The Bloody Beetroots take a spin in London
As mysterious as they are talented,
Italian electro duo The Bloody
Beetroots place 86th out of the top
100 DJs in the world according to
DJ Mag, but few even know what
they look like. That's because the
group, comprised of producer Bob
Rifo and Tommy Tea, wear masks
onstage resembling the character
Venom from the Spiderman series.
They rarely do interviews, and
when they do, the questions are
limited in numbers and content
(nothing is permitted about their
masks).
Regardless, their talents in both song craft and DJing have led the international community to take notice. And while they sometimes tour as a band with an added live drummer, The Bloody Beetroots performed a scaled-back DJ set on Saturday, January 8 at the London Music Hall.
Certainly there's a distinctive mystique surrounding the band, and Rifo embraces it, perhaps in part because of his less-than-urban upbringing in the small Italian town of Bassano del Grappa. There, he can travel without being noticed, but even on an aesthetic level, his birthplace (which has an approximate population of 40,000) was what led to the birth of the Beetroots in the first place.
"A small town has fewer distractions," he wrote to me via e-mail. "Someone said that creativity is developed with fewer resources."
But the music the Beetroots create is similarly unique, and ofttimes hard to describe. They are more easily recognized amongst other electro house artists like Crookers and Steve Aoki, but The Beetroots are rare in their ability to incorporate a strong political message into their music, relying on philosophies closely tied to punk rock.
"Dance music has often been used as a ploy to escape from the usual routine. I think that now more than ever the world needs to be faced and overturned. Anarchy and disorder are often necessary, but they are not the only ways," Rifo wrote.
And despite the fact that most club-goers aren't the most prone to political dissent, The Beetroots have taken their message to the masses with great success. Among the first converts were Al-P and Jesse F. Keeler, better known as Toronto's own MSTRKRFT.
MRSTRKRFT met The Bloody Beetroots while performing in Europe several years ago, and soon thereafter introduced the duo to Steve Aoki, owner of Dim Mak Records. The Beetroots and Aoki hit it off immediately, and it wasn't long before they were officially signed to Dim Mak.
Their debut album, Romborama, was released in 2009, but the Beetroots haven't stopped there. Most recently, they just came off of tour billed as "The Bloody Beetroots — Death Crew 77," which incorporated a live drummer for the first time. But for Rifo, whether The Beetroots perform as a duo or a full band, the music he creates is still based around his initial thoughts.
"I produce music alone in my head. Death Crew is an extension of how I think," he said. "My experience is shared with others when I manage to convey the sense of the word 'MUSIC.' (It's) a part of me, a part of the people I play with, and a part of everyone in the audience who wants no walls in their life."
Now, on a DJ tour, The Bloody Beetroots will be performing in several Southern Ontario cities for their second North American tour in the past few months. And though Canada isn't always regarded as a powerhouse in electronic music, The Beetroots always feel welcome performing here.
"I love Canada, I would not change anything. If you often feel that electronic music doesn't get the proper support, it's just a communication problem. Speak loudly, and everyone will hear you."
Regardless, their talents in both song craft and DJing have led the international community to take notice. And while they sometimes tour as a band with an added live drummer, The Bloody Beetroots performed a scaled-back DJ set on Saturday, January 8 at the London Music Hall.
Certainly there's a distinctive mystique surrounding the band, and Rifo embraces it, perhaps in part because of his less-than-urban upbringing in the small Italian town of Bassano del Grappa. There, he can travel without being noticed, but even on an aesthetic level, his birthplace (which has an approximate population of 40,000) was what led to the birth of the Beetroots in the first place.
"A small town has fewer distractions," he wrote to me via e-mail. "Someone said that creativity is developed with fewer resources."
But the music the Beetroots create is similarly unique, and ofttimes hard to describe. They are more easily recognized amongst other electro house artists like Crookers and Steve Aoki, but The Beetroots are rare in their ability to incorporate a strong political message into their music, relying on philosophies closely tied to punk rock.
"Dance music has often been used as a ploy to escape from the usual routine. I think that now more than ever the world needs to be faced and overturned. Anarchy and disorder are often necessary, but they are not the only ways," Rifo wrote.
And despite the fact that most club-goers aren't the most prone to political dissent, The Beetroots have taken their message to the masses with great success. Among the first converts were Al-P and Jesse F. Keeler, better known as Toronto's own MSTRKRFT.
MRSTRKRFT met The Bloody Beetroots while performing in Europe several years ago, and soon thereafter introduced the duo to Steve Aoki, owner of Dim Mak Records. The Beetroots and Aoki hit it off immediately, and it wasn't long before they were officially signed to Dim Mak.
Their debut album, Romborama, was released in 2009, but the Beetroots haven't stopped there. Most recently, they just came off of tour billed as "The Bloody Beetroots — Death Crew 77," which incorporated a live drummer for the first time. But for Rifo, whether The Beetroots perform as a duo or a full band, the music he creates is still based around his initial thoughts.
"I produce music alone in my head. Death Crew is an extension of how I think," he said. "My experience is shared with others when I manage to convey the sense of the word 'MUSIC.' (It's) a part of me, a part of the people I play with, and a part of everyone in the audience who wants no walls in their life."
Now, on a DJ tour, The Bloody Beetroots will be performing in several Southern Ontario cities for their second North American tour in the past few months. And though Canada isn't always regarded as a powerhouse in electronic music, The Beetroots always feel welcome performing here.
"I love Canada, I would not change anything. If you often feel that electronic music doesn't get the proper support, it's just a communication problem. Speak loudly, and everyone will hear you."
