The Bloody Beetroots
Cornelius EP (Digital)
(Dim Mak; December 18th)
The elusive, masked Italian DJ duo The Bloody Beetroots continue to infuse their signature combination of throbbing beats and punk rock grit on their latest offering, the digital-only Cornelius EP, out December 18th via Steve Aoki's Dim Mak Records. Led by producer/mastermind Bob Rifo and his on-stage partner Tommy Tea, TBB’s thunderous dance grooves are influenced by the chaos and larger-than-life aesthetic of the late-70’s British punk and Oi! Scenes. The result is a brand of electronica with a distinct street sensibility epitomized on the group’s first release ROMBO EP.
On Cornelius, the Beetroots venture into even more multidimensional territory. The EP consists of five variations on the title track, which incorporate pop and classical music elements into the band’s repertoire along with a conceptual, literary bent. In fact, the closing track, “The Death of Cornelius (Overture) Part 1,” is far closer to Stravinsky than to Daft Punk.
However, "Cornelius" is not solely a musical endeavor but a ground breaking multimedia event combining art, literature, music, and fashion. The idea for the "Cornelius" project stems from the mind of Rifo who based the track on Jerry Cornelius, a character made famous by British author Michael Moorcock. Much like the sound of The Bloody Beetroots, the Cornelius character is known as an ambiguous figure who takes on many roles and personalities The character is also known for his disdain of authority, paralleling TBB’s own punk ideology. Moorcock intended the character to be an open-source giving other artists permission to use his character.
Utilizing this concept to its fullest extent, Rifo takes on the role of Moorcock's iconoclastic character in the first release from the "Cornelius" project - a videoclipby French filmmaker Mathieu Danet. The clip meshes the Bloody Beetroots lifestyle with the neorealist tale of Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo. In it he attempts to escape from a nightmare in which everyone's social ambition is to be featured on the latest social blog after a night spent under the strobe lights. Influenced by the cinematographic style of Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" and the hysteria of the international party scene captured through the lense of Mark the Cobrasnake, the video takes viewers on a journey through Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo's life, both real and imaginary. Fashion will also be incorporated into the "Cornelius" project with a limited edition set of t-shirts by Italian graphic designer Turbokrapfen, to be distributed by Six Pack France.
After their formation in 2007, the Bloody Beetroots quickly ascended to fame with their ground-breaking remixes including one of Flashdance soundtrack hit "Maniac" as well as "Discommunication," a space-age disco revival of Timbaland's "Miscommunication." Quickly earning a spot on every DJ’s playlist, the Beetroots were snatched up by Steve Aoki to release their US debut EP, ROMBO, on the prominent DJ's label Dim Mak.
Released in November, the long awaited ROMBO featured four original tracks, including dancefloor staple "Butter.” Like all of Rifo's work, the creative drive behind the EP came from a number of sources; most notably the Italian Futurist movement, and early 20th century composer Luigi Russolo, one of the original pioneers of electronic music.
Rifo is currently hard at work on TBB’s highly anticipated full-length, due in Summer/Fall of 2009. He promises to fuse even more genres of music for the upcoming album. In the meantime, join The Bloody Beetroots in shouting “Oi!” when Cornelius storms the web.
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