At the core of The Bloody Beetroots is Italy-born, Los Angeles-based founder Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo, who serves as the act’s primary producer, songwriter, musician, DJ and mastermind. Inspired by his lifelong love of punk rock and comic books, Rifo unleashed The Bloody Beetroots in late 2006 and has since crafted an intense sound unlike any other. Mixing Rifo’s background as a classically trained musician, his punk rock obsession and his burning passion for electronic music, the act’s edgy rock-meets-dance hybrid sound has solidified The Bloody Beetroots as a visionary artist and a true counterculture icon for the rave generation.
The Bloody Beetroots first exploded on the scene via his 2009 critically acclaimed breakout debut album Romborama (Dim Mak Records), one of the defining electronic releases of the 2000s era. The album is led by the iconic track “Warp 1.9,” featuring Steve Aoki, which helped launch the American EDM boom at the end of the aughts and which celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year.
In 2013, The Bloody Beetroots followed up with his sophomore album, Hide (Ultra Music), an ambitious crossover project that “breaks barriers between electronic subgenres and rock radio” (Consequence of Sound) via high-profile collaborations with
rock icons and alternative stars, including: the inimitable Sir Paul McCartney, guitar god Peter Frampton, Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee, Theophilus London and P-Thugg of Chromeo, among others. In 2017, Rifo released his third full-length album, The Great Electronic Swindle (Last Gang), which continues The Bloody Beetroots’ electronic-rock narrative and sees him working with collaborators from deep within the rock world, including Jane’s Addiction founder and frontman Perry Farrell, Australian rock band JET, Gallows, Anders Friden of In Flames, Leafar Seyer of Prayers, Deap Vally and many others.
Elsewhere, Rifo has also released a three-part EP series (Dim Mak) between 2015 and 2016 as SBCR (Saint Bass City Rockers), his more experimental and underground-minded outlet, which explores everything from house and techno to electro and glitch.
Rifo enters 2019 with the release of the highly anticipated Heavy EP, his first major project as The Bloody Beetroots in almost two years. Set for release June 14 via AWAL, Heavy sees Rifo unplugging the rock amps and heading back to the dance floor as he revisits his classic electro style. The five-track EP includes collaborations with next-generation artists like Ephwurd and Dr. Fresch, in addition to three new Bloody Beetroots solo originals.
As a live unit, The Bloody Beetroots has continuously evolved throughout the years to reflect the project’s ever-evolving musical identity and visual aesthetic, from one-man DJ sets (as The Bloody Beetroots DJ Set and SBCR) to full-band live shows (as The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 and The Bloody Beetroots Live), the latter of which feature live guitars, pianos, vocals, drums, synthesizers, and more. Via his boundary-pushing Bloody Beetroots live and DJ setups, Rifo has performed at virtually every major music festival around the world, including Coachella, Primavera Sound, Lollapalooza, Electric Daisy Carnival, Tomorrowland, Summer Sonic, Sziget, Governors Ball, Montreux Jazz and many others, in addition to several headlining solo tours. In 2019, The Bloody Beetroots is confirmed to perform at leading international festivals like Mind Festival (Italy), Up and Down Festival (Australia), World DJ Festival (South Korea) and many others.
With new music in tow, Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo now enters the next chapter in The Bloody Beetroots’ timeline as he looks ahead to what the future holds for him and his always-developing vision.