Sounds of Inspiration: Eliza Roze Selects

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Music

Eliza Rose has just released what will be the 100th record on Lobster Theremin, she reflects on the music which has inspired the EP.

A rising producer, Eliza Rose has captured the attention of a new wave of dancers who have been inspired by her DIY approach to electronic music – channelling and piecing together elements of her own musical history and heritage atop a canvas of breaks, beats and percussion.

Her latest EP, a collaborative venture alongside M4A4, is called “Shades of Red” and is special in that it is also the 100th record to be released by prominent London record label Lobster Theremin, an imprint which has come a hell of a way since it was first started back in 2013.

Eliza has been described as the ‘perfect’ artist to mark this milestone “having been a part of the Lobster family for some time now through a long-standing friendship and record shop & label responsibilities”.

Eliza herself has taken a minute to reflect on the inspiration behind the record and has kindly picked some music which cements the roots of the new EP.

“With Shades of Red I wanted to combine my love of Jazz style vocals alongside my love for UK garage in a way that still felt authentic for both sounds”, she says. “I’m very interested in revamping and presenting the ‘old skool’ for a new audience while hoping that the people who do have respect for these more retro sounds will also appreciate the tracks. For example the lyrics ‘such an uneasy evil’ ect in Nyt lyf is a nod to the track of the same name which is one of my favourite Jazz standards.”

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Amy Winehouse - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Amy was the key to the door of female vocalists for me, she was the singer that opened my eyes to the world of Jazz Motown and soul and I’ve never looked back. She shaped my influences and in a way made these sounds more palatable. I started listening to Amy when I was about 15/16 and so was introduced to these sounds relatively young and it was music that I had little knowledge of previously. At that time I was really only into UKG and RnB but Amy opened my eyes to these other genres. I was lucky enough to be working at flashback records at the time and so also had all these records to choose from as well as collages who would pick things out amazing artists for and so for quite while I went down a thoroughly enjoyable Jazz vocalist spiral.

Amy Winehouse - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Amy was the key to the door of female vocalists for me, she was the singer that opened my eyes to the world of Jazz Motown and soul and I’ve never looked back. She shaped my influences and in a way made these sounds more palatable. I started listening to Amy when I was about 15/16 and so was introduced to these sounds relatively young and it was music that I had little knowledge of previously. At that time I was really only into UKG and RnB but Amy opened my eyes to these other genres. I was lucky enough to be working at flashback records at the time and so also had all these records to choose from as well as collages who would pick things out amazing artists for and so for quite while I went down a thoroughly enjoyable Jazz vocalist spiral.
Billie Holiday - That Ole Devil Called Love

The first Jazz singer who I fell in love with after Amy. She is such a talent and a person who lived in such turbulent times but was able to produce such beautiful music born from a lot of suffering. I have always admired artists who are able to create things of beauty from pain and Billie is one of the best at doing this.
Nancy Wilson - Easy Evil

I love Nancy’s tone, and this song is one of my favourite Jazz standards. There’s a number of amazing versions but Nancy’s rendition is my favourite for sure. I wanted to pay homage in a way to this song, and also wanted to have the mixture of arguably my two favourite genres; Jazz and UKG, side by side, and so the lyrics of ‘such an easy evil, such a sensuous sin’ were taken from his track as a nod of appreciation.
Nina Simone - Gin House Blues

Nina what can I say? One of the most incredible artists to have ever lived. What I love about Nina is she was constantly pushing boundaries. She was fearless and true. I listen to Nina when I need to feel inspired and so she’s a direct inspiration of any kind of music I make.
Nicolette – Waking Up

What a fantastic artist! I think there’s quite a lot of similarities between what myself and Nicolette do. Those jazzy vocals over a driven beat, I think it’s hard not to draw comparisons here. This came out in 1991. She was certainly a pioneer.
M4A4 - Friends

This is the track that really made me fall in love with M4A4 productions and this whole EP made me really want to work with him! He is such a talented producer and so still young and already his back catalogue is incredible. I have nothing but admiration and I am sure we will work together again and again!
24Hour Experience – Together

This is a track I would always strive to sound like when making more UKG-adjacent tracks. It was one of the tracks that I first got into when discovering more underground UKG, and I was obsessed and am still obsessed to be fair. It never gets old.
Ellis D* Feat. The Specialist - Ooh Boy

This would have been a big influence on me for the vocal on ‘Trouble maker’. It’s such a perfect mix; raw but balancing, with the sultry sexy soulful vocal to match – certainly something I tried to emulate on ‘Trouble Maker!’
The Patient's Feat: Candy Jay – All Night Long

I’ve been absolutely rinsing everything on this label for a minute. I’ve got nearly everything from the label on wax and I’m desperate to finish the collection as I just love everything about this, from the remixing of some of my fave tracks to the artwork. Most of the tracks are 20++ years old as well but still sound timeless. When I’m looking for some inspiration for lyrics I go through my records and just pick something out. ‘All Night Long’ defo took some lyrical inspiration from the title of this one.
Amy Winehouse – Pumps (MJ Cole Remix)

The perfect mix of that bumpy UKG with some wicked vocals from one of the best. I feel like this one is one of those that you can play out in a club, driving your car or cleaning the kitchen at home, and I like to think the same goes for ‘Shades of Red.’

MJ Cole is undoubtedly one of the best producers of UKG and so to team up with one of the best vocalists of this generation of course something unforgettable was going to be made.

I love this one as I feel it’s such a crossover tune, as I’ve said before I am very interested in revamping and presenting the ‘old skool’ for a new audience, hoping that the people who do have respect for these more retro sounds will also appreciate the more modern electronic tracks. This tune is a perfect example of what I am trying to emulate.