Royce Wood Junior is a London based soul singer and producer who’s about to make big waves with his debut album The Ashen Tang. It’s the product of RWJ’s personal and distinctive blend of influences that include R&B heroes like D’Angelo and Prince but also wonky electronica from the likes of Radiohead as well as the precise production of J Dilla. Cutting his teeth over the past few years as a co-producer for the likes of soul-sensation Jamie Woon and BBC Sound Music poll topper Kwabs, RWJ’s latest release from the album is ‘Don’t Wanna Lose You’: that you can exclusively hear on Wonderland first.

The track is a cover of Tony D and Veba’s underground classic of the same name (no, me neither), and layers RWJ’s distant-vocals against a lushly produced foreground of tinkering melody and murky underwater distortion. It’s an intelligently orchestrated piece that part soothes and part intrigues: a pretty good sign that The Ashen Tang will be one to look out for when it drops at the end of the month.

The Ashen Tang is out January 29th on 37 Adventures.

The post Premiere: Royce Wood Junior – “Don’t Wanna Lose You” appeared first on Wonderland.

Royce Wood Junior is not a household name just yet. Although, he will be once December 1^st hits us in a couple of weeks time. Based in South London, he is a producer and songwriter who has created his own new solo EP from scratch. This all occurred during the wee hours of long nights – as with most self-sufficient new and improving musicians. His music will make you sit down and listen, and think about issues and delights in life that doesn’t concern love, as he mentions during our Q&A. We also talk about being out of sync, inspirations and what actually happens during studio sessions.

What makes you different from other artists?

Very little I would imagine. I’m super neurotic about my work, which in my experience makes me just the same as all the others.

Your voice is quite calming, yet your music is more upbeat. How do you get to the finished product without it sounding out of sync?

I actually kind of like things to be out of sync. I like the flaws and discrepancies of humanity and I think it’s important that they’re represented in music and not ironed out too much – celebrated even.

What inspires the lyrics of your songs?

I usually try and make sure the subject matter is not explicitly ‘love’ since that topic is pretty much the centre piece of every song in the universe. I like unusual, defunct words from different eras, modern slang and lots of metaphors. I like to focus on the mundane, boring parts of life. [There is] lots of beauty in there.

Which artists inspire you to make music?

Stevie Wonder.

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Rufus Wainwright.

Tell us about a day in the studio. What happens?

Mainly table tennis… interspersed with small moments of production.  

Okay finally, if you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?

Trying to convince the lady at the job centre that I have actively been seeking employment in the last two weeks.

Words: Faye Smith.

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