The big and dirty sounds of Rotterdam’s finest! A massive ADE banger
Interview : Dan Prince
Hey Bobby welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you right now?
“Hi guys and thanks for your support doing this interview. I’m from The Netherlands and live in Rotterdam, which is the place where I keep myself busy with producing new tunes.”
A massive new track doing some serious damage both on the dancefloors and in the ADE Buzz Chart, the heavyweight ‘B.O.P. (Bird Of Prey)’ which is out next week…talk us through the tune that you and Tenashar cooked up for us all…
“B.O.P. (Bird of Prey) will be released on the 4th of November at Be Yourself Music’s Big & Dirty Recordings, which is the same label that released my 2 previous tunes ‘Blitz’ & ‘Arise’. The sound of B.O.P. is typical Bobby Rock with an emotional break but you can also enjoy a lot of power that goes with a climax to let yourself go. That’s the reason why it has the name ‘Bird Of Prey’. A bird of prey flies high in sky and hangs still (break) till he locates his prey and starts his hunt to make the drop. Regarding the collaboration with Tenashar; as a DJ/Producer you try to reach as many EDM lovers as possible, and as Asia will be the next EDM market, my management came in touch with Tenashar’s management. Since she wanted to break through in Europe and myself in Asia, I played her the idea which I had for a track and decided to do a collaboration which became B.O.P.”
Did you know on completion you were sitting on a massive track?
“I was really satisfied by the result and I always ask myself ‘If I’m one of the EDM lovers on the field or club and hear this track, will I go mad at this tune?’ I guess I will but I don’t know if I’m 100% objective when it comes to this answer haha…But we will see how the track will do after the official release. The first comments have been very positive so that’s a good sign!”
Another side of your life many of your fans won’t know about is you have a Masters Degree in Economics. So what was the original career path idea, something away from music?
“Right! When I started studying music was always on my mind, but my focus was more at sports. I played basketball at the highest level and at that time my aim was on playing for a much longer period. At the same time I realized I had to start studying and luckily I did. I even finished it and got my Masters Degree in Economics and Marketing. During my study I noticed my interest in music got bigger and bigger and I knew I preferred having a big DJ/Producer career over doing something with my degree. But you know, it’s good to know I’ll always have a backup plan!”
What did your family think of your decision to pursue music after studying so hard at college?
“My parents are my biggest fans and will support me in every decision. Ever since I was a little kid they have taught me to go for the things I want in life. So you’ll never regret the things you have never tried. But I do think that they are very happy that I finished my study first before I fully focused on music.”
The last few weeks has seen probably the best ever ADE up in the road from you in Amsterdam…what were some of your highlights of the event this year?
“The ADE is a big happening every year but of course this year was special for me. This was because of the big support I got by the big guys for my tracks Blitz & Arise, which put me at a much more professional position not only with the DJ’s but also with the labels. One of the highlights for me at ADE was attending Nicky Romero’s Protocol Recordings event where Don Diablo played my track ‘Blitz’. That was awesome! The whole event was high class but hearing that track made the event even better for me J. Besides all the parties and having a good time, the ADE also stands for networking. I have met very interesting people who showed interest in doing a collaboration with me in the near future!”
What was the 1 record that you heard more than any other?
“That would be ‘Animals’by Martin Garrix, I reckon. He became an absolute hype in the EDM world and he deserves it!”
It was of course the DJ Mag Top 100 last week, your good friend Tenashar crashed in at No.87. What are your thoughts on this poll, some DJs beg their fans to vote for them, some just don’t give a shit…?
“I think it would be great to have my name up in the top of that list! But I also think that the list should be based on performances in the music scene, and it seems as it is more and more becoming a list based on popularity. So I understand why a lot of the bigger DJ’s start to lose interest in their position on this chart. It’s no longer just an indication of being the best DJ but more of being the most popular DJ. For Tenashar to crash in at No. 87 is just great for her. She has a massive fan base and the amount of fans seem to determine whether you’ll be in the list or not! I can only hope to have that many fans and make it into the DJ Mag Top 100 one day soon!”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning…
“These are 10 tracks I played a lot in my sets the last few months..
• Bobby Rock – Blitz
• Bobby Rock – Arise
• Bobby Rock & Tenashar – B.O.P. (Bird Of Prey)
• Bauer & Lanford – Leave Me Behind (Bobby Rock Remix)
• The Chemical Brothers – Do It Again (Jewelz & Scott Sparks Bootleg)
• Sick Inidividuals & Axwell – I AM
• Nicky Romero, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano ft. Fast Eddie – Sound of the Underground
• Nicky Romero vs Krewella – Legacy • Martin Garrix – Animals
• Hardwell & MAKJ – Countdown
A very special moment for you I am sure when Hardwell played the mashup of your track ‘Arise’ at Tomorrowland 2013 – what was that feeling like?
“That was a very special moment indeed. Every up and coming DJ cant do anything but hope that his tracks will be supported by one of the biggest DJ’s. And when the number one DJ in the world supports your track at one of the biggest EDM festivals in the world than that is an awesome moment of course! On top of that it’s a great promotion for my brand as the tracklist and video’s from the festival will spread over the internet.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A0do5lcSxM
Who are some of the producers you are giving high fives to at the moment?
“I have a lot of respect for Afrojack as we grew up in the same city called Spijkenisse and went to the same high school. I watched his career hit of from a close distant and saw him reaching the top all by his own doing, and I can only say respect to that!! But I also have a lot of respect for DJs like Armin van Buuren and Tiesto as they are the legends in the EDM world and still have their place at the top. Besides these legends I admire David Guetta as he brought the EDM sound to the big public by producing commercial chart breaking hit songs all over the world. I’ve always been a big fan of the Swedish House Mafia and especially of Axwell, as his sound is always amazing and tight. On top of all these big names of course I admire Hardwell, Nicky Romero and Martin Garrix as they are 3 super talented guys from the Netherlands.”
Where was your favourite gig of the summer…Malta looked very cool!
“I have been in Malta twice this summer, where I did my own gigs and had a great time. The EDM lovers of Malta know how to throw a party and the island itself is pretty amazing too. Nice people, beautiful beaches en delicious food! It was my first experience with Malta and definitely my favourite gig of the summer.”
Your tracks always get great support from the superstar DJs out there, who is the first name you look for to see if he has supported?
“Axwell, Nicky Romero and Hardwell. Axwell was the first one to support my track ‘Blitz’ and Nicky and Hardwell showed their support for ‘Arise’.”
What has been your anthem of the summer?
“‘Blitz’ as I think everybody understands this track the most, even if you are not an EDM lover.”
Your Facebook is littered with photos of you doing sports, do we have a frustrated sportsman here by any chance?
“Haha definitely not frustrated! I think you talk about my basketball pictures at my Facebook right? When I was 6 years old I started to play basketball and always had a dream to get into the NBA, but during the years you get older and realize you can’t reach every dream you have. Playing basketball brought me great experiences like playing in the national youth-team and becoming Dutch champion. When I got injured the fun of it all began to fade away which gave me more room to focus on my music career. I will always be involved in playing sports some way or another, otherwise I’m afraid you will be dealing with a frustrated DJ.”
What is your guilty pleasure record, the tune you secretly love but shouldn’t?
“Shh! I have to go with Chris Isaak – ‘Wicked Games’.”
And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise…?
“After the release of B.O.P. (Bird Of Prey) I am looking forward to the 5th of November when there will be the release on Ultra Music of a remix I have done for Bauer & Landford – ‘Leave Me Behind’ (Bobby Rock Remix). And for those who can’t wait that long, you can listen to my remix in my new monthly Bobcast. Besides this I’m very busy with producing new tracks which are going to be released at big major labels next year. For more info follow my twitter @BobbyRockDJ or Facebook.com/BobbyRockOfficial…”
https://twitter.com/BobbyRockDJ
https://facebook.com/BobbyRockOfficial
www.soundcloud.com/bobbyrockofficial
