Introducing ROBPM
The ROBPM interview, below, is full of great insights, reflections, and personal accounts of modern electronic music directly from the words of techno artist ROBPM. Originally, from Italy, ROBPM began DJing with friends and now has a career as both a DJ and Producer. Along the way, earning recognition for more than a few top-notch productions for techno tracks, including “Tzunami” and “Seat Belt”.
Interview
Get to know more about ROBPM in this exclusive One EDM interview. In the next 10 interview questions, he tells us about his experiences as a DJ and producer from over 20 years of career experiences in electronic music.
One EDM: ROBPM IS YOUR ALIAS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN IT’S MEANING AND YOUR MUSICAL ACT?
ROBPM: It’s a long and funny story…”BPM” or “BIPI” are nicknames that a famous DJ from Turin gave me since I was determined to respect the BPM of the tracks. It came almost natural to “mix” my name to my nickname “RO” = Roberto with “BPM” = Beats per minute.
WHO AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO FOLLOW YOUR PATH IN MUSIC?
I started my career 20 years ago with my dearest friends. Every afternoon we met each other at home and spent hours mixing with vinyls. I started playing hardcore music, and I did it for years, until after a long stop in my career, for personal choices and a lack of confidence in the business, I decided to quit and take a long period of meditation. When I came back to the DJing world, I no longer found the excitement I felt for hardcore music, the sounds had changed and I felt that nothing more belonged to me.
One day I attended a famous festival in Turin with my friends and from there I fell in love with the “techno” world. I say world because I believe that it is not just a musical genre but a lifestyle, a philosophy. If you listen to my music though, you can clearly hear the influences of my past and my main musical tastes.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF MAKING MUSIC?
Creating devastating drops!
Imagine how people might react while dancing to my production, putting everything in my tracks that reflects my musical tastes and passions, always thinking “out of the box”.
My way of thinking like this, I found a great source of inspiration, my mentor and head of my label, T78, who besides being a great producer and DJ, I am personally convinced that he has an extraordinary talent!
WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU TO BE A DJ AND PRODUCER?
I love DJing and being with people to party! The role of producer is a role that I’m slowly starting to love but, at the beginning, I saw it only as a compulsion! A necessary step to be a modern DJ, since that today the world of DJing has changed so much. Mind you, I love making music, but for the pleasure of doing it, and not because it’s now mandatory to do it otherwise you’re “out of market”!
The technique and the musical taste have left space to the socials and to the desire to appear beyond that with the new technology everyone can be the DJ!
I must say, however, that I am having a lot of satisfactions on the production side. So, I can say that today there is a right balance of things! Even if I stay, I will remain a pure DJ with his traditions and fixations!
WHAT KIND MUSIC STUDIO HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE DO YOU USE?
I use Logic software, of course MAC, lots of sound libraries (I have more than 1 TB of sound only), several “plugins” and various compressors for create the sound, the vocal and the perfect kick! I also have quite an impressive vinyl collection, and I listen to a lot of music every day in order to find the right inspiration.
YOUR TECHNO TRACKS HAVE BEEN CHART TOPPING SUCCESSES, HOW DID YOU MAKE THIS HAPPEN?
I do not know! Probably after 20 years of career as a DJ and above all as a clubber. I learned to understand what works, what doesn’t work, what people want, and above all what I would like to hear in a event. Another primary thing is the quality, the mix and the master that make 99% of a track. That’s why I rely on professional studios to make my productions with the highest quality standards. Quality without compromise! Better to make a few winning releases than many that don’t leave their mark!
DO YOU HAVE ANY DREAM DESTINATIONS TO PERFORM AT?
I have many dreams, and I never stop chasing them, but in this market the humility and the continuing desire to learn are fundamental to avoid falling quickly into oblivion. I would like to play even outside Europe, and make more and more people dance! The important thing is to wait and not lose the passion and determination.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST SATISFYING ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR IN YOUR CAREER?
I would say the first time that one of my tracks had risen to the 1st position of the Beatport Top 100 hard-techno chart. I’m talking about my track “Tzunami”. It is still on the chart after more than 250 days, and the first time I received a message from my “fan” who thanked me for my music!
Not forgetting when I joined the great “Autektone” family made up of great people and professionals! We call ourselves family (#autektonefamily) because we support and help each other!
THE BIOGRAPHIES ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE, AND BEATPORT SAY YOUR MOTTO IS “WHILE THERE’S BASS, THERE’S HOPE!”, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT HOW THIS BECAME YOUR MOTTO?
Yes! It is my motto! I recently also tattooed it on my arm. In a nutshell, it means that even if today this market has become complicated, saturated and full of improvised “artists” that are born from social media the important thing is the music, and until there is that, there is hope. You should never give up and always believe in it even if there are so many grotesque and inexplicable things that would push anyone to stick their headphones with the track!
APART FROM EDM, WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO?
Well, definitely being with friends, go dancing and partying, Star Wars, gym and tattoos!
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT?
The new “Tektones #4” has been released now, where there is my collaboration with the well known Austrian DJ, Niereich.
Around September, a new remix for Gaga & Mateo! will be out on Dark Face Recordings of which I am very proud. I think it will do some damage on the dancefloor. Of course, after the summer, I will definitely work on my new EP for Autektone on which for the first time I have pledged a promise to T78 for his remix. It will be a great honor for me because besides being the boss of the label on which I produce, is a friend, a mentor, and one of my favorite DJ and producers! What’s better?
After this, I really hope to continue playing more and more around Europe and Italy.
ROBPM and the Autektone family
For more ROBPM, check out One EDM soon for an exclusive One EDM guest mix by ROBPM. Furthermore, this interview made possible by the Autektone family. Discover more from them on their label Autektone Records.
