Rollo | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Rowland Constantine O'Malley Armstrong |
Also known as | R Plus The OT Quartet Dignity |
Born | Kensington, London, England | 8 May 1966
Occupation | Record producer |
Instrument(s) | Keyboards, synthesiser |
Years active | 1987–present |
Labels | Cheeky Records/BMG |
Member of | Faithless |
Rowland Constantine O'Malley Armstrong [1] (born 8 May 1966), known professionally as both Rollo and R Plus, is an English DJ and music producer. He is one half of the remix/production duo Rollo & Sister Bliss and is a founding, non-touring, member of the electronic music group Faithless. He has produced and remixed many tracks for Dido, Rob Dougan, Pet Shop Boys, Simply Red, R. Kelly, U2, Moby, Grace, Tricky and Suede. He is also known for producing the UEFA Euro 2008 theme, [2] which is also used as UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Women's Championship, and youth tournaments theme since 2017.[ citation needed ]
Rollo was born to an Irish publisher [3] and a French-English poet. His younger sister is singer Dido. He studied at the University of York and was an active member of the student radio station URY. Later bandmate Sister Bliss has claimed that Rollo experiences synaesthesia, seeing "music as colours". [4]
Rollo has appeared on a large number of music projects, both within groups and solo, using various monikers, including Faithless (which he formed in 1995 with Sister Bliss, Jamie Catto and Maxi Jazz), Rollo Goes ..., Our Tribe (with Rob Dougan), and Dusted.
In late 1991, Rollo founded Cheeky Records, releasing two singles before the label folded. [5] In 1992 Champion Records stepped in to help with funding and advice, and the label was restarted, with Reverence by Faithless its first album release (it has since been bought out by BMG). [5] In 1992, Rollo co-wrote and co-produced Felix's hit single "Don't You Want Me", which reached number 1 in Finland, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, as well as reaching number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. [6]
In the United States, Rollo is known for his production work on Dido's albums: No Angel (1999), Life for Rent (2003), Safe Trip Home (2008), Girl Who Got Away (2013) and Still on My Mind (2019). Rollo was also a producer on singer-songwriter Kristine W's debut album, Land of the Living .
In 2008, Rollo composed the official melody of the UEFA Euro 2008 competition. [7] and UEFA Euro 2012. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Original Song for his work with A.R. Rahman and Dido on "If I Rise", featuring in the 2010 Danny Boyle film 127 Hours . [8]
On 11 October 2019, Rollo released his first solo album, The Last Summer under the alias "R Plus". [9] [10] It charted at No. 96 on the UK Album Sales Chart [11] and at No. 55 on the UK Album Download Chart. [12] On 19 July 2020, The Last Summer (Deluxe Edition) was released, and credited as by both R Plus and Dido. [13]
After moving record labels to Armada Music, Rollo (as R Plus) released a cover of Joy Division's 1980 hit "Love Will Tear Us Apart" on 7 May 2021, and features singer Amelia Fox. Rollo spoke of the remake: "[The song] meant the world to me when I was teenager, and it still does. I stole my first Joy Division T-shirt from a shop in Camden Market, and got to fleetingly meet guitarist Peter Hook years later at a party at the Hacienda in Manchester. It took a long time before I felt brave enough to cover this song, before I felt I knew what I was doing as a producer [...] To introduce Amelia Fox and the new R Plus album to the world, we thought it would be good to start with this cover. We wanted our version to sound like a piece of music found in a time capsule buried under the now empty DJ booth at the Hacienda, and wanted to capture both the sadness of the song and the late-night euphoria of that legendary club." [14] [15] In July 2021, R Plus released "Hey Lover" again featuring Fox. [16]
On 13 May 2022, R Plus released WeDisappear, a collaboration album with Amelia Fox. [17] [18] [19] "Makes Me Feel Good" [20] and an edited version of "Let's Really Have Some Fun", released 28 April 2023, were released as singles. [21] On 24 November 2023, R Plus released the album For Lovers, Not Killers, alongside Fox. [22] Some streaming services erroneously list Faithless as a collaborative artist on R Plus releases, due to Armstrong's involvement in both projects. [23]
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Summer Dress" (featuring Dido) | 2019 | The Last Summer |
"Those Were The Days" (featuring Dido) | ||
"My Boy" (featuring Dido) | ||
"Together (In These Times)" (featuring Dido) | 2020 | Non-album singles |
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" (featuring Amelia Fox) | 2021 | |
"Hey Lover" (featuring Amelia Fox) | WeDisappear | |
"Hold On To Your Heart" (featuring Amelia Fox) | ||
"This Girl Is Gone" (featuring Amelia Fox) | 2022 | |
"Makes Me Feel Good" (featuring Amelia Fox) | ||
"U Disappear" (featuring Amelia Fox) | ||
"Love Makes Me Feel Good" (featuring Amelia Fox) | ||
"It's Enough (The Last High)" (featuring Amelia Fox) | 2023 | |
"Let's Really Have Some Fun" (featuring Amelia Fox) | ||
Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong, known professionally as Dido, is an English singer and songwriter. She attained international success with her debut album No Angel (1999); hit singles from the album include "Here with Me" and "Thank You". It sold over 21 million copies worldwide, and it won her several awards, including two Brit Awards; additionally, she won Best British Album and Best British Female as well as the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act. The first verse of "Thank You" is sampled in "Stan", a critically acclaimed collaboration with American rapper Eminem. Her next album, Life for Rent (2003), continued her success with the hit singles "White Flag" and "Life for Rent". In 2004, Dido performed with other British and Irish artists in the Band Aid 20 version of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?".
Faithless are an English dance music band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, Reverence, was released in 1996 and their most recent, All Blessed, in 2020. They have sold millions of physical records, and their catalogue was uploaded to streaming sites in 2018. They average almost 3 million listeners a month on Spotify. Faithless' records have charted at No. 1 in numerous countries and they were voted the 4th greatest dance band of all time by Mixmag.
Furious Angels is the debut and as of 2024, the only studio album by Australian music producer Rob Dougan. It was released on 1 July 2002 in the United Kingdom and in July 2003 in the United States. It was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.
Ayalah Deborah Bentovim, better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the production duo Rollo & Sister Bliss, and particularly as part of Faithless.
Life for Rent is the second studio album by English singer Dido, released by Arista Records on 29 September 2003. The album was produced by her brother Rollo Armstrong and American songwriter Rick Nowels. Work on the album began in mid-2002. It was certified 9× Platinum by the BPI, and sold over 12 million copies worldwide, making it the fourth best-selling album worldwide of 2003. The album became the seventh best-selling album of the 2000s in the United Kingdom, making Dido the only singer to have two albums in the top 10 list.
Land of the Living is the first official album by American dance, electronica and jazz singer-songwriter Kristine W. It was released in 1996.
Dusted is the joint venture of two record producers, Rollo Armstrong and Mark Bates. Their best-remembered track is "Always Remember to Respect and Honour Your Mother Part One" in 2001, which reached No. 31 on the UK Singles Chart. The song featured vocals from 12-year-old schoolboy Alan Young.
"One Step Too Far" is a song by British electronic music group Faithless. The track features member Rollo Armstrong's sister Dido on vocals and was remixed for single release. "One Step Too Far" was released on 8 April 2002 as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, Outrospective (2001). The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart, number four on the US Dance Club Play chart, and number 21 on the Australian Singles Chart.
Renaissance 3D by Faithless is a 3-compact disc box set, of which each CD has a different theme. The first CD, Studio, includes remixes of both songs by Faithless and others. The second CD, a mix CD called Club, mainly contains uptempo dance songs. Both the first and second CDs are compiled by Faithless member Sister Bliss. The third CD, Home, is compiled by Maxi Jazz and contains less uplifting songs, from genres such as reggae and trip hop.
Pauline Taylor is a British singer and songwriter who came to recognition as the lead vocalist on the singles "Love Love Love, Here I Come" by Rollo Goes Mystic and "Let This Be a Prayer" by Rollo Goes Spiritual. Both groups are pseudonyms for producer Rollo Armstrong, a member of the band Faithless.
To All New Arrivals is the 5th studio album by dance music act Faithless. The album was created after the positive response to the Faithless Greatest Hits tour, originally described as their "final tour". The album was released on 27 November 2006, a week after the single "Bombs". The title for the album was inspired by the recent birth of two babies to band members Rollo and Sister Bliss. The album cover features the 1880 oil painting, Nightfall on the Thames, by John Atkinson Grimshaw.
"Salva Mea" is a song by British electronic band Faithless, written by members Rollo, Sister Bliss, and Maxi Jazz. The female vocals on all versions are performed by Rollo's sister Dido. "Salva Mea" was released in July 1995 by Cheeky Records as the group's first single from their debut album, Reverence (1996), and became a hit on the UK Dance Singles Chart; following a re-release in 1996, it peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart. The single topped the US Hot Dance Club Play chart twice—during its first chart run in 1996 and again in 1997 when the track was remixed and reissued. A black-and-white music video was produced to promote the single, directed by British director Lindy Heymann.
"Muhammad Ali" is a song recorded by British dance band Faithless. It was released in the UK as a single on 23 September 2001, and was the second single release from the group's third studio album Outrospective. The German release was a DualDisc containing a CD audio side and a DVD side. Muhammad Ali reached #29 in the UK singles chart.
Hardbag is a genre of electronic dance music popular in the mid-1990s. Having evolved out of the handbag house scene in 1993–1994, the genre enjoyed massive, albeit brief, popularity, with several hardbag releases achieving positions in the upper echelons of the UK chart. It was at the time sometimes confused with nu-NRG, yet the styles were discernibly different.
Odds & Ends is a collection of unfinished tracks and demo recordings by British pop singer, Dido. The collection was put together by her management team, Nettwerk, and released promotionally in late 1995, in order to gain interest from record companies so that Dido could be signed to a major record label. All of the material was recorded between 1993 and 1995. Dido was brought to the attention of Arista Records, who were impressed with her collaborations and songwriting for the UK dance group Faithless, her work with a UK dance act spearheaded by her brother, Rollo Armstrong, and more importantly, the album. Arista Records signed Dido in the United States, eventually forming a deal with her brother Rollo Armstrong's record label, Cheeky Records, allowing her music to be released internationally. The track "Worthless" later appeared on The Highbury Fields EP, a five track sampler released to promote her debut album, No Angel. "Take My Hand" was included on the album itself, and "Sweet Eyed Baby" was remixed to create another album track, "Don't Think of Me". "Worthless" and "Me" also appeared on the Japanese version of No Angel.
The discography of Dido, a British pop singer, consists of six studio albums, one demo album, two extended plays, 31 singles, and one video album. She debuted in 1993, performing and touring with trip hop group Faithless. In 1997, she began composing solo material and signed a recording contract with Arista Records in the United States.
The discography of Faithless, a British electronic band, consists of nine studio albums, four remix albums, three compilation albums, thirty-seven singles and a number of other appearances. They are perhaps best known for their 1995 hit single "Insomnia"; it was voted by Mixmag readers as the fifth greatest dance record of all time in 2013, was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2023, with sales of over 1.8million.
The Dance is the sixth studio album by dance music act Faithless on their own record label, Nates Tunes, and first for PIAS Recordings. Dido is featured on the songs "North Star" and "Feelin' Good". Actress and singer Mía Maestro performs the vocals on "Love Is My Condition".
Aubrey Nunn is an English bass guitarist, songwriter, producer, and educator. He is best known as a long-serving former member of the British band Faithless.
"Don't Leave" is a song by English band Faithless, co-written by Jamie Catto, Rollo, and Sister Bliss and produced by the latter two. Catto provides the lead vocals on the song while Pauline Taylor and Rollo's sister Dido perform several backing vocals. A downtempo soul ballad, the track was included on Faithless's debut album, Reverence (1996), and was released as its third single in March 1996, reaching number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.
For the first time ever, the European Championship has an official melody...composed by Rollo Armstrong of Faithless on behalf of UEFA.