Freaky Bob

biography

Author: Freaky Bob
Date: Jul 18, 2002
Views: 2160

biography

 

 

 

 

b i o g r a p h y

 

 

Name: freaky bob
DJ style: beat matched psychedelic trance, chill-out, dub
Location: cyberspace
Contact: bob@peekmagazine.com, freak@freakybob.co.uk
Web address: www.freakybob.co.uk

I think I see the role of the DJ differently to most others. I see it as a form of sonic sculpture where each time you play you carve a different soundscape specific to the mood of the party crowd and circumstances of the place you are in. I also firmly believe in the principles of beat-matching, entering the mix very early on in the tune, and blending two tracks until they seamlessly weave and feed off eachother making the whole listening experience a truly psychedelic one. I would also consider myself to be a true trance DJ as people have often commented that my sets have sent their heads flying into places previously unexplored and indeed if the state of my head is anything to go by after I have played a set then I can only imagine what I do to my audience. I also like to play across the full range of trance; from the 'phet fuelled beat driven music of the main room, through the wild roaming sounds of the outdoor party, to the stoned broken beat/dub sessions in a backroom.

My interest in music has been around for as long as I can remember and I am a classically trained pianist although if truth be told I have not been near a keyboard for many many years now, preferring to express my musical edge through the medium of a mixer. Indeed my earliest memories involve me going through my older brothers record collection with true wonderment as to what those pieces of plastic contained, however it was not until quite later on in life that I became interested in dance music generally and psychedelic trance specifically. It was what I consider two major events that changed my life - firstly a friend of mine taking me to my first rave party back in 1994 and secondly the chance purchase of a Mark Allen mix tape in London soon after that which truly switched me onto the kind of music I wanted to listen to. I can still remember the raw emotions I went through first time I listened to that tape such was its powerful impact. From there on in regular trips to Zoom Records in London ensured that I have a goa/psychedelic vinyl collection that I am still extremely proud of.

I cut my DJ teeth with a free party sound system called Elemental. At first I either played the warm-up set (something I still enjoy doing as it is the warm-up DJ who sets the scene for the rest of the party) or the day after day time set where I was able to play for many hours and truly explore the music and all it had to offer. To this day the set that crosses over the insanity of the night and into the day is the one I favour most. In fact I would still say that my heart belongs within the British free party scene where the word free truly means free. However nothing lasts for ever and my time with the Elemental Sound System had to come to and end as I had outgrown my boots. It was then that I joined the newly formed DJ team Peek whose philosophies really inspired me and allowed me to develop my own distinctive DJ style. As Peek we had a true dedication to production at our parties making sure that we had the best that we could afford and often having to put our hands into our own pockets to make ends meet.

As my interest in dance music deepened, and because I have always had a lifelong interest in words, it seemed like a natural progression for me to go into the field of writing articles, features and reviews. I first started writing for a local magazine when I was lived in Brighton, UK, then progressed to the occasional contribution for both Implant and Dream Creation. In fact it was a chance visit to the editor of Dream Creation - Kaptain Kaos himself - that directly inspired me to start my own magazine. However some things are not to be and I found that despite loving the creative side, I was not ruthless enough to sell advertising space, something which is essential to the continuation of a free magazine! These days I am happy to be a staff writer at Upfront magazine (and for whom I also DJ), regular contributor to Implant where I am given the freedom to choose my own research briefs, and sometime contributor to Shangri-la-la where again I get to choose exactly what I want to write about. Because I am one of the music reviewers at Upfront magazine, this ensures that I have access to all that is on the sharp end of the cutting edge.

Nowadays I am a pure CD DJ. It took a long time to convert me from vinyl, and I have Matt Boom! to thank for that for it was he that got me to look beyond just the medium of vinyl and into the heart of the music whatever form it takes, but thanks must go out to him for tolerating the need for me to have vinyl decks at the first few parties I played with him in Holland. I now appreciate the true portability of the CD medium (anyone who has ever carried a record box crammed with 50+ records will understand exactly what I mean!) and also the crystal clear quality that the music has off a CD. In fact my dedication to the CD medium is so strong that I am trying to collect all my old vinyl Goa tunes on CD now in case there is ever a need for a retro set...

No self written biography of mine would be complete without a shout of respect to all that have inspired me, most of whom are too numerous to mention, however I hope they know who they are, I certainly do. But a special shout of respect must go out to John Bradley and Perry, the two originators of Peek; without their guiding wings I would not be where I am today.

   

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