My Blood For This

Australian audiences have really connected with the work of The Bloody Beetroots over the past five or so years; a number of festival appearances have compelled flocks of eager punters to essentially lose their shit over the duo's in-your-face brand of heavy electro and their stupidly energetic, fun live shows that go along with it.

It seems natural then, that Big Day Out would invite the act back to Australia to be a part of their 2013 line-up; they played the event in 2011 as Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, a show that had the masses screaming with joy – even more so when Refused vocalist Dennis Lyxzén appeared as a surprise guest vocalist.

This time around The Bloody Beetroots have been upgraded to the coveted headlining position at the Boiler Room, following in the footsteps of monstrous electronic acts like Underworld, Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and Groove Armada to name but a few. The act's founder, producer, DJ, guitarist, vocalist, keyboardist, bassist… hell, The Bloody Beetroots himself, Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo, tells us that this later slot is going to be very beneficial for the show the act have planned.

“This year the lights will be an incredible part of the show, we've added so many new elements that will change the environment,” he says. “This time the show will feel much more organic and a lot more fun.”

It is a completely new show that Rifo has devised for this tour, so fans can throw out their preconceptions of what will be delivered at the festival. Last time Rifo had a stack of surprises in store for those who flocked to see him play, this time around he's promising that there'll be new material and even some frontman duties. “Well there is going to be at least five songs from the new album and my first performance as a singer. It's going to be fun.”

Considering his first and most recent studio album was released a good two-and-a-half years ago, Rifo dropping knowledge about a new album is very exciting indeed. He gives a few hints about what to expect, but generally remains tight-lipped. “Yes, the new album will be released, fingers crossed, in April 2013,” he reveals. “There are so many unexpected collaborations on it, even for me. I feel very lucky to have worked with some of these artists.”

The very concept of an album being released in the world of dance music today is something that people seem to have differing opinions on. While we no doubt live in a very single-orientated culture, the value of an album cannot be understated and Rifo says that releasing an album is nothing short of essential in his eyes.

“I think that the artist's task is to create work which has value,” he begins. “I use dance music as a bridge between the past and the future of contemporary music so younger audiences can understand more about other genres as well as dance. I think releasing an album is essential for this as it allows me to open a very wide palette of musical colours and influences and present them in a body of work.”

While Rifo was previously something of a prolific remixer, The Bloody Beetroots' name has been conspicuously absent when it comes to reworkings of pop, rock and dance records of late. He says he's more interested in bettering himself and his approach to music in order to make this new record the best piece of work it can possibly be. “I'm more interested in focusing on working on my own music,” he says. “Before I started the new album project I decided to take a few steps back from production and look at studying music. I wanted to create a new musical conscience for the album which was full of substance so that everyone could listen to it and understand my evolution which meant not focusing or remixing other artists and just focusing on my own music.”

While there have been a few Italian electronic artists who have grabbed fairly wide attention of late, it isn't typically a place that we associate with fresh and exciting new music of any form. When asked about the quality of Italian electronic music, Rifo says that there is certainly a market for it, but that many of the country's most promising artists are avoiding becoming involved in the Italian electronic music scene.

“Unfortunately, the Italian system is heavily compromised and the result is a massive drought in culture. The Italian people have fought hard to preserve their history but the electronic scene has been used for the sole purpose of making money at the expense of fans and artists. The result is a lot of artists are avoiding the scene, it feels like we're up against a brick wall locally and it's a shame because there is a huge fanbase in Italy for electronic music.”

As Rifo returns to Australia with a fresh, exciting and dynamic new show, he promises that evolution will always be a vital part of The Bloody Beetroots' experience as the years go on. “As long as I live there will always be an evolution to The Bloody Beetroots – it is part of who I am. To settle down and live on royalties isn't in my blood, I want to fight to continue to create something contemporary.”

As far as his plans for 2013, Rifo wants the world to see what he has created and has one more exciting idea that he sneakily alludes to. “After Australia I am coming back to Europe to present to them the new chapter of The Bloody Beetroots. I also feel the need to release this new album and to be able to really start talking about it. I am also interested in creating a film, but that's further down the line.”