Dont Party Interviews Bob Rifo of the Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77

Close your eyes and imagine, if you will, the bastard son of the Misfits and Daft Punk. As gruesome as the act of conception may appear, the union would generate the most grandiose of offspring. A formidable force, not unlike the Bloody Beetroots. They have dominated dance floors the world over including those on our own South African shores, when they left Cape Town and Johannesburg screaming for more!

Bob Rifo founded the Bloody Beetroots, his electronic alter ego, recording 45 remixes and countless world tours in 3 years. The project officially began in December 2006 and in the space of a few weeks became one of the most discussed and downloaded phenomenon on blogs around the world. They released a biblical flood of productions. The amount of remixes conceived by this producer is truly over the top.

In 2007, Bob got signed to the U.S. label, Dim Mak, the brainchild of Steve Aoki [Performing in South Africa in Early April]. The first releases were the EP’s Rombo (2008), Cornelius (2008) and Warp Feat. Steve Aoki (2009). Warp and Cornelius made it into the iTunes Top Ten Albums Chart. Rifo and Aoki have recently formed a hardcore punk band called Rifoki, produced by Giulio Favero of ZU, due for release in 2010.







in 2009 with the release of his first album, “Romborama”, with appearances by The Cool Kids, Vicarious Bliss, Justin Pearson from The Locust and many more. The album incorporates all musical genres from pop, punk, electro, acid and hip hop to classical music, house and techno. The cover was designed by Tanino Liberatore who has been Sir Bob’s idol since he was a little boy. “Tanino changed my way of looking at thing when I was a boy. He trashed my innocence when I was eight,” says Rifo.

2010 will be the year for a further improvement of the whole project… Bloody Beetroots is being integrated and fomented by “Death Crew 77”, a revolutionary and anarchic “army” lead by Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo. The project is clear headed and visionary at the same time; it promotes the artistic exchange between Bloody Beetroots and their fan base, with the aim of creating a huge anarchic creative community. The strength of this initiative is the “The Bloody Beetroots Live” in which Bob Rifo, supported by two faithful lieutenants, will be perform live his studio compositions.

There is revolt out there and we’re all invited.

Dont Party got to ask the extremely busy Bloody Beetroots aka Bob Rifo a few questions, and here what he had to say

  • We’ve been following the phenomenal rise of the Bloody beetroots since you rocked South Africa to its knees a short while ago. You’ve got some exciting stuff happening such as the Death Crew 77 performance what’s it all about?

    • Death Crew 77 is an anarco-musical cell that expands its virus by exploiting rock stages on planet Earth. It is a return to our roots and the new post punk of the modern electro era. I play six instruments and sing. The keyboards are 2 Nords and 2 Korgs. There are three of us on stage, I am joined by historic Beetroot, Tommy Tea, and we have a new drummer, Edward Grinch. I see DC77 as a secondary growth of the Bloody Beetroots dj set.

  • You recently released a preview for a short film ‘Domino”, there were some strong messages and ideas behind the film. What’s the idea behind the film and The Bloody Beetroots involvement?

    • I always been in love with Cinema & Photography,so I decided to develop something different…added Value…

  • Rifoki has a really new sound from the 2 tracks we’ve heard Sperm Donor and Zombie Attack, you’ve always seemed to not allow yourself to boxed into a single genre, even the bloody beetroots have a very varied sound. What made you decide to venture into Punk rock, and how does it tie into your previous projects?

    • Punk and Anarchy are big words for anyone to shoulder. Anyone who wants to adopt this philosophy has a big responsibility and a duty not to betray it. I try to encourage freedom and independence through the channels that are available to me. One musical genre just ain’t enough for me.

  • In the Warp 1.9 music video you guys are seen jamming on the Moog “Little Phatty” synthesizer, what role does outboard gear play in your music, and what equipment (both hardware and software) do you predominantly use in your production?

    • Hey! The Dominator is not a a little Phatty pre-set!!! Dont forget it! I use a lot of virtual synthesizers combined with my Nord keyboards. I really like to produce my stuff with Cubase 5 but I dont mind Pro Tools HD. The Whole Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 live was designed with Pro Tools.

  • The Bloody Beetroots seem to challenge the status quo in many ways, yet like all musicians you rely on certain corporate entities, you have also done some extremely exciting stuff with many brands such as 55 DSL. What role does the corporation play in the Bloody Beetroots and does this relationship at all influence your music?

    • The Bloody Beetroots is a part of my mind, a social experiment. I try to tie myself to things that are part of my life.

  • Track 12 on Romborama featured our very own Xander Ferreira better known to our readers as Gazelle. What draws you to the artists that you work with; i.e. what makes you want to collaborate with an artist?

    • Purity

  • What do the Bloody Beetroots have in store for fans in 2010 that we might not know about?

    • RIFOKI jeans, Death Crew 77 tees by Vendetta, Some new spares of Romborama…and…u’ll see….

  • What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen from behind your masks?

    • Mars

  • Can we expect to see you back in South Africa anytime in the near future?

    • Freedom…anarchy….

  • When can we expect a new album?

    • Something new is coming up…

    Short and sweet!, we’ll be sure to keep you informed on all the Bloody Beetroots & Bob Rifo developments, there’s clearly loads to look forward to in 2010 and beyond. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on them! For more check out the Death Crew 77 Website [click] or check them on facebook [click] and their myspace [click]

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