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27.04.12 MusicWeek 11


GETTING A PROPER JOB’


my place.’ That was before she was even successful – very few artists would have the confidence to make that decision. Some people would say she was risking earning less money, but it doesn’t work like that. Maybe you’re going to earn less money, but maybe you’re going to be a lot more successful because you’ve got the balls to not just jump through every hoop. That’s definitely what I look for and what interests me in an artist – not being a follower.” You only need spend an hour in XL’s modern-


day HQ to see just how prominently that strong- minded spirit cuts through the company – and how much belief it places in its artists’ decisions. The writing is quite literally on the wall. Amongst the well-wishing from performers and


counter-culture music media relics, Russell’s office – a spacious, open-plan shack adorned with slacker brown leather sofa and rarefied acoustics – projects a daily reminder of the exec’s place in the scheme of things. ‘THANK YOU FOR YOUR MUSIC’, reads a gaze-grabbing sign – only the ‘YOU’ has been scratched away. In its place, that most primal of punk syllables: ‘FUCK’. Nip to the toilet, and you’ll be greeted by hidden


ideology that has helped launch the careers of artists as diverse as The White Stripes, The Prodigy, Adele, The xx, Radiohead, Dizzee Rascal, The Horrors and MIA. “Those rave records were the first phase of a


kind of unconsidered DIY spirit [at XL],” explains Russell. “It’s one very similar I would imagine to where the first flush of English indie labels came from –Martin with Beggars and the rest. My parents tell me I was quite anti- establishment from a young age. I think I’ve always had a mistrust of institutions.” Interestingly, Russell has


never had a job outside of music. As well as his fledgling DJ career, his teens involved stints working for Island Records, music export company Caroline and two retailers: Loppylugs in Edgware and Vinyl Mania in New York – where he surprised bosses by pitching up, aged 17, following a semi- serious transatlantic job offer over the phone. He adds: “I did work experience in the


a very close connection,” he says. “We were exactly the same age, were hip-hop fans from suburbia – and we were ambitious.” The Prodigy’s first LP, Experience, hit shelves on


“I did work experience in the


warehouse of Island Records in its golden period. In a way, that version of Island has been the


companies would be like: multi- cultural with incredible taste and


different styles of music – brilliant” RICHARD RUSSELL, XL


XL in the centre of the rave scene that spawned the label. It was a triumph, with singles such as Charly, Out Of Space and Everybody In The Place beginning to trouble the mainstream. But the group’s second effort was a more driven, aggressive beast. Music For The Jilted


model for all of this – it was what I foolishly thought all record


Generation railed against the corporate mutation of the rave movement. It turned the scene on its head, and became both Howlett and XL’s first mega-hit. “When Nick [Halkes] left to


set up Positiva after the first Prodigy album, Liam just had this focus,” recalls Russell. “Things really


warehouse of Island Records back in its golden period. In a way, that version of Island has been the model for all of this – it was what I foolishly thought all record companies would be like: multi- cultural with incredible taste and different styles of music – brilliant.” If rave and punk were responsible for XL’s


rebellious spirit, and Island can claim inspiration for the diversity of its roster, Russell’s belief that his artists should heavily contribute to label decisions was empowered by one individual: The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett. “As soon as Liam and I met there was definitely


clicked after a TV appearance on a show called Dance Energy. Liam didn’t think it was good and he said: ‘We’re not going on TV again.’ It was a brilliant decision, and saved the group an awful lot of time, trouble, aggravation and stress. It wasn’t their medium, they didn’t need to do it. I realised that if you’re working with the right artists, they don’t have to do everything. If a label tries to make them, it only comes from a place of fear. “That moment with Liam leapt


into my head during a meeting here with Adele 20 years later. She said to all of us: ‘I’m not doing festivals, it’s not


ABOVE/LEFT The desk job: Russell in his two recording studios - at home in West London (left) and at XL’s Ladbroke Grove office (above)


evidence of XL’s sales triumphs; Russell uses shiny gold and platinum BPI discs – so often the pristine pride of the major labels – to decorate the walls of the company lavatory. And on the door of the in-house XL studio


(loaned to artists for free and stuffed with techy toys), there is a message more indicative of less exultant times: ‘IDLERS, KEEP OUT!’ “All you can ask for sometimes is functionality,


BELOW The way they were: XL staff (with Russell in the foreground) captured on a magazine cover in – as if you couldn’t guess from looking at it – the early Nineties


especially as a record company,” says Russell. “We’ve had our dysfunctional periods in the past, for sure. There was a phase after The Prodigy’s [third, record-breaking 1997 LP] Fat of the Land came out. We’ve recently put together statistics about how many records XL has released in its history – it was one that year. The focus had definitely gone. It was party central. That’s a fairly poor work rate I suppose, but you can see how that would happen: The Prodigy are exciting people, and that was an exciting time.” In a more typical year, XL will still only


release around six records – a taxingly tight schedule for a company that receives thousands of demo submissions every few months. “The total number of records that


we’ve put out in our history is around 100,” explains Russell. “This is an artistic endeavour for me, so that is the basis on which I make decisions. People say: ‘Oh, you should do this record, you can make money out of it.’ But I’ve got no interest. I’m not saying that because I’m some kind of saint or spend my time doing charity work. But money is not my motivating factor. It’s


about, ‘Does it feel right? Has


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