Ross from Friends
{{Short description|British electronic music producer and DJ (born 1993)}}
{{For|the Friends character|Ross Geller}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Ross from Friends
| image =
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| birth_name = Felix Clary Weatherall
| alias = Bubble Love
| birth_date = {{birth month and age|1993|06}}
| birth_place = Colchester, Essex, England
| origin =
| genre = Electronic music, dub techno, vaporwave, house
| occupation = DJ, record producer
| instrument =
| years_active = 2012–present
| label = Brainfeeder
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|rossfromfriends.net}}
}}
Felix Clary Weatherall (born June 1993),{{Cite web|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/0lwQhXJGNJwq8DDK9zId_03qZ1g/appointments|title=Felix CLARY WEATHERALL - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)|website=Find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk|accessdate=3 December 2020}} known by his stage name Ross from Friends, is a British electronic music producer and DJ. He is signed to the Brainfeeder label, and released his debut album Family Portrait in July 2018, being noted as "one to watch" by The Guardian.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/14/ross-from-friends-felix-clary-weatherall-one-to-watch-family-portrait|title=One to Watch: Ross from Friends|last=Kalia|first=Ammar|date=2018-07-18|website=The Guardian|accessdate=2019-11-18}}
Weatherall began to make music under a number of different names before settling on Ross from Friends in 2012. The name was chosen because a TV in the studio he was using had a DVD of Friends stuck inside it, and so would only play episodes of Friends.{{Cite web|url=https://www.xlr8r.com/features/20-questions-ross-from-friends|title=20 Questions: Ross From Friends|author=XLR8R Staff|website=XLR8R|language=en-us|access-date=2018-12-18}}
Career
Weatherall's first releases came on small UK electronic labels, such as Magicwire and Lobster Theremin. His 2015 release "(Talk to Me) You'll Understand" was described by XLR8R as "a hazy lo-fi number with woozy synths and classy vocal samples." This breakthrough track has around nineteen million streams on YouTube.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tKKNV5sXUs|title=Ross From Friends - Talk To Me You'll Understand|last=|first=|date=|website=YouTube|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}
Mixmag published a joke article on 1 April 2018, suggesting that David Schwimmer, who played Ross in the TV sitcom Friends, was suing Weatherall.{{Cite web|url=https://mixmag.net/read/david-schwimmer-is-suing-ross-from-friends-for-defamation-of-character-news|title=David Schwimmer is suing Ross From Friends for "defamation of character"|website=Mixmag.net|access-date=2018-12-18}}
His debut album Family Portrait was released in July 2018. Mixmag described it as combining various electronic influences like "the vibrancy of hip hop, Japanese boogie, and house music". Weatherall rejects the use of the term 'lo-fi' for his music "because of the connotations of it."
In August 2019, Weatherall released Epiphany on Brainfeeder, a three track EP with artwork designed by the skateboarder Chad Muska.{{Cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/news/ross-from-friends-returns-with-new-ep-epiphany|title=Ross From Friends Returns With New EP 'Epiphany'|website=Clash Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-09-09}}
Since 2024, Weatherall has also produced, released and performed under a separate alias, Bubble Love. His self-titled debut album under this alias was released on 6th December 2024 via his own record label, Scarlet Tiger.{{Cite news |last=D'Souza |first=Shaad |date=2024-12-13 |title=Bubble Love: Bubble Love review – Ross From Friends’ high-energy pop-club side project |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/dec/13/bubble-love-bubble-love-review-felix-weatherall-ross-from-friends-high-energy-pop-club-side-project |access-date=2025-01-30 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}
Live show
Weatherall tours his live show with his band members and friends, Jed Hampson and John Dunk.{{Cite web|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/ross-from-friends-feature|title=Ross From Friends navigated a whirlwind of hype to emerge on a world famous label|website=Mixmag|access-date=2019-08-27}} The live set has a unique setup "combining saxophone and keys with Ableton-led beats and basslines".{{Cite web|url=https://djmag.com/content/ross-friends-how-i-play-live|title=Ross from Friends: How I Play Live|date=2018-10-21|website=DJMag.com|access-date=2019-09-09}} The three bandmates have taken their live show to festivals and venues such as Glastonbury, Coachella, The Roundhouse and Sonar.{{Cite web|url=https://notion.online/selected-by-ross-from-friends/|title=Selected By Ross From Friends|last=|first=|date=|website=Notion|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}
Personal life
Weatherall was born and grew up in Brightlingsea,{{Cite web|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/ross-from-friends-feature|title=Ross From Friends navigated a whirlwind of hype to emerge on a world famous label|website=Mixmag|access-date=2018-12-18}} near Colchester, Essex, in a musical family. His father was a designer of electronic sound systems for live shows,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/14/ross-from-friends-felix-clary-weatherall-one-to-watch-family-portrait|title=One to Watch: Ross from Friends|last=Kalia|first=Ammar|date=2018-07-14|work=The Guardian|access-date=2018-12-18|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}} and played "Hi-NRG and nascent techno music at squat parties".{{Cite web|url=https://ra.co/dj/rossfromfriends-uk/biography/|title=Ross From Friends – Biography|date=2020-07-19|website=The List|language=en-GB|access-date=2024-04-22}}
Weatherall's first music video "Pale Blue Dot" is composed of archival homemade footage taken by his mother, telling the story of the spontaneous raves his parents set up with his father's homemade soundsystem on a bus around Europe in 1990.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nowness.com/picks/ross-from-friends-pale-blue-dot|title=Ross From Friends: Pale Blue Dot|last=|first=|date=|website=Nowness|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-09-09}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2018/07/19/ross-from-friends-new-video-pale-blue-dot|title=Ross From Friends shares new video for "Pale Blue Dot"|last=|first=|date=|website=The Fader|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}
Discography
=Studio Albums as Ross From Friends=
- Family Portrait (July 2018, Brainfeeder)
- Tread (October 2021, Brainfeeder)
=Extended plays as Ross From Friends=
- David Crane's Amazing Tennis (2013)
- Alex Brown (2015)
- You'll Understand (2015)
- Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes (2017)
- The Outsiders (2017)
- Aphelion (2018)
- Epiphany (2019)
=Remixes as Ross From Friends=
- "Wallflower" (Ross from Friends Remix) (2015)
- "Halfway to Nowhere" (Ross from Friends Remix) (2017)
- "Edison" (Ross from Friends Remix) (2018)
- Thundercat – "Friend Zone" (Ross from Friends Remix) (2018){{Cite web|url=https://www.thefader.com/2018/11/14/ross-from-friends-remix-thundercat-friend-zone|title=Listen to Ross From Friends remix Thundercat's "Friend Zone"|last=|first=|date=|website=The Fader|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}
- Flume featuring London Grammar – "Let You Know" (Ross from Friends Remix) (2019){{Cite web |title=Ross From Friends puts a minimalist touch on Flume's 'Let You Know' [Stream] |last=Levin |first=Harry |url=https://dancingastronaut.com/2019/08/flume-let-you-know-ross-from-friends-remix-stream/ |date=2019-08-26 |website=Dancing Astronaut |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904113111/https://dancingastronaut.com/2019/08/flume-let-you-know-ross-from-friends-remix-stream/ |archivedate=2019-09-04 |accessdate=2019-09-04}}
=Studio Albums as Bubble Love=
- Bubble Love (December 2024, Scarlet Tiger)
=Singles as Bubble Love=
- Lying In The Sand (April 2025, Scarlet Tiger)
=Remixes as Bubble Love=
- Ross From Friends – "Love Divide" (Bubble Love Remix)
- Ross From Friends – "The Knife" (Bubble Love Remix)