EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Rossko’s journey in the music industry spans two decades, evolving through the vibrant beats of Jungle, the deep pulses of Dubstep, to the euphoric waves of House. Originating from the lively UK scene and now taking Berlin by storm, Rossko’s musical mastery is evident. His transition from one dynamic music landscape to another, his artistry behind the decks, and his passion for diverse sounds make him a unique figure in the electronic music domain. Dive deep into this enlightening conversation as we explore the heart and soul of Rossko’s musical universe.
Journey as a Selector: “Rossko, with a reputation as a prominent selector and a record collection spanning two decades, how has your extensive knowledge and ear for varied genres evolved over the years, and how does it shape your sets?”
I was lucky to grow up in a really great time in the UK over the last 20 years, I went through many genres – Jungle, Drum & Bass, Dubstep, Grime, House, Techno, Minimal Garage, Two Step. I was either listening to it on Pirate Radio, going out to raves, buying the music, so all of that music is a reflection or a timeline of who I am. And it’s only now in the last, I’d say 5-10 years where I’ve actually dipped back into all those genres and tried to find a middle ground.. where new kids of this generation might not know about this music or know a little bit, but I can mix them and blend them all together as part of my personality.
Transition to Berlin: “Having originated from London, now immersing yourself
in Berlin’s rich electronic scene,
how has the transition influenced your sound and your approach to music?”
My first residency was for Lost Souls, a small techno club for 150 people which was a converted public toilet, and I was more of the warm up techno DJ there as I’d only just started DJing, so techno is a really big part of who I am. But as I progressed in London I kind of moved towards more house and minimal. By moving to Berlin, this obviously opened my ear
into all the different styles of techno
and a lot of record shopping, a lot of digging in private collections and just following the scene really. Berlin is like London and it’s full of mini micro scenes and you’ve just got to be invested in it to find that sound. So yes, I love that techno sound and now as we’re playing a bit faster I’m starting to introduce it into my sets.
DJ’ing Artistry: “You’ve earned a reputation primarily through your DJ’ing skills, a rarity in today’s music landscape. How do you maintain the integrity and artistry in your mixing, and what does it mean to you to be known for this craft?”
Music is just another form of art for me and DJing is the craft to express that, ever since I was young I have coded my music with mood, with colour and feeling. Green – deep, blue – te- chno, purple – mysterious and rude, red – a bomb, yellow – housey and so when I’m DJing I’m playing to people, I’m painting a picture and trying to connect with them. I spend 99% of my time I’m researching and digging music, so I feel that my DJ sets have to be a little bit extra than those that are running record labels, spending time in studios making stuff, so I’m really playful with my sets. I’m mix across 4 CDJs and back in the day I used to use vinyl with tools, loops and stuff over the top. Ever since I’ve been DJing it’s my moment to switch off from the world, to create and craft. There’s nothing pre planned, it’s all done on feeling and emotion in that moment when I’m mixing and looking to connect with that crowd.
Performance Venues: “From large-scale events like Kappa Festival to more intimate gatherings like Robert Johnson, how do you adjust your sets to connect with diverse audiences, and is there a type of venue you prefer?”
I’m very grateful to have a long-standing residency with FUSE London, the first five years was a residency every week at 93 Feet East and this definitely upgraded my ear. Over the years the more hours you play the different diverse
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scenes, in different countries you start to filter down in your ear what works, for instance: small, tiny, intimate venues need strip back tight, small high hats and lots of space. And larger spaces, bigger rooms, festivals can have more bigger open high hats and more frequencies that are able to travel – so you just start to research this before you download your music. Not only do you code them with colour you can also code them with energy and whereabouts you would play them – indoors, outdoors, small, intimate, cool, underground, overground. It’s a never-ending process of understanding your music, then soon you will know you’re able to filter down your thousands and thousands of tracks selection into 30 of your best tracks. Which are for me, 30 of my best tracks for the people in that moment in that right time to connect with.
London’s Rave History: “You’ve contributed to London’s rave history with your underground party series ‘Cerca Trova’ and residency at Fuse London. How do these experiences reflect your musical identity and influence your current projects?”
Cerca Trova was born from a lack of nightclubs in East London, they were slowly being taken away from us for various reasons. The 2012 Olympics was fast approaching, Shoreditch and Hackney area was being regenerated or gentrified, however you want to want to see it, but this gave opportunity for people like myself to find solutions in illegal warehouse parties. We were trying to do everything possible that we could do to find safe spaces for us to continue with our passion and dedication for our music. Cerca Trova means seek and you will find, that was from Leonardo da Vinci’s writing on one of his famous paintings with a hidden message to find a hidden masterpiece and that was what Cerca Trova reflected at that time was the start of a warehouse movement of giving a code which was the postcode and one of the most famous venues was three doors down from the largest police station in East London and three floors underground, and they didn’t even know it existed. And this was a list of building that used to make ship cells so in the middle of it was completely hollow. Yeah, very proud of having that pie.
Late Night Skanking Brand: “Can you delve into the concept and vision behind ‘Late Night Skanking’? How does this brand reflect your musical ethos and what can fans expect from it?”
Late Night Skanking firstly is dedicated to my younger brother Sam, who unfortunately committed suicide about two weeks before COVID. The brand is something that we spoke about a lot, but it’s taken me around 2-3 years to get it launched since he passed. Skanking for those that don’t know is a Jamaican form of dancing, but basically how I see it is you know when a tune drops and it’s so good you just skank out and the face you pull when that tune is the best track you’ve heard all night, Late Night Skanking means exactly that. We are just starting our party “Sunday Skanking”, it’s a small intimate party in London on a Sunday and as it evolves, we will turn it into a Saturday night party branded as “Late Night Skanking”.
20-year History as a DJ: “Reflecting on your 20-year history as a ‘proper’ DJ, how have the roles of residency, warm-up, and being an MC shaped your career, and what learnings do you draw from these experiences?”
The last 15 years have been like building foundations to a house, in 4-5 years residency, warm up DJ at FUSE, running my own party, understanding the politics, focusing on my solo career and building my record collection. So, in the last five years I feel like I’ve started to perform to the level of which I wanted to and be able to be consistent and travel the world, not be a flash in the pan where some DJs come in, make a hot track and tour for a year and get out. I think it just takes time and it’s kind of a paradox in this day and age, because most artists who are young are coming through are born with the internet in their hand and everything is now
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