Description
- 2010 started with a bang for Roog on New Year’s Day. Roog played all over the Netherlands for the festivities the night before, headlining the best clubs the country has to offer. Amazingly, Roog managed to get to the airport in the morning after a hectic night, to start 2010 with a gig in Angola on 1st January!
- 2009 saw Hardsoul Defected in the House – Amsterdam 09. What an honour! Only the very top electronic artists get to turn in tracks for this heavyweight UK label, and the boys made the most of it, turning in a double disc compilation of exclusives and a whole slew of their own stunning original productions and remixes.
- A special Housequake festival took place this year, with Roog and Erick E playing an amazing 5 hour set. The event was sold out with 7500 people, again confirming Housequake's supremacy in dance circles.
- 2009 saw Roog and Erick E turn in another prestigious performance - Housequake was invited to do the first set of the year in Rotterdam at the Erasmusbrug to thousands of clubbers. To have the honour of playing a vast outdoor gig is truly one that will live in the memory for many years to come. The duo rocked the place, impressing a wider audience than the normal club-going public, confirming again their status as two DJs at the absolute pinnacle of their abilities.
- The same year saw Roog play at Pacha in Ibiza for Subliminal & Swedish House Mafia. He ends up going back to back with with US superstar Erick Morillo - this is very special (Mr. Morillo never does b2b with anyone) What an honour, and what a night!
- Roog makes an eagerly anticipated trip out to the Far East. He is booked to play at Simon Dunmore's Defected night in Tokyo. Roog's popularity continues to rise in Japan, prompting him to undertake the long journey to satisfy his many fans there.
- Late 2009 sees Roog (along with his brother Greg) headline a massive event in the RAI Amsterdam conference centre. Roog is no stranger to taking centre stage at such vast events, and brings his world-class quality house sound to the main arena at the ID&T event Dirty Dutch to widespread acclaim. The sight of a packed room with hands aloft confirms that musically and artistically Roog still undoubtedly has his finger on the pulse of dance music culture.
- NYE 2008 saw Roog play the last set of the year at the Erasmusbrug in Rotterdam. The event is attended by 20,000 people, who braved the cold night to attend the gig to see Roog working his magic on the decks. The event is specially chosen to be broadcast live on national television, a huge honour for any DJ, let alone a credible underground artist, and further evidence of the respect and popularity the nation has for the hard-working Hardsoul frontman.
- The second Housequake compilation by Roog and Erick E is released early 2009. The success of the first edition (complete with DVD) meant the duo simply had to go back into the studio to produce a follow-up. A total of 17 tracks squeezed into a hot disc accompanied by innovative and fun marketing see the CD sell thousands.
- In the studio 2009 sees hits such as Dancin' With You with Ron Carroll and Let Ur Spirit Go on Soulfuric Trax USA. These releases again bring the studio love to global dancefloors, with widespread radio and club play for both tracks
- 2008 was another major year, with Roog launching Hardsoul Live with his brother Greg for a stunning set outdoors at the Rockit festival on a boiling hot day. Roog also plays at Defected @ Pacha in Ibiza, and also at Ministry in London
- This was also the year that productions went even bigger. Tracks such as Michael Canirot & Hardsoul‘s ‘Feel The Spirit’ and Hardsoul’s ‘Nothing Better Than Your Lovin' on the boys own Hardsoul Pressings push the boys profile even further.
- The duo are inundated for remixes, turning in slamming interpreatations of David Penn feat. Daren J. Bell – Revolution and a remix of Ida Engberg smash hit Disco Volante.
- The 2008 release Greg, Jeroenski & Roog – ‘Your Mind is Twisted’ on the R&G imprint was huge! Aside from wdespread radio play and club success, the track wis licensed to Ministry of Sound (UK) and Cyber (France). The track enters the Dutch charts, and the video (addressing the problem of binge drinking with young children) is misunderstood and banned on Belgian music channel TMF.
- Roog and fellow Dutch superstar DJ Erick E teamed up to form Housequake and consistently sell out every club they perform at. In 2006, Holland’s dance magazine ‘Release’ devoted seven pages to the phenomena. The Housequake CD/DVD made it to the No.3 spot in the Dutch compilation chart. For more info www.housequake.nl
- In 2006 the brothers started a new label called R(oog) &G(reg) Electronics for music that wouldn’t necessarily be suitable for release in the Hardsoul Pressings label and requires an alternative outlet.
- Roog and his long term booker Anouschka Erhl from Holland’s Risk Agency started their own DJ agency called Beyond Bookings in 2005. More info at www.beyondbookings.com
- Hardsoul/Roog were nominated for breakthrough DJ of the year 2005 at the International House Music Awards. MN2S (UK’s biggest DJ agency and London based clubnights) asked Jon Cutler and Hardsoul to mix their ‘10 Years Of Our House’ compilation in 2005. It was voted ‘Compilation of the Month’ in UK’s M8 magazine.
In 2005 the brothers revived their label Hardsoul Pressings. The label was quickly adopted by both big name DJ’s and the record-buying public. The releases can be found on numerous international compilations such as Hed Kandi, Defected In the House and Ministry of Sound.
- In 2004, Hardsoul presents Roog & Greg’s release entitled ‘Uber’ on UK label Toolroom saw the brothers take their sound to a next level. The track was named BBC ‘Track Of The Week’ and was included on numerous international compilations.
- After the huge success of ‘Back Together’ Defected asked Roog (Hardsoul) to join their international Defected In The House tour that brought him to London, Ibiza, Sydney and Melbourne, etc.
- Roog plays in the world's hottest clubs like ; Pacha (Ibiza), Cielo (New York), Yellow (Tokyo), Ministry of Sound (London), Zouk (Singapore & Kuala Lumpur) to name a few..
- Roog has compiled ten CDs to date. The sound of Love and Dedication (United/Zomba, 2000) was the first compilation under his own name and was critically acclaimed by Dutch audiences as well as Dutch music press. The follow-up was released in 2003 on his own Hardsoul Pressings label and became one of the biggest selling house compilations of 2003. The third installment of the series was released late 2005.
- Roog is playing an astonishing average of 225 gigs a year in and outside Holland.
- Roog played the main stage at Sensation in the vast Ajax Soccer stadium to 40.000 people in 2001, which was broadcasted live by TMF and Radio 538. This event elavated him from an underground house talent to the Dutch DJ super league.
- Roog was voted No. 1 house DJ of Holland for three years straight by Dutch magazine Basic Groove, was voted Holland’s most popular club DJ in 2004 by Nieuwe Revu magazine and was the highest ranked house DJ in the Dutch DJ Award poll of 2003, 2004 and 2005.
- Away from music, Roog graduated from law school with a specialisation in Intellectual Property.
- At the beginning of the 1990’s he fell in love with house music, the music that he heard while clubbing at Amsterdam’s legendary clubs Roxy and It.
- Prior to that, the story started with a young Roog buying records at the tender age of seven in the late 1970’s. Throughout the 1980’s he started playing at school parties, birthday parties and weddings.