For our 52nd Lovecast Episode, we’ve enlisted the special talents of one of our favorite masters of the funk, Tanner Ross. There are few artists out there in our world of house and techno that pique our interest the way Tanner does. Sometimes he makes house music, sometimes he makes slow burning bass jams that spotlight his influences in hip-hop and funk. You just never know with this one. You can find Tanner’s music on labels like Soul Clap Records, Wolf + Lamb, Dirtybird, No. 19, Freerange, Suol, Touch of Class… you get the point.  I think one of the best things about Tanner’s music, however, is that you can always pinpoint his remix without looking at the titling. That’s not to say that his tracks sound the same, they just never sound like anyone else’s on the release. His style is unique and his music is rad. The cover art for this Lovecast really says it all! We took a few moments to chat with our friend and see what he has to say about his music, where he grew up and the things that have influenced him most in his career.

 

 

Interview with Tanner Ross:

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I was born and raised in NJ but have been living in Boston since 2005

How was the music scene growing up? How has it influenced your music and shaped you into the producer/dj you are today?

The scene where I grew up was Rock and Punk. The aesthetic of those genres shaped the way i think about music but I don’t necessarily listen to it heavily anymore. My next door neighbors sister was into a lot of different music when I was growing up so I would say that had more of an influence on me than say the “scene”.

How is the music scene where you live today?

Boston has a bit of everything. The dance music isn’t very large but it is very tight knit which I like.

When did music production become a serious part of your life? When did you know that you were going to continue on doing this professionally?

When I was 15 years old I got my first drum machine and it was all over after that.

How do you like working in collaboration with other artists as opposed to working solo?

Collaboration is an integral part of my life. That said, it is important to take a lot for yourself to digest everything that was learned in the collaborative process.

How important is where one lives for a career in music production?

With the internet, I think you could live on an island and do just as well as living in New York or any other major city.  Production takes a lot of patience and hard work / time. If you put a lot of time in you will get the knowledge in return.

What advice would you give to aspiring producers?

Besides working on your craft I would say that being a social person is incredibly important in this day in age. You can be the sickest producer on the planet but if you don’t but in a lot of time socially you are not going to get very far.. or it will take a long time.

Can you tell us one record or song that has changed your life?

Parliament Funkadelic changed my life.  Free your mind and your ass will follow!

What are the best things about being on the road? Worst? Best moment on the road?

Seeing the world! Hangovers while traveling are the worst. Every weekend is the best when I get to play with my friends and spread the gospel of music.

Is there anything special coming up here in the near future that people should know about?

Im about to release a mixtape / beat tape of music that I have been working on with my friends over the past few months which I am very excited about.

What is your drink of choice?

At the moment, since Im in Bali.. Pina Colada

 

 

-Slow