Robodrum
Born Przemek Kuduk in the city of Szczecin, Poland, Robodrum came into being right at one of the most exciting times in music history: 1982! The birth year of Electro Funk, and Detroit Techno. Obviously too young to become a Bboy, Kuduk did quickly become obsessed with the sounds of Michael Jackson; specifically the song "Bad", and began to season himself to the wide spectrum of sound around during that era, injecting him with a heavy-dose of interest in music since a very early age.
As he began to enter Teenage-hood, Kuduk would see himself gravitating towards the more EDM centered sounds of the early 90s like C+C Music Factory and Technotronic; later changing interests and eventually becoming involved in the Polish Rap scene in the late 90s, and joining the Hip Hop group Style Domain. Becoming fairly successful, and playing many live concerts, the artist would soon see himself changing directions yet again, but this time for good!
At the turn of the century, Kuduk would be introduced to the sounds of early Hip Hop - most commonly known as Electro Funk - where he would soon find himself going back in time to his childhood, and learning about the culture through movies like Wild Style, Beatstreet, and Breakin'. Having been influenced by Afrika Bambaataa and the hit Planet Rock, Kuduk gained a deep respect for the Universal Zulu Nation, and the ideas of promoting a positive avenue for young kids from the Ghettos to find an interest in the culture and art, in order to find direction.
Around 2001, the artist would begin to compose and produce his early takes on Electro, though he did not completely let go of MCing for Style Domain until 2003. Not long after, as fate would have it, Kuduk would go on to meet Hip Hop Godfather Afrika Bambaataa after driving 400km to see him perform and shake his hand ( and of course get an autograph and give him a CD of his early tunes ), and the rest could be said is history; Elektromonter aka Robodrum would be born, and the onslaught would now begin!
Robodrum's first release came to fruition in 2007, with the title "Create Me" on Elektropunkz Records, soon followed by "Last Level Life ( Cylon Revenge )". The song would later also be released on the compilation "Pink Kong Vol. 5" on Electroclash.pl Records, while "Create Me" would also see itself being added to the Elektropunkz compilation "The End Of Chapter 1". After a small hiatus, Robodrum returned on Elektropunkz with his first album "The Message", which featured 8 powerful Electro Bass tracks full of relentless syncopations, deep and brooding synth lines, and precise programming all around. The record also featured his previous works with "Create Me", and "Last Level Life ( Cylon Revenge )".
Since then, Robodrum has stayed on a diligent course, releasing on various compilations like the iconic "Advanced Funk Vol. 1" with "Army Of Droids", and later on the "Robots Riot" compilations on Elektropunkz with "Retrolectroboteknoise" (2010), "Straight From The Future" (2011), and "Fatal Error" (2012). We would also see Robodrum sign to Miami Bass powerhouse Devine Disorder in 2012, relasing the E.P. "It Came From Outer Space", and featuring remixes by label mastermind Dwellz, as well as DJ Nail.
Having just released on the "Bass Against The Machine" compilation on Body Control Records, seems Robodrum's saga continues live and well, and progressing as his sounds continue to evolve and his roots deepen becoming one of the most skilled producers of the "Third Wave" of the Electro Bass sub-genre. The artist has also recently debuted a new project called "Psychobot", with the E.P. "Sick Frequencies" on Elektropunkz Records, receiving plaudits from all corners of the world as he continues to work on more material that can be expected as the months go on. Stay tuned!
Written by: Santino Fernandez
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Edition:
August 2014