Thursday Thoughts 033: Rob Cockterton – The Social Festival
Hey Rob, welcome to Dance Rebels! For those who don’t know who you are, where are you from, and how long have you worked in the music industry for?
Hey, I’m Rob Cockerton, I’m from Gillingham in Kent and I have been in this industry far too long lol – I’m 48 now and got into raving at the age of 18, so a fair few years under the belt you might say.
Steve Angello discovered house music whilst listening to Daft Punk’s ‘Da Funk’; this was his first ‘musical orgasm’. What track inspired you to become a DJ/producer too?
I wouldn’t go as far to say it was a track that inspired me, I have been listening to music since I inherited my late Nan’s record collection and record player at the age of 9, so music has always been a big part of my life, I suppose when I came across the Acid house scene it was actually going to the raves & watching the DJ’s made me realise that what I wanted to do and inspired me to be doing what I am today.
2016 was a big year for you musically; you remixed ‘High AF’ and launched ABODE Records via your ‘Round My House EP’. How did you and ABODE originally come into contact, and discuss the idea of releasing an EP there etc?
I met Joe Daley(Abode) through Nic Fanciulli and the whole Saved Records / Social Festival in the early days, and when Abode began Kai, Joe’s business partner booked me to play at some of their incredible parties and when they set up the label they asked if I would like to be the first release, I was completely overwhelmed and honoured as you can imagine, and to top it all off my EP went to number one on Beatport on its 2nd day of release if I’m correct, and stayed at the top for a week! That was a huge achievement for me, and just as monumental for the Abode family.
You also released your ‘Thought I’d Rearrange Your Mind EP’ with Mark Fanciulli, via the record label of the year too – Suara. What was the collaboration process together like? Easy? Also, what’s your personal favourite track on the EP?
Mark & myself have been friends for many years, he’s like a little brother, we talk and text and generally piss take about all sorts almost every day, we can both be crying with laughter sometimes over the phone, our musical tastes are similar and we share a identical passion for the older Detroit house and techno sound, it was a no brainer that we decided to start making beats… My favourite has to be ‘Patterns’ although Mark Broom’s remix is pure filth!
2017 has just begun too; have you set yourself any personal goals as a producer? Would you like a follow-up EP on Suara, or is there another major label you’ve targeted to release music via?
I have 2 new tracks which I’ve done with Mark waiting to go, plus we are working on new material as we speak, I myself have 3 new tracks under my belt. Plus another 2 track release on Abode scheduled for early summer, Leftwing & Kody have delivered a wicked remix and I cannot wait for you all to hear it!
On Saturday the 11th of March, you’re set to return to The Winter Social Festival! As a brand, how highly do you rate the festival? What do you think The Winter Social’s ‘unique selling point’ is too?
It’s right up there with the best, Nic, Luke & the team have managed to bring something really special to the Kent countryside, each year along with its big brother ‘The Summer Social’ it keeps getting bigger and better. Its selling point is that it’s far too long to wait for September so let’s have another slightly smaller event in between!!
You also played the 2016 edition of The Winter Social Festival too, what is your favourite memory from that event? Also, how was the atmosphere throughout the day?
The atmosphere was electric from start to finish; Adam Beyer was a particular highlight for me.
What can fans expect from you, from within your DJ set at the festival this year? Are you planning to make a big statement and ‘steal the show’ via a lot of unreleased music etc?
By March I will have a few tracks to road test, plus some cheeky edits, who knows what March the 11th will bring ;)
You’re also an artist based locally to Maidstone, and you’ve played gigs all over Europe etc, so, how important is The Winter Social to you, as a local talent? What does it mean to you?
It allows me to showcase my sound to a much wider audience, people travel from all over the world to attend this festival, and to me that’s pretty special, I’m honoured to be a part and I’ve been privileged to have been on the bill with the world’s finest, dreams do come true!
Finally, if you could invite any artist not already included on the Winter Social lineup, who would it be, and why?
The one person I’ve been waiting to see on the line up since The Social / Winter Social began is finally coming to leafy Kent in March, Papa Sven, so that’s now ticked off my list, but actually trying to think of someone I’d like to see is a tough one, as they pretty much have had everyone so far, I’d probably have to say Jeff Mills as he is someone I have never got the chance to see live, so yeah Jeff Mills!
For More Information On Rob Cockerton, See The Following:
https://www.facebook.com/djrobcockerton
https://soundcloud.com/rob-cockerton
