The only way that The Bloody Beetroots and their elusive ringmaster Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo could possibly make sense is if they were a cult band. A masked band playing raucous, abrasive music surely can only work if the venues they play are packed out sweatboxes with the same 300 or 400 die-hard fans stuffed inside. With every one of them dressed in the same Venom (the Spider-Man villain) mask as their hero, who are the only people in the world to own a copy of either of the project’s two albums.

However, this is indeed a strange and disturbing universe and one of the key reasons for that is the fact that The Bloody Beetroots are actually pretty massive. Strange and disturbing indeed, but undeniably awesome nonetheless. Rifo himself is a classically trained musician who has far more time for punk rock than Puccini, who initially made his name as a DJ and producer in 2007. His live sets, where he’s joined by fellow turntablist DJ Tommy Tea, made them infamous for starting brawls in the clubs they played in with their sheer power and energy.

Soon Rifo started remixing the likes of Alex Gopher and Etienne de Crecy, and in 2007 alone he released a whopping 28 remixes. As his profile grew he would do the same in the coming years for artists like Rob Zombie, The Killers, Groove Armada and Robyn. Soon after this Rifo began composing original music for The Bloody Beetroots, which saw acclaim from a lot of his peers, most notably Justice and MSTRKRFT. It also started spreading over the world, being used in TV show and video game soundtracks the world over, and it was with that exposure that Rifo gained his first record deal in the US, with EDM icon Steve Aoki’s label Dim Mak Records.

By 2010, Rifo had put together a live band for The Beetroots’ concerts, who he named The Blood Beetroots Death Crew 77. They’ve slayed festivals and concert halls the world over and back in the studio, even worked with Sir Paul McCartney himself on the single “Out Of Sight”. Clearly Rifo is the kind of once in a generation talent that is always a pleasure and a privilege to have around and it’s even more off a pleasure to see him get the recognition he arguably deserves. Highly recommended.