THE TAKE 5 SERIES
Rob Hes’ unique sound is easily recognizable, taking listeners on a ride through his raw, upbeat, and harmonious sound atmosphere.
In addition to launching his label, Pursuit, in 2018, he has charted several releases on other labels, including Renaissance, Bedrock, and Spectrum. In recent years, his initial success hasn’t kept Rob from branching out and embracing a more melodic sound. Rob has honed his music, which is mirrored on his label Pursuit.
Rob is all set to hit the clubs again in 2023 after having played clubs and festivals across Europe and begun prepping the following Pursuit label parties. But the fun doesn’t stop there! Rob recently debuted his talent to Purified Records with his two-track ‘Your Heart’ EP, which sets a melancholy soundscape for Jordan Grace’s soothing vocals with ethereal pads and leading percussion. ‘Interception,’ his deeper collaboration with Joey White, reaches a club depth with raw bass and mesmerizing synths.
With all of his feats, one might think that Rob Hes is a real winner in life, but the DJ was once at rock bottom. Rob explained that he worked in security for 15 years, barely scraping by, and that his life was unhappy. “Most people forget that the bigger artists in this world also worked hard, and nothing came easy to your doorstep,” he said about success.
Rob Hes is an artist whose remarkable work and commitment to the techno scene remain to captivate listeners worldwide. His distinct sound and love of music undeniably set him apart from the crowd, making him an artist to watch in the coming years.
Read the full interview below to learn more about Rob Hes, including the places he wants to visit.
Q: Before we dig in, what's next for you?
At the moment, my lunch will be next 😉 But music-wise, on Friday, March 3rd I released my new EP on Nora En Pure’s label, Purified. I’m stoked about this one. I worked together with two good friends, 2088 and Joey White. And on the title track, we worked with Jordan Grace, who has also sung on tracks for Martin Garrix and Armin van Buuren.
Q: What are your thoughts on the meaning of success, and how do you define success for yourself?
I’m running my label Pursuit, and we have this line: ‘A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in pursuing success’. Most people forgot that the bigger artists in this world also worked hard, and nothing came easy to your doorstep. For myself, success is hard to define. I’m that guy who has his goals, but when I’m close to reaching the goals, I already have new ones ready. But it’s good sometimes to take the time and think about it and be happy. Success for me is also doing what I love to do. And on that point, I’m really happy 🙂 But I have some new goals ready for this year, haha.
Q: What's the ridiculous thing you've ever bought?
It’s not ridiculous, but during Covid, I was bored and was looking for something to do. And I came up with the idea to buy an electronic drum kit. When I was around 8 years old, I played the drums for 1 or 2 years. So I thought, let’s pick that up again. The drums arrived and I had to ask my dad to help me as I have two left hands. Took us a couple of hours and I had to place it in the middle of my living room. In the end, I only played maybe 5 times and 5 minutes and discovered it was harder than I could remember. It was there for some home decoration haha!
Q: What sets your music apart from others in the dance music genre?
Two weeks ago I was on a famous Dutch radio show called The Boom room. And the presenter had some nice words after my set that I think will be the answer to your question. ‘It’s hard, without actually going hard’
Q: If you could travel back in time to any moment in history, where and when would you go?
This is a really difficult question and I took 24 hours to think about it. But to be honest, I can’t come up with anything. I’m more into the future, and curious about how things will be in 20 years, or even 200 years. So if I could do that, let’s go to the year 2140. Also, the year Bitcoin will stop mining so I would love to see a glimpse of this 🙂
Hey, you might want to check this out
Q: What place have you always wanted to visit but haven't had the chance to yet?
I visited a lot of places in the last few years so I would choose countries I have never been to like New Zealand, Australia, and Japan. And I would love to go back to Thailand because they have so many great Islands and I only visit 3. Loving the food over there!
Q: What is your philosophy on happiness, and how do you strive to maintain a sense of happiness and well-being in your life?
Well, I said it before in this interview, for me happiness is doing what you love and especially not doing too many things you don’t love. I worked for almost 15 years in Security, and always was unhappy because I knew when I could I would stop work and life from my music. When that day came a lot changed and I feel really happy these days. For years I have had no money after paying my fixed expenses like rent, food, etc. It caused some stress, but I felt so much better because every day I woke up I knew I will do what I want. Music! Also not setting an alarm to wake up makes me feel much better haha. Nobody cares if I wake up at 7 or 9 right?
Another thing that makes me happy is that I found the love of my life last year. Life feels much better when you can share it with someone else.
Q: How do you see dance music evolving in the future?
More and more help will come from AI, I guess. I am already hearing tracks with ‘AI Eminem lyrics and vocals’. So maybe I need to dive into this as well haha. But who knows? Can’t wait to hear the best new things of the future.
Q: If you had to be stuck in an elevator with one person for 24 hours, which dance artist would you want it to be?
I would choose Tale Of Us. Maybe it’s also a bit cheating because it’s Matteo and Karm. But I would love to talk with them about music, the Afterlife, and new aliases and I forgot to mention I was holding my laptop under my arm. So let’s don’t waste these 24 hours and make some music together 🙂
Q: What's the weirdest thing you've ever Googled?
Why do I have to pee so much?
