Benji B

So, what was your first singing experience in terms of something semi-professional?

Alice Russell

It was band stuff. There were quite a few around so I’d get up with them. From that I met the Kushti boys, which was my first proper recording. They asked me to sing on their little record.

Benji B

When was that?

Alice Russell

I think I was about 18.

Benji B

So, when did you really develop the self-confidence and belief to know you were good enough to do this?

Alice Russell

It takes a long time. You do the vomiting before you go on stage. When I was really young, I’d just get very drunk and be sick before I went on. Great technique, guys. But you’re compelled, you feel like it’s not you and you get around it. I don’t know – it’s weird. You get up there and you go into another place; it is me, but it isn’t. That’s the only way I can describe it… Forget yourself, that’s the best way to do it. And don’t be afraid of making an idiot of yourself, just jump in because if you think about it too much…

Benji B

Did you used to do that, over-analyze?

Alice Russell

Sometimes, yeah, and I used to get cramped trying to get writing ideas out, because you always think, “That’s stupid. “ But get it out and try it and if it doesn’t work, chuck it away. Don’t be petty about trying to own it all. Let it out, sketch it, and if it works it works, if it doesn’t, then throw it away.

Benji B

And what is your sketching process?

Alice Russell

Singing a ditty onto a phone. In the studio, me and Al quite often both do singing parts and then put them in. Sometimes I start with the harmony parts and then do the lead. It’s always totally different, every time I do a song, depending on who I write with.

Benji B

And what do you usually draw on?

Alice Russell

Everything. You need to make sure you’re open to everything.

Benji B

Has the human voice always been your favorite instrument?

Alice Russell

Yeah – love it.

Benji B

Because a musician can always hide a bit behind an instrument, but when you’re a singer there’s no hiding.

Alice Russell

No, it’s you and your little body. It’s quite personal.

Benji B

For anyone watching online, or for the vocalists we have in the room, what are your tips for finding that confidence and that zone you’re comfortable performing in?

Alice Russell

It sounds cheesy, but not being too precious and just going for it. With singing, out of all the instruments, you’ve really got to have some self-belief in there, because otherwise the sound wouldn’t come out. You’ve got to just go for it.

Benji B

What was the point when you thought you could do it professionally? When you first get called in to do guest vocals on house 12”s, and you’re just doing one-day session work, do you think about getting paid?

Alice Russell

I didn’t. I think I’ve only just grasped that after doing this for 15 years. And I did record some tracks from which some people made nice little pots of gold for themselves.

Benji B

How did you rectify it?

Alice Russell

I didn’t, I just let it go and got on with the new stuff. There’s always something else you’re doing. Just let it go, it’s fine [laughs].

Benji B

How did you first hook up with the Tru Thoughts collective?

Alice Russell

When I went to Brighton. I still couldn’t decide what I wanted to do, because I loved doing my art as well, and there was a course there for art and music. So I thought, “Great, I don’t have to make a decision. “ So I went there as a little 18-year-old. They knew the Kushti track – there were only two people at Tru Thoughts at the time. They had Quantic, he had done his first album and wanted to work with vocalists so they put us together, and that was the next chapter.

Benji B

So tell us about Quantic.

Alice Russell

He’s a lovely man. He does computer-based projects, but he also does Quantic Soul Orchestra, which is very much a live outfit.

Benji B

Have you got anything from your work with him you could play?

Alice Russell

Good point, I must have. This is terribly disorganized. I’ve got this, but it’s not Quantic’s orchestra, it’s something he produced.

(music: Alice Russell feat. Quantic – “Somebody’s Gonna Love You")

Speaker: Benji B

So, what’s the difference between your work with Quantic and the Quantic Soul Orchestra?

Alice Russell

The Quantic stuff, we used to do in his bedroom and the Quantic Soul Orchestra we use a big studio and a band. Touring with that was when I cut my teeth with the performance side of things, because I only had to do three tracks in the live show, and there were 11 of us, and we did about five years touring. It was just great, it really got me to the next level and I loved being able to just let go with the performances, so I thank Will [Quantic] for that.

Benji B

So, that prepared you to go out solo as Alice Russell?

Alice Russell

Yes, it gave me the confidence to do my own thing.

Benji B

And you did quite a few covers as Quantic Soul Orchestra.

Alice Russell

Why are you bringing that into it? [Laughs] Yeah, we did “Hold It Down”, the 4Hero [cover].

Benji B

You can play that if you want.

Alice Russell

I don’t know where it is, it’s on there somewhere. We’ve got the “Seven Nation Army,” which is actually Nostalgia 77.

Benji B

There are a few white labels floating around, “unknown” cover versions of things, including one of the White Stripes, right?

Alice Russell

Yeah. Shall I plug it in?

Benji B

This is the Quantic Soul Orchestra?

Alice Russell

No, it’s actually Nostalgia 77. He called me up and played it and at that time I hadn’t heard the White Stripes at all, but lyrically it’s so amazing, so I said, “Yes, let’s do it. “ And this is what we did.

(music: Nostalgia 77 – “Seven Nation Army”)

Benji B

This band’s called Nostalgia 77 and Quantic is known as a funk and soul DJ, and everything I’ve heard from you is of that late-’60s, early ’70s soul and funk sound. It’s all very, very nostalgic. Do you ever get tempted to do something more futuristic?

Alice Russell

Yeah, we’ve just recorded an album at the beginning of September, which is a bit more on the electro side, crazy little synths and stuff.

Benji B

You’re definitely associated with that sound for a lot of people. Recently, the charts have seen a trend of this, whether it be the brand-new Solange Knowles, Beyoncé’s sister. She just a released a record and she is very Motown. The new Raphael Saadiq is a complete Motown tribute. Obviously, Amy Winehouse has smashed it on both sides of the Atlantic with the Dap-Kings. Obviously, Joss Stone has always put out records that have been ’60s-influenced. Regardless of what you think of those people as vocalists, putting that to one side, do you ever think, “Why can’t I have a bite of that apple?”

Alice Russell

The tasty, sweet apple of success. I didn’t get into it for the apple of fame and fortune. Like most people here, I did it because I love it, then you see where it goes. I don’t really want a bite of that apple, but obviously some of the facilities, to use a couple of their studios instead of the bedroom, that would be great.

Benji B

But also on the level of tour support. You’ve done it on the underground side of things, and obviously, being based in Brighton is different from an LA or a London. But do you not think it would be nice to have that level of marketing support or tour support that Amy Winehouse has these days?

Alice Russell

Money is one part of my life I find hard. It’s oxygen, it feeds what you do creatively. It would be great to get to the next level, because you can do so much more. You think, “Fuck, some people go in the studio for six months!” We recorded an album in a week, because we’re skint and we just do it how we do it – go in there, tape things up, whatever. It would be great to have the money, so you could put it back into the music.

Benji B

Is that what you’re doing?

Alice Russell

Yeah, we’ve set up a limited company so all the publishing and so on goes back into the business. I’m personally skint, but we’re putting it back into recording and touring.

Benji B

So, what is the new model for a vocalist now? It’s not like, “Here’s my demo, let me shop it to the labels,” it’s got to be more sophisticated than that in 2008. Is it a management thing, a production-company deal? What’s the way forward, especially in a country like the UK, which hasn’t got the most powerful recording industry?

Alice Russell

It’s just doing it all yourself. I left Tru Thoughts and I had a great time there, they’re wicked. But it’s just having your own copyright; it seems too weird to have it, but not have all the benefits. It’s your baby, it’s better to own your stuff. I think everyone’s starting to do it themselves and take control of it instead of giving it to the record company and have them take it away, take it in a different direction. It’s better to keep it under your own roof.

Benji B

Has that been difficult?

Alice Russell

Yeah, I’m bad at organization, but I’m getting better. But it’s good – we’ve set up a company, so we own the album and we license it to various countries and companies.

Benji B

So you paid for it from start to finish, and you offer it for sale from that point onwards. The label isn’t paying to master or mix it?

Alice Russell

Yeah, for the first time since I was a teenager I had to borrow money off my parents to do a photo shoot for the album cover, because we were just broke. But there was a deadline to get it to these record companies, so it was, “Fuck, where’s the advance?” [Laughs] But you can’t have it until you’ve done it, so it’s a bit of a Catch 22 situation, but worth the slog.

Benji B

So you’re getting 100% back?

Alice Russell

Well, yeah.

Benji B

We should talk about some technical things. We’ve talked about the throwback sound. I read an article about the Dap-Kings – I know you don’t work with them– but they’re very true about recording to tape and using all the valve stuff and being true to the era of the music they’re emulating or paying tribute to. Is that the same for you?

Alice Russell

Some of the mics, yeah. Al, Mr TM Juke, is beginning to collect a few.

Benji B

So you know the names? We’re all nerds in here.

Alice Russell

I did try getting him to come, because I knew that side of things would come up, but [laughs], sorry, I’m terrible. I just turn up and have a sing – he does all the plugging in. Sorry, guys.

Benji B

Well, luckily, we’ve got Russ [Elevado] here. [To Russ] You’re doing a vocal recording workshop, right? [To Alice] If we did that in the next day or so, would you be up for getting involved in that?

Alice Russell

I’d love to. I’ve got to go tomorrow morning, but I’m around tonight.

Benji B

So, if people have any songs ready to record, you’re up for getting in the studio later?

Alice Russell

Yeah, that would be great – it’s what we’re here for.

Benji B

Let’s play some more music.

Alice Russell

Shall we do a bit of Prince?

Benji B

You want something old school? OK.

Alice Russell

Or new school.

Benji B

No, let’s do a bit of that. What do you want from here?

Alice Russell

Got to be “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker”, I reckon.

Benji B

Any excuse to listen to that on a Monday.

Alice Russell

My dad didn’t like the “Lady Cab Driver” track when I was a teenager in the car – it’s the only track I wasn’t allowed to listen to… he got embarrassed. This is “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker.” Prince is another one… as soon as I heard him I just fell in love with him. All the old stuff, Controversy, all that… it’s just fantastic.

(music: Prince – “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” / applause)

Benji B

The Purple One.

Alice Russell

He’s nuts, isn’t he?

Benji B

You mentioned you’ve got a demo and a finished version and I thought it would be interesting to hear the songwriting process. What’s the process for you, where does the idea start out – with the song melody itself or the music?

Alice Russell

Both ways. Sometimes people give me a track and I groove on the music. Sometimes it starts with a vocal idea; sometimes when I’m with Al, we’ll brainstorm ideas and jot stuff down as we go along. It’s always so different. One thing we’ve been doing lately is going back to basics – guitar and voice, then trying it out with a band, trying it live in a different way. I’m going to play you one now, which started off one way, and ended up completely differently. But we’re going to go back and do two versions of it anyway. A song is a song, so do it loads of different ways, remix yourself. Hold your ears though, because this is just a demo.

Benji B

And what gear do you use to lay down your ideas on?

Alice Russell

Al has just got his computer and his mic in a tiny little room which we call the studio.

Benji B

So, pretty basic, then. And this demo was done in there?

Alice Russell

Yeah, and you can hear it. Oh boy, you can hear it.

Benji B

And what’s it called?

Alice Russell

This is “Dreamer…”

(music: Alice Russell – “Dreamer” (Demo))

So that’s what can happen, if you let it. But when we play live we do the other version. It’s just more fun to do live, harder.

Benji B

It’s interesting to hear the demo version, see how different it can end up. I’ve just been looking at these notes Alice has made and there are some pretty damn good tunes on here. Is this your influences list? [Holds up piece of paper]

Alice Russell

Yeah, when you’re recording and playing all the time you forget to do what I used to always, which is to listen to all my favorite tracks. I haven’t done that for so long, I’ve been too busy running around. Doing this, I thought I’d bring stuff I was influenced by, and there was just so much, it was so nice listening through to it all again. It was the same excitement you get when a song moves you. It was great, really nice for me.

Benji B

As a vocalist, do you ever listen back to stuff you did in your early days and think, “Oh God, that sounds so much like me trying to sound like so and so”? It’s the same thing, I guess, for a musician or a producer who’s heavily influenced by a handful of people. It takes a while to evolve from having that direct influence to finding your own voice. That must especially be the case, being a vocalist.

Alice Russell

Definitely, definitely. You do do that, you go with what’s before and the stuff that moves you the most. It takes a long time to discover what your voice is. With the next album, we’re going punky as well. I love so many different genres of music, so it makes sense to do all of them. I’ve also got a track on the album that’s a little gentle vocal, too, so why not do them all?

Benji B

Where do you draw that line between sounding a bit affected by the people around you and your influences, and listening to yourself and thinking, “That’s really me”?

Alice Russell

That’s a tough one, but the more you do, the closer you get to your true voice. Maybe I’ll get there when I’m 60. I think I’m getting there but it’s hard to know. I’m a bit of an emotional, feely type of person, so I just go with the flow.

Benji B

So what are some of the tunes you’ve got on there?

Alice Russell

Got some Nina [Simone] “Isn’t It a Pity,” “Keep A Light in My Window”, which is another gospel track. And Roberta Flack… I remember that album First Take, when I first heard that track “I Told Jesus”], the strings on it blew my tiny little brain… washes of emotion, so beautiful. The Beach Boys…

Benji B

Good one for vocal harmony.

Alice Russell

Yeah, my favorite’s “Vegetables”. It’s quite dark on the roads in Suffolk, so we’d get a bit scared walking back from the pub, so we’d sing Beach Boys on the way home. There’s Grace Jones, of course, “Slave to The Rhythm”, “Private Life”… she’s beautiful.

Benji B

We’ve had quite a lot of Grace – we had Sly & Robbie here last week.

Alice Russell

Those guys are amazing.

Benji B

Is Grace a big influence for you?

Alice Russell

I just love her style, the whole deal, just as a person. Beautiful. Gene McDaniels, anyone like a bit of “Freedom Death Dance”? Curtis Mayfield, of course. London Is the Place for Me – Will gave me that album. That’s the good thing about having friends who are DJs, because they give me loads of tracks I’ve never heard of. Kate Bush, Ian Dury & the Blockheads], Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”. Where do you begin? Where do you end? I still haven’t heard half these tracks I’m sure I’m going to fall in love with as well. Nas, all the hip-hop stuff. “White Horse” [by] LaidBack.

Benji B

So, the future model for you is taking it all in-house yourself and being comfortable doing all different styles?

Alice Russell

And different projects. Even though I’m still underground it’s nice to be able to make up different names.

Benji B

Do you think by doing that you dilute the possibility of people understanding the one name? When you have lots of pseudonyms, unless you’re a nerd and know it’s all the same person, you can lose a little bit of your momentum.

Alice Russell

I think that’s maybe for selfish reasons, it’s nice to have different names. If you get a name for yourself doing a certain sound, then you can keep that sound and free yourself up to do lots of other things under different names. It’s another freedom.

Benji B

How can you afford to tour without the support of a record label?

Alice Russell

Nice big debt.

Benji B

Is it literally just a case of maxing out the credit card and borrowing some money to do it?

Alice Russell

Because we’re a company we’re getting people in to underwrite, to invest in the company, which is a really good way to do it. If you haven’t got the money coming in or a record company, it’s another way for people to facilitate what you want to do.

Benji B

Do you think you can do that because you’ve had a little bit of momentum and label support, or could you do it out of the gate?

Alice Russell

I think you can do it from the start. It’s the same as if you were signed to a record label, it’s just doing it yourself with more freedom. If you’ve got a project you believe in, someone else will believe in it.

Benji B

And can you apply that to anything, from bands to DJs, to vocalists, anything?

Alice Russell

Yeah, just give them a treat back – a nice cake at Christmas.

Benji B

I’ve got no idea how to do that, so can you talk me through what’s involved.

Alice Russell

I got a manager, because I’m no good at the money side of things. So, I got Gary on board.

Benji B

Twenty per cent?

Alice Russell

That’s what’s changing in the industry at the moment, the way you’re being managed, so you’re both shareholders in the company. He’s 30%, I’m 70%, but not until we get anything back, so that’s of any profit we make. Other than that, we’re just putting in the work.

Benji B

So does the money you make from a live show go into that, as well?

Alice Russell

Yeah, and straight out to the boys.

Benji B

So everything you do whether it be promos, live shows, PAs, whatever, the money goes straight back into that pot?

Alice Russell

Yes, all except my publishing. Everything else, sales, everything.

Benji B

So, what are the things we have to think about when we start?

Alice Russell

Get someone you trust to do that side of things – the investment side of things. Just be careful and sort out the figures with someone you trust. Some of you may be good at that side, but I’m awful. But everyone’s doing things themselves now with the internet, it’s facilitating people keeping hold of their copyright and their music. So, you can still keep making a living and doing what you want to do.

Benji B

So, we know you’re a good singer, you’ve got great musicians around you, you’ve found someone you trust on a business/financial level. What do I need to get started? Capital?

Alice Russell

Yes, if you haven’t got any money yourself, you need to go out and get people to invest in you. We’re getting, say, five people to underwrite 20 grand each, in return for 1% of the company. I’m so bad at this, I need Gary here. Basically, there’s 30% we’re going to be giving away, but that doesn’t affect me and Al, because obviously Al’s got shares, too, because we co-write all the music. Then you go to a bank or a company who want to lend you some money. It doesn’t have to be one person, you can find lots of different people to underwrite. It’s like when you get a house, and them saying if you can’t pay the rent, they’ll pay it for you.

Benji B

And explain how all that is different to the publishing side.

Alice Russell

The publishing side could go into that pot, but I’m not published at the moment. I’m just published by myself.

Benji B

So, if you hear one of your records on the radio or synced on an advert, how would you get paid for that?

Alice Russell

PRS… still doing it. I was with Sony, but I left.

Benji B

In this day and age is that still a viable way to do it?

Alice Russell

Publishing is where it’s at, at the moment, because sales are not at an all-time high because of downloads. Publishing is where your bread and butter comes from, if you’re a writer.

Benji B

How often do you get a check from them?

Alice Russell

You get it in March and July, and if there’s an overspill you get a nice surprise in October.

Benji B

And what’s that come from? TV and radio sync?

Alice Russell

If you’re publishing yourself, and haven’t got anyone touting it, then it’s a good thing to be with a bigger company – they can put you with other writers or get you on an advert. That’s why it’s good to have publishing deals, because they go out and tout your work. So, I haven’t got anyone doing that. We seem to be doing it ourselves.

Benji B

This might be a good time to open it to questions, because that’s all valuable stuff.

Audience member

What kind of people do you go to to invest in your company?

Alice Russell

Basically, I’m quite lucky because that’s what my sister does for a living – she works for various arts councils and Somerset House in London. It could be someone who’s minted and loves that stuff you do and wants to help out. It could be someone in banking. One of them’s an investment banker who loves the album, and wants to get involved. That’s great. Other people just have private funds and want to help.

Audience member

So, it’s going to private people who might be interested in the music? I’m asking because that’s kind of what I’m trying to do myself now.

Alice Russell

Also, if you’ve got a website, why not ask the fans? If everyone gave 50p or a £1 or £10, that could facilitate a week in the studio if enough people pledge. There are so many different ways to try doing it…

Benji B

Any more? Any more? Come on people, wake up!

Alice Russell

Everyone’s sleeping, we should play some AC/DC.

Benji B

Ah, Tom [Oberheim].

Tom Oberheim

[Inaudible]… on the album.

Alice Russell

What we’re doing is putting that one on one album, and the other one is fitting nicely with this body of work that’s more electro-sounding. We’re going to release it, because I prefer that one, but it ended up different.

Tom Oberheim

It’s a totally different experience sound-wise. How much of it did you write?

Alice Russell

All of it is me and TM Juke. The whole album is me and him 50/50, straight down the middle.

Audience member

I have two questions and one comment. I like the demo version, too, I think it’s heavier. You’re very influenced by gospel – are you a religious person?

Alice Russell

I was brought up in a religious family, but I’m not into the one god thing anymore, I’m more into my meditation. Gospel music, for me, it’s more about the expression of emotion, that’s why I was drawn to it.

Audience member

It’s about the adoration, God and love. That gets emotional.

Alice Russell

It’s human nature to want to believe, because we don’t know what the fuck we’re doing here. We just putter around and do whatever we do, so anything to elevate yourself and believe there’s something more to what we do. That’s why gospel rocks.

Audience member

When did you decide to work full-time in music? I know you’ve collaborated with lots of people, but when did you think you’d [make a living off it]?

Alice Russell

Give it up and go for the push? It was a gradual thing because I used to do care work with people with learning difficulties and I could do just random shifts. So I weaned myself off that, and it was when Quantic Soul Orchestra took off and we toured a lot. It was about six years ago, I just thought I’d give it up and be skint. I think you have to, because otherwise you’re spreading yourself out. You’ve got to give yourself the chance, and I keep jumping – I’m getting older, but you’ve got to keep jumping in. It’s worth being skint for a bit.

Audience member

Comparing the demo with the final version, on the demo you’re just singing once. But on the final version it’s really sharp and exact, yet the vocal is spread out, so you must have sung it three times over.

Alice Russell

You mean the harmony bits? Yeah, I go until the cows come home, so Al tells me to stop. He’s on that as well. On those we got all the boys involved – about six of them – and do a lot of double-ups so it sounds in unison.

Audience member

Cool, it sounds really sharp.

Audience member

Does Al play the drums?

Alice Russell

No, Al’s a guitar man. That’s Jack, he’s heavy. And we can’t afford a screen yet. I’ve watched all those singers on another level, and they’ve got the Perspex screens – I need one of those, because he’s so loud sometimes. But I’m lucky, I’ve still got the same boys I have been with for five years.

Audience member

Did you produce this demo track or was it your partner?

Alice Russell

Al came up with that. The drum beat was just the drummer, and that was all we had. Then Al added [makes electronic riff], came up with that and we wrote on top of it. I think he had some crazy drum kit, not just the drum, because he was hitting all sorts of weird pots and pans and stuff. So, we’ve got Jack to thank for that one.

Audience member

Are you going to produce a beat for yourself?

Alice Russell

I’m not very good at that stuff. I should’ve concentrated at college because I had the opportunity to learn it, but my brain just isn’t wired that way. I get frustrated and want to do things quite immediately when I’m expressing myself, so I found it too frustrating. I do have a little four-track at home for when I get ideas, but I need to put them down as they come. I get Al to do that and I can just concentrate on singing. But learn both – obviously, it’s better.

Audience member

When you go on tour, improvisation is very important, especially with funk music. Do you improvise a lot, and when you’re jamming do you let yourself improvise, or does it all have to be cut the way you planned it?

Alice Russell

That’s the thing with rehearsing the band, because the more you do the planned stuff the more you can improvise. If you get everyone tight, everyone feels more relaxed and knows what they’re doing, and then they can step out. So, we’re developing that side of the live thing. When you start off everyone’s getting to know the songs, so they stick to them.

Audience member

That’s the problem with funk albums that isn’t a problem with the shows, because in the shows you can go for 12-14 minutes of a funk track. But in an album, that doesn’t work, so how do you try to make it right in an album?

Benji B

He’s saying that when you’re playing live you can go for ages, but on a record, it’s better when it’s four minutes.

Alice Russell

Keep it short… yeah, I agree [laughs].

Benji B

Any more questions?

Jeff Mao

I want to know if as a singer you notice any tangible differences between American and British soul singers?

Alice Russell

I get asked that a lot. Winehouse has got that gritty thing with her lyrics, and I suppose lyrically it can be a bit more rough and ready, but it‘s so hard to generalize because everyone’s so different. Sometimes, I think someone’s from the UK and it turns out they’re not, or they’ve moved somewhere else. That’s the only thing I can think of, that sometimes it’s a bit grimier and more rough and ready, because some of the stuff from the States is a bit overproduced. Then again there’s a lot of underground stuff that isn’t, so a bit of everything everywhere, really.

Jeff Mao

Being inspired by American music, have you made the pilgrimage to Memphis or Detroit or anywhere in the States?

Alice Russell

I’m planning it, I haven’t been to Memphis yet, but I’m gonna go.

Benji B

Any more questions?

Alice Russell

Everyone’s too scared now, because of my stupid answers.

Audience member

What precautions do you take to take care of your instrument?

Alice Russell

A few years back, I partied too hard and had to have a nodule removed. It’s something a lot of singers are scared of; it’s one of my biggest fears, and it happened to me just through late-night naughty treats and talking too loudly in clubs. The doctor couldn’t believe I was still singing on it, because he had a look and it looked like a pair of ladies’… anyway, I had to have a half-hour operation and then not speak for five days. Which was quite interesting. But singers have to sleep, man, and drink water. But a lot of us like to go out and party too. It depends, if you’re doing day-on-day touring, you’ve got to look after it, otherwise you get pissed off because you can’t express yourself with the full range.

Audience member

When you’re writing a song, the lyrics are important but so is the way they sound, the flow and the musicality of the words. So what’s more important – how it sounds or what it means?

Alice Russell

What it means, for me. But that’s why me and Al work well together, because he might change one sentence and it will make a lot more sense that way, and sound better. That’s when working with other people is like gold, because you can question each other and twist things around a bit. He’s much more like that about the sound of stuff, and I’m more about the emotion and the feeling. Together it makes quite a good team.

Audience member

The genres of soul and gospel often have a lot of things to reference. Certain topics are always dealt with, like love and faith and empowerment… Do you find yourself writing about these things or do you want to take it to another place?

Alice Russell

Keep it open. Music is like life, or food – I don’t just want to eat one thing, I want to have it all. Whatever gets you going and makes you want to write a song, just do it. Every now and then, the magic ones come out – bosh! There’s one song we did recently, “Dressed to Impress,” and all of it, apart from one line, the whole song just popped out. Sometimes, you have to really take it apart, but this one just came out. I love those ones, they’re great.

Benji B

Going, going, not gone. Russell…

Russ Elevado

Have you had any formal vocal training?

Alice Russell

When I was younger I gave it a go and she made me do arias. But my main training came from the church, singing in the choir.

Russ Elevado

How old were you, when you started singing in the choir?

Alice Russell

Four. There’s a picture of me as a little girl with a cassock.

Russ Elevado

And that was for how many years?

Alice Russell

Until I was about nine, so five years.

Russ Elevado

Because so many people I know who are singers, they learned so much about harmonies and emotion… it’s really lifting. People who haven’t been brought up in the church don’t experience it, but I can feel it in your music.

Alice Russell

It’s a great training. And I was lucky because my dad conducted a choir and I’d be playing with my Lego and hearing Handel’s Messiah and requiems and going to sleep listening to Bach. So music was in there from day one. Whatever music is in your life, it doesn’t matter what style –if it’s in there, it’s in there.

Russ Elevado

Absolutely. The same thing with D’Angelo, he grew up in the church as well, and his sense of harmony is amazing.

Alice Russell

That was on my list to play, that “Spanish Joint”. Did you record that?

Russ Elevado

Yes.

Alice Russell

You motherfucker! When I heard that… and I’ve got the live one, someone gave me a copy of that.

Russ Elevado

You shouldn’t have that [laughs].

Alice Russell

I’m so sorry, I don’t know how I got it. It’s just sick, it’s amazing. Shall we play that now?

(music: D’Angelo – “Spanish Joint” / applause)

Alice Russell

I’ll ask you a question now. The way he does the rhythms of the horn parts and harmonies are so similar. How does he do that? Does he do it as he goes along?

Russ Elevado

It’s as he goes along. That song, he wrote it really fast and he forgot about that song. We were in the studio with Charlie Hunter, and D came up to me and said, “Is there anything else we should do, because Charlie’s about to leave?” And he played me that song on the piano, and I said, “Wow, that’s brilliant!” So, I said, “What about the ‘Spanish Joint’?” That's why it's called the “Spanish Joint” because that was our working title for it. He said, “That’s perfect. “ So, that’s actually the first take, completely live.

Alice Russell

It makes sense, because each time the vocals come in it just propels you on.

Russ Elevado

And then we got Roy [Hargrove] to do the horns, and he just killed it. Roy has this super sensibility about harmonies and where they should go. But I really love your voice, it’s amazing.

Alice Russell

Thank you, I’m gonna lock you in a room now and make you record me with a valve mic. I’m glad I’m staying tonight.

Benji B

Thanks for that. We’ve got a few vocalists in the room and I’m sure everyone will be interested watching Russ record with you. And thanks for that. There are definitely worse things I can think of on a Monday afternoon than listening to “Spanish Joint.” And thank you, Alice Russell.

Alice Russell

Thank you for having me!

[Applause]