"Do you know the film Les Mis? You know, that musical?" Erm, yeah, we're familiar with it (!) "Well, I was in that with Anne Hathaway." It's a nonchalant bombshell.
Clearly a man of many hidden talents, Ross McCormack AKA Rossi. (don't forget the dot), has established himself as one of the most in-demand DJs in the Minimal House scene. But it wasn't his original chosen career path.
"I acted from the age of eight. I used to do West End shows in London. I went to a performing arts school in Tring, in Hertfordshire. At one point, I had to sort of decide whether I was going to be a DJ or an actor." Well, we know how the story continues...
Today, he's better known for funk-infused heaters and a fresh, ahead-of-the-curve sound. The Londoner has become a frequent front-runner on Beatport's charts with his stripped-down cuts, intricate hats and percussion layered basslines designed to lift crowds on any dancefloor.
The rising talent has covered just about every top party on the island this summer, but now it's his turn to take the reins. Rossi. brings HOME//GRXWN to 528 Ibiza, for a day party like no other.
Lissy Lü chats to... Rossi. about HOME//GRXWN
Do you remember the first time you visited Ibiza?
"Yeah. The first time I came to Ibiza, I was 16 years old. My dad took me. He's a proper old school raver and he used to go to Ibiza loads. He said, 'right, you're coming to Ibiza and I'm showing you the ropes'.
It was that year I went to my first Music On. I didn't even know who Marco Carola was.
I also remember walking into Amnesia with my dad, just in total awe of how big all these clubs were. At that point, I didn't want to be a DJ. It wasn't my aspiration. I was trying to be an actor. So, I sort of fell in love with this idea of raving and clubbing from that point.
After that weekend in Ibiza, I started going clubbing on my own and just going places in London. And that's when I got into rave culture. So Ibiza was sort of the start of it for me."
"I remember going to The Zoo Project (which is now where we're doing the HOME//GRXWN party), with all my zebra face painting. I've got a hilarious picture of me when I was 16. Life was good."
And what about the first time you got to play here?
"My first set in Ibiza was upstairs at the old Sankeys in Playa d'en Bossa. It was a grotty little box room that no one was ever in. The promoter asked me, 'do you want to come out and play?' I was like, 'Definitely.' I think I played to probably about four or five people, but it was great.
The fact that I was playing on the island was special enough.
It wasn't long ago that I was only playing to a handful of people. Anytime I'm behind the decks and there's enough people there, it's such a pleasure. To come to the mecca of what we do, it's a special thing. That's why I'm so grateful for the sets I get to do."
Who were your inspirations at the start?
"Production-wise, Alexis Cabrera. He's a South American artist. Such good, funky music that no one else was making. On the DJ front, Enzo. Enzo Siragusa. I've always looked up to him. He's been a big inspiration for me. Just how he's gone about the scene and created FUSE."
This year, you've covered just about all the hottest parties on the island, from Paradise and Music On, to ANTS and Metamorfosi. What has been your highlight?
"It's hard. I don't want to get in trouble picking different parties!" (laughs)
"I did a back-to-back with Jamie Jones at Paradise this year, so that was a big milestone for me, to be playing with one of my heroes. I'm mixing and Jamie's mixing, and you're like, wow, there's someone I've paid so much money to see, and now I'm playing with him!
You have to show up, be a bit confident and play your music. It was a really good set."
How did you feel being behind the decks and playing with one of your heroes?
"You know what, you have to over-compensate and just go in with confidence.
I always want to walk up to the decks and bring my vibe, because when I play, I always like to play with a lot of energy. I always want to make sure everyone's dancing in the club, so when you walk up with Jamie Jones at peak time, you're like, right, let me drop a banger."
"Yeah, it was really good, and he's a really nice guy as well."
From the ground up: HOME//GRXWN
Can you talk to us about your HOME//GRXWN record label/party and how it all started?
"We came up with the name HOME//GRXWN in 2018, because we liked the idea that you're inspired by everything that surrounds as you're growing up.
You're a product of your environment, is what we always say. Everything you eat, the TV you watch, whatever. You're a product of it all.
I've always been fascinated about why everyone is the way they are because of where they're from. That's where it started. From there we started doing the record label. I needed a place to start putting out my own tracks because I didn't want to wait around for other labels."
"Off the back of that, we started the clothing brand, because we thought it would be cool. We made these jackets and if anyone were to ever play for our brand one day, we'd start giving them a jacket. Then people started to ask where they could buy them, so we started to make more.
You know how everyone wears dry fit material nowadays. I don't like seeing the luminous tracksuits. I wanted to make a smarter version of sportswear. Like, you could wear it for a workout, but also maybe wear it to a rave.
It sort of turned into a brand now where you have clothes, the record label and now we're doing parties. It's a lot more pressure, but I love it. I like having different DJs come and play for us, show what they can do.
The label doesn't have a sound. It's purely music that I like. You could have someone who's a bit more Ro-Minimal or someone who's a bit more funky. As long as I like it, I'll have them on the label. It's a nice open space for anyone, really."
Can you tell us about the artists who are releasing on the label?
"The next release is from a guy called Milion. He's a very good young producer from Amsterdam. There's a remix from Voigtmann, who's one of my favourite DJs - big up Claus. That's coming out 20 September, the week after the party.
Then there are these guys called Patagonia - a really cool Italian duo. They make a bit more melodic stuff, but I really like what they sent me. Kolter is also coming up on the label.
Another guy, J-Wave, sent me an amazing track which I've signed. That takes us into spring next year. I'm trying not just to sign people that everyone would know. If you send me music and it's right, you'll get on the label, no matter how many social media followers you've got."
Is there anybody else we should know about?
"J-8 has been sending really good music and then there's another guy from Amsterdam called Hidde Van Wee. His music is incredible. I think he's only 21, but the music he's been sending me has been phenomenal.
I wanted to shout him out, as he'll be coming on the label as well. We've got an amazing EP from him."
What's a track you can't get enough of at the moment?
"I can't stop playing these tracks from Sidney Charles. He's got two. One called TripAdvisor. Rhythm, Snare, Bass! But he's got another one, which he's putting out on Eastenderz called Rave Culture, which is sick. Shout-out to Sidney. He's always stayed relevant."
Let move onto HOME//GRXWN at 528 Ibiza and why you chose that specific venue?
"Just because 528 has got a lot of history about it.
Luckily, it sort of fell on our laps to do the party there. I don't think there's a lot of daytime, outdoor places in Ibiza that are suited for, I guess, more local or smaller brands. I want to have a party there, because it's not a place where everyone else is doing parties at the moment.
I've been in the swimming pool there when I was younger. Yeah, it was a dirty swimming pool, but those Zoo Project days, they were some naughty days!
We're bringing in some really cool production to make it really glow when it gets dark. It's going to get into the sundown, get a bit deeper as the day goes along."
How did you go about building the line-up?
"Just by picking out people who I respect and who I'm feeling at the moment.
Me and Josh Baker have a really good relationship where we've sort of been on a good trajectory at the same time. He's been smashing it. I’ve played for a few of his You&Me parties. I also played at his Hide & Seek festival, so I thought I'd return the favour.
I would say Locklead is my favourite producer at the moment. He's a machine when it comes to making music. He's incredible. His knowledge is wicked. I've always wanted to have him onboard."
"I've grown with Salomé Le Chat through the VIP crew, because we started playing at after parties together. She's such an incredible DJ and really nice person. I've always wanted to have her on a HOME//GRXWN line-up.
AZAAD is one of my closest friends. I always said I'd have him involved. It felt fitting to have him and top selecter Marlie, who I thought would play well together."
Can we expect a cheeky unannounced back-to-back with Josh Baker? Give the crowd what they want.
"I don't know. We'll see! I won't give any sneak previews yet."
On the subject of back-to-backs, you go b2b with Hot Since 82 at the Amnesia Closing Party. How do you imagine your two styles coming together?
"It'll be great. It means I can lean a little more into his side of things, maybe go for a bit more of a big room sound at times, which is nice.
Where I play so much, I can get into the flow of playing the same sort of vibe each time. When you play back-to-back with someone who's slightly different from your sound, you can test yourself. I think I'll really enjoy that.
If you have a good personal relationship, you'll have a really good relationship on the decks too. I always get excited to play with people that I get along with. Sometimes you turn up, you play with someone you don't know at all, and it's a bit..."
Yeah, how does that work?
"It can be difficult, if you don't know what each other's wavelength is. You know within the first two tracks if you're going to have a good time or not. But so far, I've had pretty good back-to-backs."
A former life: a career in acting
We couldn't end the interview without revisiting your former life as an actor! Why the career change?
"Life as an actor can be desperate, because you're always waiting for someone to say 'yes' or 'no'. It's a weird life. You can be the best actor in the world, but if your hair isn't quite right or whatever, you just won't get the part.
Whereas as a DJ, you can kind of do it yourself and be a bit more in control.
I got to the point where I was a really successful child actor, but when I got to 18, I was too young to be a leading man while being too old to play a kid. I was unemployed for such a long time. Two years is really hard in that industry. You either hold out or you leave.
At the same time, the DJing started going really well. That's why I made the switch.
I called my agent and told her I was going to be a DJ. She was like, 'have you lost your mind?' And I was like, no, I'm going to really go for it. Let's just see what happens. She was like, 'alright, well, the door's always open if you ever want to come back.'
I haven't called her since. It was a good decision in the end.
Maybe I'll go back to acting one day? My sister writes scripts. She's working on one about the world of DJing and what we do - more of a realistic approach.
She says there'd be a part for me in that, so, I'm feeding her stories to include, which is cool. Imagine Skins meets the DJ world!"
Mark your calendars for Sunday 15 September, as Rossi. invites a roster of close industry pals to join him in Benimussa Hills at 528 Ibiza.
Tickets are on sale now and available below.
