Since opening its doors to the public for the first time in 2007, Woei has left its mark on the international sneaker and streetwear community with several collaborations including Asics, Patta, and Stüssy along the way.
But the interests and passions of the Woei crew reach far beyond just shoes and apparel; Besides providing the streets with the latest from Nike, Adidas, and Co., music has always been at the heart of the store. Considering the highly curated playlists and mixes that can be heard in the store and hosting some of Rotterdam's most notorious parties, the belief that music unites is deeply ingrained in the Woei DNA.
Based on this deep connection, we want to shine a spotlight on some of our favorite local musicians to talk about what sparked their passion for music and hear their take on common dilemmas in the music industry.
For WOEI FM episode #32, we met with Sir Rocco to talk about his journey into directing, reminisce on past clubbing stories, and talk of his ever-so-evolving music styles.
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Rocky, aka Sir Rocco. I’m 39 and recently became a father. I’ve been spinning since 2005.
How did you come up with your DJ name?
I've had a lot of different names, and 2005 was definitely my experimental phase. 'Sir Rocco' is derived from Sir Mix-a-lot, combined with Rocco, which has always been my nickname growing up.
How has your style developed genre-wise, and do you feel it’s changed much since then?
I grew up with Jazz, Hip-Hop, and R&B, and was always on the hunt for new sounds—albeit searching through records and finding CDs in stores, or ripping albums from the internet and burning on CDs.
Sound-wise, I started with garage sounds and jungle beats. That was around 2000, which was also the time when I first started going out at Now&Wow, here at the Müllerpier. Naturally my interests started developing and shifting as I began to play more, but the core has always stayed within the Hip-Hop/R&B and Garage sounds. Of course I also had to accept the Pop/Commercial gigs from time to time.
Nowadays I'm more into the Soulection (Joe Kay) sounds, future beats, a bit experimental, but still with the core being Hip-Hop and R&B.
What does a typical Sir Rocco day look like?
Aside from being a DJ, I'm also a Director. So if I'm really busy with being on set and working on my projects, I usually wake up, chug a glass of water, and get a cup of coffee with a cigarette. My laptop immediately opens, which I know is a bad habit. If I'm in the middle of a project, I'll be answering e-mails, some file handling.. it depends. One day I'll be drafting and making mood boards, the other day I'm constantly on the phone and sending e-mails. As a DJ, if I know that I have a gig coming up, then I'll be occupied with that for at least a couple of days to prepare. So it's the usual; I wake up...water...coffee... laptop opens... and I'll be searching for tracks and new sounds.
Where did your passion for directing begin?
I'll sum up the very long story; I started out as a graphic designer somewhere in 2010 when I worked at my cousin's agency. My interests started developing more into film, so he started giving me jobs in that direction, like creating promo videos for local cafés in The Hague. From that point onwards I've been developing my style and working on some great projects.
"I started with garage sounds and jungle beats. That was around 2000, which was also the time when I first started going out at Now&Wow, here at the Müllerpier."
What does Rotterdam, as a city, mean to you?
It's a city that I've learned to love. I was born and raised in the Hague, and only really started coming here when I was 14. I always went out here, and it was thé spot to go, in my eyes. Which I feel has since faded, I'm still waiting for great parties or something special. When I go out now, it's mostly to support friends and fellow DJs.
I moved to Rotterdam about 13/14 years ago and I felt comfortable here, but I really had to get used to the city. The first three years were me going to school and back home, and vice versa. So it took some time, but now it's truly my city.
What was your first performance?
That was in Leiden, in 2006. I started out as part of a DJ duo, 'Oost-Indisch Doof', with a friend who owned a Vestax Midi controller, which was a digital eye-opener at the time. We mostly played some commercial sounds, with some acid house en tech house. That was the time when Sidney Samson was still hot. A friend of mine who, to this day is still an MC, was organizing these parties in Leiden, so he got us our first gig where we really got the chance to test out our skills.
Vinyl or Digital?
Digital.
Festivals or Clubnights?
Clubnights.
Has something crazy happened at a gig once that made you think, 'WTF'??
I was playing B2B with my friend from 'Oost-Indisch Doof' in the Hague. I was only told about the volume I had to play at, and the rest was up to me, and was free to do what I wanted. So I started playing, the crowd was feeling good, when suddenly the owner of the club stood behind the deck and just turned the volume halfway down, and started shouting about the noise. I was immediately over it, the flow was gone, and then only played a couple more tracks and went home. Never even returned to that place.
How do you go about selecting music, and where do you find inspiration?
I love finding new sounds and integrating them into my sets. I sometimes have some tracks that I know are maybe too experimental for the moment, but I always try to somehow incorporate these into the performance. I spend a lot of time digging through SoundCloud. My network is filled with a lot of DJs and producers, who give me samples or unreleased tracks to experiment with. As a DJ you're constantly learning, picking up knowledge here and there and I really appreciate that now. For quite some time it felt like a competition to be a DJ here but now it's primarily everyone supporting each other, at least in my experience.
So my inspirations are mostly from other DJs/Producers, and from what I find on Soundcloud.
Are there currently any DJs you look up to?
One of the original DJs I looked up to growing up was DJ Jazzy Jeff, his creativity inspired me immensely. Speaking of creativity, these days I have a big appreciation for Franky Sticks. I think it's great what he's doing.
I also have a big admiration for JAEL. He's a good friend of mine, and I've seen where he started and where he's going now.
Much love!
Do you have any clubs you’d still like to spin at?
I'd love to play a Boiler Room session. One that keeps people talking, even years later. When it comes to sets like that, people actually come for you and not just to dance to what whomever is playing. People actually appreciate what you play.
Do you have a tune you’d like to share with the readers?
If you know, you know. If you don't, educate yoself! I'll be playing this song until I'm 80.
