The Bloody Beetroots

The only way that The Bloody Beetroots and their elusive ringmaster Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo could possibly make sense is if they were a cult band. A masked band playing raucous, abrasive music surely can only work if the venues they play are packed out sweatboxes with the same 300 or 400 die-hard fans stuffed inside. With every one of them dressed in the same Venom (the Spider-Man villain) mask as their hero, who are the only people in the world to own a copy of either of the project’s two albums.

However, this is indeed a strange and disturbing universe and one of the key reasons for that is the fact that The Bloody Beetroots are actually pretty massive. Strange and disturbing indeed, but undeniably awesome nonetheless. Rifo himself is a classically trained musician who has far more time for punk rock than Puccini, who initially made his name as a DJ and producer in 2007. His live sets, where he’s joined by fellow turntablist DJ Tommy Tea, made them infamous for starting brawls in the clubs they played in with their sheer power and energy.

Soon Rifo started remixing the likes of Alex Gopher and Etienne de Crecy, and in 2007 alone he released a whopping 28 remixes. As his profile grew he would do the same in the coming years for artists like Rob Zombie, The Killers, Groove Armada and Robyn. Soon after this Rifo began composing original music for The Bloody Beetroots, which saw acclaim from a lot of his peers, most notably Justice and MSTRKRFT. It also started spreading over the world, being used in TV show and video game soundtracks the world over, and it was with that exposure that Rifo gained his first record deal in the US, with EDM icon Steve Aoki’s label Dim Mak Records.

By 2010, Rifo had put together a live band for The Beetroots’ concerts, who he named The Blood Beetroots Death Crew 77. They’ve slayed festivals and concert halls the world over and back in the studio, even worked with Sir Paul McCartney himself on the single “Out Of Sight”. Clearly Rifo is the kind of once in a generation talent that is always a pleasure and a privilege to have around and it’s even more off a pleasure to see him get the recognition he arguably deserves. Highly recommended.

Barbaglia’s interest in music began at an early age, when he began DJing at the tender age of 11. He first began Crookers as a collaborative project with fellow Milano music producer Andrea “Bot” Frangelo back in 2003. Both Barbaglia and Frangelo bonded over their shared musical tastes, and dream to create dance music that hadn’t been produced in Milan before.

Their first release, entitled “End 2 End” was released in 2006 on the P-House label. Over the next couple of years, the duo recorded various tracks that were put out by different Italian labels, before releasing their a trio of EPs in 2008, titled, Knobbers, Mad Kidz and E.P.istola respectively. That same year, Crookers tasted their first international success, with their smash hit collaboration with G.O.O.D Music rapper Kid Cudi, “Day’N’Nite”. The catchy club banger was a commercial success around the world, charting at Number 2 in the UK and was also featured on the videogame, “Midnight Club: Los Angeles.” They also lent their DJ skills to play in game radio hosts on GTA V.

2010 saw the Crookers take the next step in their career when they recorded and released their debut studio album, “Tons of Friends”. The album was well received by critics and noted for its numerous high profile features, from the likes of will.i.am and Soulwax, to Roisin Murphy and Miike Snow. A remix version of the album was recorded later on the same year.

Their sophomore album came out in 2011, titled “Dr Gonzo”, which was a more electronic leaning release. The following year, Fratangelo announced he was leaving the group, while Barbaglia would continue to use the Crookers name for his solo work, the latest Crookers album is titled “Sixteen Chapel”.