Cinematic singer-songwriter Rosan Sashida, who releases music under the band moniker Rosk, has formerly realized her musical visions through working with producers, and a trusted group of musicians. Within this creative format, she’s issued a stream of singles and an EP. Yet, being subject to other musician’s schedules and availability has always hampered her output flow. When quarantine took hold, Rosan was forced to rethink her process. Today, she’s emerged from it all creatively liberated.
Rosk’s latest album is an artistic breakthrough. Rosan has discovered the beauty of composing and songwriting with electronic textures. She’s also benefited from the streamlined process of working remotely through Logic with a co-producer. Her new Rosk music allows her filmic sensibilities to roam wild with lushly layered tracks that imaginatively stretch into sonic narratives. She calls Rosk’s new record, Art Collective, as it’s a gathering of similarly-spirited tracks that are sonically varied. Rosan produced the 9-song collection alongside acclaimed Spanish producer Pachi Alis Garcia.
Rosan was born and raised in Mexico City, and studied film production at the Vancouver Film School in Canada. She later specialized in Film Scoring and Composition at Berklee College of Music. With Rosk, she channels her freewheeling artistry and her passion for film scores into an abstract indie-pop sensibility. Her music is outsider art, and it features Spanish and English lyrics, potent politics, and unflinching vulnerability.
To date, Rosk has issued an EP and a slew of singles. Rosk’s music is brought to life and to the stage by musicians Rodrigo Bukantz, Nico Nico Nico, Israel Bermudez, and Alejandro Cabrera. Over the years, Rosk has appeared live at multiple international shows and festivals, including performing at Mexican protests for the missing students from Ayotzinapa; and shows at the CDMX Pride March and Madrid’s MADO LGBT march. In addition, Rosk’s rendition of John Lennon’s “Real Love” was premiered at the RVK Fringe Festival in Iceland.
Today Glide is excited to premiere the video for the album’s lead single and title track “Art Collective.” Bringing to mind eclectic and vibrant artists like St. Vincent, Anna Calvi, Sophie Hunger, and Sharon Van Etten, the song carries a moody rock swagger with synthy atmospherics. There is a darkly sensual 80s New Wave feel to the song, which contrasts wonky and unexpected instruments and tempo changes with a danceable beat. Rosan has experienced art collectives around the world, beginning with formative moments at the hipster enclave Bushwick, Brooklyn. For her, these collectives have offered forth times of transcendence and communal creativity, and times of immense frustration with interpersonal relationships. The lyrically direct track captures these feelings in a way that is simultaneously serious and fun, and it’s hard not to get pumped up while listening. Of course, the visuals provided in the video offer a proper compliment to the music.
Rosan describes the inspiration and process behind the track:
I began writing this song while I was in Madrid visiting some amazing art collectives such as ¨La Tabacalera¨ and reminiscing about my past experiences with collectives in Brooklyn and Mexico City. I wanted to express both my fascination and frustration with them. I had my tiny Korg Nanokey controller, an acoustic guitar and wrote it in Logic. I finished the song during the pandemic while isolated in Mexico City and then sent it over to my co-producer and engineer Pachi Alis Garcia in Spain. Sending the files back and forth was a very interesting experience and I´m very happy about the energy the song evoked in the end.
I had always wanted to collaborate with Carolina Dagach. I had seen her work up close with artists like Mon Laferte and I’ve always loved her creativity. The video idea she had was very conceptual and crazy and perfect for the song. Producer Henory Galindo had us work with a Red Komodo camera, which we attached to a motorcycle helmet for some of the takes. The most complicated thing about shooting this video were the pandemic safety restrictions. We did some Covid testing beforehand and we kept at a distance most of the time. Thankfully everybody was safe in the end.
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