Ruthven

Ruthven – aka Sean Nelson – has always had a certain fervour associated with him. The South London musician first broke in 2017 as an early signee to Paul Institute, the label founded by A.K and Jai Paul. He was a member of The London Fire Brigade at the time, recording tracks at the fire station stealing nuggets of time in-between call outs.

Having gently unravelled his unique blend of R&B-influenced future-funk with careful consideration, Ruthven caught the attention of critics (“creates Prince-like jams with the contours and sleekness of sports cars” – The FADER) and found himself touring with Sampha. His recent work with Sampha and Little Simz on “Satellite Business 2.0” sits alongside his collaboration with Overmono on “Gem Lingo (ovr now)”.

On his debut album, Rough & Ready, Ruthven introduces listeners to his intimate world. Across 12 tracks, he leans into classic songwriting while maintaining lush instrumentation to create a portal that traverses decades. “It’s jazz-influenced, but it also takes from so many genres,” he says, “even Yacht Rock artists like Michael McDonald and Steely Dan, deeply influenced me.” The result is an album that blends all the sharp angles of early Prince b-sides like “17 Days” with the smokiness of Voodoo-era D’Angelo’s “Africa”. The creation of Rough & Ready came with its challenges, including technical mishaps, but Ruthven remained committed to making deeply personal and relatable music. The result is an album the rest of us have to hear.