We catch up with the Romanian DJ and producer Bross about his sound, releases, brand events and Deep House Bucharest community. Enjoy reading while listening to his premiere Meraki released on January 11th via RADIANT.
WWD: Nice to meet you Bross! This interview was a long time coming! Thanks! Let’s get started a little bit with your background. How’s it like to produce and mix electronic music in Romania when it comes to the Deep House Melodic genre?
Hey WWD, thank you for inviting me! The scene here is still young, people are usually open to new music and this has made my path easier in promoting Deep House Melodic genre in Romania’s cultural cities. In the last couple of years I have travelled the country and played in the big cities, thus meeting many local DJs that are also interested in this genre and supported me and my music. I also met several talented Romanian producers with whom I have collaborated and released a few tracks.
WWD: Where do you draw your inspiration from? How does a typical studio day look like for you?
I often find myself navigating online for music for hours, either on soundcloud or youtube, which is where I sometimes find my inspiration also. I really like listening to live bands, the percussions and guitars are my favorite instruments. Lately I have been using the guitar more when producing and I am happy with the result, I could build an entire track starting with a really special guitar sample.
This is usually how studio days begin. I start with finding the sample, then add percussions, atmos , wood sound effects, then a quick break to play with my cats, only to come back to finish the searches for piano progressions. It probably would have been a lot easier if I had studied music in school, however, after long hours of practice, I gradually learnt how each sound fits somewhere and what is missing to complete a melodic line. Currently I am experimenting a mix between afro house and all day I dream, similar to the release at RADIANT.
WWD: 2019 was quite a busy year for you. You had a few international gigs and you worked together with some very important names and brands. What were your favourite events of the year? Where would you like to go back?
Indeed 2019 has been a fruitful year, one of my best so far both for the production side and DJing. I had the honour to open Cercle invites OXIA at Peles Castle and this event helped me grow across borders. This was followed by my release at ADID “Night Tales” in collaboration with Victhor, which brought us on the 5th place in Beatport Top 100 Deep House. Moving on I had a short tour with Lost Desert and also signed an EP at his label, SoukSonic.
I also had a good time with my friends from The Purr both in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Same summer I met our new friends from The Secret Iasi, which is now like a second home for DHB. This is one of the things I like most about DJing: meeting all kinds of people, connecting with others that share the same passions and interests. December brought me to Amsterdam to play alongside Vander, Lehar and more at the Corals: the Underwater Tribes, another amazing experience.
WWD: We know that besides keeping crowd up till sunrise with your music, you also organize cozy thematic parties. Tell us a little more about your events. How are they received in Bucharest?
I’m very pleased with the progress made and the experience gained, as well as for the beautiful people I’ve met and collaborated with. Wanting to offer the most pleasurable experiences and a different vibe, we are always in search for ways to improve and develop. Realizing that connecting and involving the community is a must when it comes to organizing events, we gave birth to a series of theme-parties.
We started out with Tribal, Chasing the Sunset on The People’s Palace, Garden of dreams, the House of Mystery and Home Alone for Christmas. Most of these were sold out and we have received loads of positive feedback from the crowd.
WWD: Deep House Bucharest is your brain child and it shows. It’s like it has Bross watermarked all over it, and this is what brings in the public. What’s going on with the project right now? What should your fans look forward to?
DHB is a team project and I am more than happy to be one them. If from the outside it’s perceived as my brain child, I have to admit that nothing would be possible without the help of all the people involved. We started handling this concept among friends with the desire of creating a community and growing it organically. We try to promote local artists through our events and through our social media channels. Even our motto is – Support Your Local Artists.
This year we also started a series of monthly events at Club Control where I mix together with a special guest all through the night. We want to join a few festival stages and, of course, rooftop and garden parties which will be announced soon. At the same time, our doors are always open for new artists who wish to make a name for themselves.
WWD: Your crew is doing amazing things. 2019 was a very exciting year, but we kind of get the feeling that you’re planning something even bigger, better and more electrifying in 2020. Plans, new releases? Are we right?
I’ve spent the month of August in studio alongside side victhor, and together we’ve managed to put together 7-8 tracks. I can honestly say that I am lucky and that I’ve signed them all. Meraki and Nomad were released by RADIANT., BeeKind and Nidavellir will be released by Coya Music, Trubadour and I Wonder by SoukSonic, and La Caminata will release All Day I Dream. Meanwhile, I’ve created another remix which will be released by Hoomidaas in April, and now I am currently experimenting with Bona Fide, whom I’ve met in Amsterdam.
Let’s continue with a few questions that will make your fans know you more personally.
1. What’s your favourite artist, or the artist you would like to collaborate for a party?
I have a lot of favourite artists where I draw my inspiration from and with whom I would like to organize a party with. Still, I’ll try to trim them down to Lost Desert, with whom I want to make a SoukSonic showcase, the entire Keinemusik crew and local DJs Darai Lama and Vlademir, 2 awesome DJs from Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, Romania.
2. What advice would you give Bross from 10 years ago?
Do not overthink
3. What’s a movie/documentary every DJ should see?
There’s a new documentary online called “InstaDJ”. I think we should all watch and learn from that one but still, “It’s all gone pete tong” will touch your heart, and if you’re a raver, I think “Berlin Calling” is the thing for you. Also, there’s a documentary on Youtube with Sasha & Digweed Delta Heavy tour.
4. When did you realize that music has taken your life?
I think in 2014 when I had a small band with my friends, HarlowBross. We’ve worked for a month doing 4-5 tracks for the first audition and it was the moment when I chose this path.
5. Where can fans get in touch with you?