elektro exclusive interview with Congorock

Italy-based DJ/producer Rocco Rampino, better known by his stage name Congorock, has come a long way over the past few years. He just capped off a busy summer with an awesome show at Electric Zoo in NYC, in addition to the recent release of "Bless di Nation," with Grammy-winning artist Sean Paul. Later this fall, he’s off to link up with Benny Benassi and Krewella for the Rough Road Bus Tour. Congorock sat down with elektro for a chat.

Getting started: From early childhood, Rampino was playing various instruments, eventually “playing in hardcore bands [but] still listening to everything in the 90s from techno to jungle.” After a certain point, he said, it was the “right moment to make music on my own, challenging myself with productions.” He embarked on this solo project without much expectations, not “expecting to have a good response.” Rampino acknowledged that growing up in a "small, quiet town" made him more interested in the music scene since there wasn’t much else to do. He said he spent much of his time as a teenager "searching for new music early on when internet became widely available.” If he had grown up “in a super busy city like Rome or Paris," he said, he may not have ended up making music.

The name: We surmised that his stage name Congorock is a play on his first name Rocco. However, the name is actually derived from a Jamaican track called "Congo Rock." It does, in a way, personify the deep bass, tribal and jungle influences found in his music.

Genre fusion: Congorock has been one of the artists leading the mix of dance music with other genres. He views it as a “good time to experiment” and considers the “merging together of other genres with dance music” as having great appeal. Fans can expect more experimentation at the end of his sets; to him, this marks the "suitable moment to either change the vibe or slow it down.” Europe has been a bit slower in catching onto the trend, especially with trap-infused tracks.

Looking ahead: Rampino has been travelling the world during his most recent tour. He described his recent two-week stint in Asia as the “time of his life.” He will be with Benassi on tour for the rest of the year, which whom Rocco shares a studio with in Italy and considers “such a nice guy in the industry.” Additionally, expect a club single released in November and an album not long afterwards.

Check out Congorock on Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud.