FOTO & TEXT: Greyzone

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.