RUSSELL'S RULES

XL Recordings boss Richard Russell gave a rare interview to music journalist Hattie Collins in Barcelona as part of Sónar+D talks series with influential creatives, covering the beginnings of his production career in rave to the growth of XL—home to Adele, Radiohead, The xx, Damon Albarn and more—and his ethos for the respected British independent label.

Having an artist-friendly outlook, resisting the temptation to get "really big" by maintaining a small roster, and not “encouraging people to do bullshit things they don’t want to do,” is Russell’s modus operandi. Watch here for anecdotes aplenty on working with Gil Scott-Heron, Bobby Womack and more.