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.:BIO:.
I’m Dj Groovy, from Portugal, real name Rogério Romão, born January 3rd, 1977.

SOUND DESIGNER

I have my own sample packs and ableton live packs company, called GroovePacks, which just opened in August '09. The first live pack is available, it has 21 instrument racks, 56 audio effect racks, 163 live clips and there are audio & video demos, as well as a free demo pack available on the website. The pack costs just 14,5€. Check out Groovepacks!

DJ

I have been a music lover all of my life – i have listened to it all – pop, metal, grunge, alternative, you name it. Some influential bands for me were Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd, Pixies, The Doors - you can see the diversity. Then electronic dance music came along and changed my life forever.

Of course i’d been listening to that since the late 80’s (Pump up the Jam, anyone?), with the whole acid house movement and mainstream bands incorporating those sounds… but it was really in 1994 that it really hit me bigtime.

I used to go to a bar by that time, and a cd came out from Kaos Records with a lot of cool music, but especially the big hit So Get Up, from Underground Sound of Lisbon (Dj Vibe & Rui da Silva).

We couldn’t play it during normal hours, because that was “crazy music”, but after the bar was closed, me, the bartender and some friends would stay there, just listening to it over and over again. It was magical, so different from anything else, so profound, full of possibilities. This was clearly the future…

So i started listening to this kind of music, and shortly started attending my first rave parties, which were huge, with a great vibe and a lot of ilegal substances going around!

I didn’t plan on being a dj at first, i was in it for the ride and the love for the music. But around early 1997, i found myself going to Lisbon to the record shops, buying some vinyl records – i had to have those tracks myself. So, logical consequence, around a year later in 1998, the bug bit me and i had to start djing – it was almost a physical desire i had. With a lot of effort, i bought my first mixer and set of Technics turntables (i miss them!), and started learning on my own.

After some months, i played my first live set ever, an afterhours party with lots of friends there. It was a technical disaster, of course, but i was among friends, so it was ok… Things developed from there, i practiced lots, started getting more and more gigs, and by 2000 i was playing 2 times a week as a freelancer, in a lot of places. Many memorable nights and sets followed through the years, and a lot of fun too. I like playing long sets, starting more on the deep side, going techier and finishing with big room epic sounds. I like doing long smooth mixes, throwing in the occasional effect, acappella or mixing technique. Also had a 1 year experience as a resident dj, and a 5 years, 2-hours weekly mix-show on the radio, called Groovy Sessions.

I enjoy and play most styles of house, deep, tech, progressive, tribal, minimal, techno, etc. I hate when dj’s just play that one mini-sub-sub-genre and dis everything else – until there’s a new hip mini-sub-sub-genre and then they start playing that and dissing the one they were playing before! Gotta respect the roots, i say. Bring on the new, but don’t trash the old.

PRODUCER

It was also around 1997/98 that i started playing around with making my own music.

The first program i had was Magix Music Maker, i think it was version 1 or 2. Very basic, so i quickly became proficient at it, and finished quite a few techno tracks with it. There’s a couple of them i still remember, they were very cool, i wish i still had them around in some form. Then i got Rebirth and went to acid heaven – it was dificult doing anything in it that wasn..t acid music, but it also taught me how to work with drum machines and synthesizers and step sequencing and it was a lot of fun.

But i did this mainly for fun, had no real aspirations other than that, and my busy schedule of djing didn’t leave me much time for it.

Cue some years forward, 2004, and the production bug bit me hard this time, started learning more about it, went through a course, got my first published track on a cd from Dance Club magazine that showcased the new talents in 2005 and never looked back.

These days i have many released tracks and remixes in several labels (check out the discography page) and i’m pretty much an hardcore audio geek by now! My sequencer of choice now is Ableton Live, i love it and i’m probably gonna have many posts in the blog related to it.

I’m also the owner and producer of Groove Packs, a company that makes Live Packs for the Ableton sequencer and also Sample Packs that can be used in any sequencer. Check it out!

Dj Groovy

My next release on Knob Records is out in June 10.
It's called Musica Um and comes with 3 diferent mixes to please all crouds.
The original is an electro affair, the Pumpin mix is pure dancefloor mayhem, and then there's the Deep version for a more chilled vibe. Check it out on the player, it's a preview of all 3 mixes.

I've also put 2 more new tracks on the player that i've just finished. Those are unsigned, so if you're a label and you're interested, contact me.
One is called Vortex, it's a cool techy/prog/deep track. I have 2 versions of it, one is the Minus mix, which is more raw & minimal, and the Plus mix, the one on the player which takes from the raw mix and adds more sounds, more effects & more melody.
The other one is a breaks track, first breaks track i've ever made and i love it. It's very simple, powerfull and rave-y.

Out now on Knob Records is my new original "End of the New World". It has 2 versions: Plus and Minus. Minus is more on the... er, minimal side while the Plus mix is more full on, big room type.

The release features remixes from Dj Style, Tribalishious and Christian Paduraru. Check out the track on the player or follow the link to Knob Records to listen to the clips.

"Minus Mix" - Steady pumping hi hats and sharp switching claps set this tune in 4th gear right from the start. The track suddenly drops then takes off with some of the most horrifying after-hours hall stabs. The percussion is filtered and crisp with dj friendly in's and out's. A peak track for a worthy crowd.

"Plus Mix" - Deep penetrating grooves that reach the soul in a catchy way. The synths are wide and wet leading into a natural breakdown that is quite captivating. The melody is vibrant and sweeps the flow upwards into the whole composition. A final buildup creates a second wind and the magic is everywhere.