dB bobek - "I want to be authentically myself"

EVER SINCE I WAS A CHILD, I KNEW I HAD A PURPOSE IN LIFE THAT I HAD TO FULFILL AND MUSIC HAS ALWAYS SPOKEN TO ME ON A HIGHER LEVEL. ALL THROUGHOUT MY LIFE, I FELT DESTINED TO DO SOMETHING GREAT, TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND TO PIONEER A NEW TERRITORY. I CAN’T PICTURE MYSELF DOING ANYTHING ELSE WITH THIS PRECIOUS TIME ON EARTH OTHER THAN CREATING MUSIC; SO I WELCOME YOU TO FOLLOW ALONG IN MY JOURNEY AS I TAKE THE GIANT LEAP INTO MAKING MY DREAMS BECOME A REALITY.

I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN CHICAGO, IL TO TWO WONDERFUL PARENTS, I AM THE YOUNGEST OF 5 SIBLINGS. MY MOTHER AND FATHER IMMIGRATED TO THE U.S. FROM POLAND WITH DREAMS OF A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE AND INSTILLED IN ME THE SAME DESIRE TO CHASE MY DREAMS AND TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN. I ALSO COME FROM A VERY MUSICAL FAMILY WHERE THE VIOLIN WAS NOT JUST AN INSTRUMENT THAT MY FATHER TAUGHT HIS SONS, BUT ALSO A TORCH THAT KEPT THE FIRE OF OUR ANCESTOR’S TRADITIONS ALIVE. THROUGH PLAYING POLISH FOLK MUSIC, & TRAVELING THE COUNTRY DOING SO, I’VE LEARNED THE IMPORTANCE OF HONORING OUR ROOTS AND KNOWING WHERE YOU COME FROM.

PLAYING THE VIOLIN AND SINGING HAD INSPIRED ME TO FURTHER MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MUSIC, SO, THROUGHOUT MY YEARS, I’VE ADDED A LOT MORE INSTRUMENTS TO MY ARSENAL. MUSIC IS SOMETHING THAT HAS ALWAYS FLOWED OUT OF ME VERY NATURALLY AND SONGWRITING, I FEEL, IS MY PURPOSE.

IT WASN’T UNTIL I DISCOVERED REGGAE MUSIC THAT I WAS ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT I WANTED MY VOICE TO BE HEARD AND DISCOVERED BY THE WORLD. REGGAE HAS SHOWN TO ME A DIFFERENT, MORE POSITIVE, AND RELAXED WAY OF LIVING. IT HAS OPENED MY EYES AND MY HEART, SHOWING ME A PATH OF ENLIGHTENMENT THAT HAS MADE ME MORE IN TUNE WITH MY SPIRITUALITY, MYSELF, AND EVERYONE AROUND ME. IT’S NOT ONLY THE MUSIC THAT CAN SOOTHE YOUR ACHING MIND BUT THE POWERFUL MESSAGE THAT IS IN-LINE WITH THE RHYTHM. I KNEW THAT I WANTED TO SHARE MY EMOTIONS AND MY TAKE ON THE ART TO SERVE THE GREATER GOOD OF THE PEOPLE.

IN ORDER TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT AND TO BE ABLE TO PRODUCE HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT, I ENROLLED IN COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO’S AUDIO ARTS & ACOUSTICS PROGRAM, WHERE I STUDIED UNDER SOME OF CHICAGO’S BEST AUDIO ENGINEERS AND RECORD PRODUCERS. AFTER RECEIVING MY B.A. IN AUDIO DESIGN & PRODUCTION, I DECIDED TO MOVE TO SEATTLE, WA IN ORDER TO EXPAND MY CREATIVE CIRCLE AND AUDIENCE. AFTER 2 YEARS OUT WEST, I’M BACK IN CHICAGO TO KEEP LIVING THE DREAM.

MY MISSION IS TO PUT SMILES ON FACES, LOVE IN HEARTS, PEACE BETWEEN THE FEUDING, AND BRING CONSCIOUSNESS TO THE MASSES. I BELIEVE THAT MUSIC IS THE MEDICINE AGAINST THE POISONING PROPAGANDA WE ARE FED IN OUR LIVES AND THAT TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD; ONE POSITIVE, LOVING THOUGHT AT A TIME.

Q&A with S&S

S&S: What’s your style of music? How do you describe it? Man, it’d be hard to bottle my style of music under just one genre, I have been artistically influenced by so many different styles. In a nutshell, I’d say it’s mellow rock/reggae with a hint of folk violin.

S&S: Who or what was most instrumental to you when it came to music? I’d have to say that my brother Jan was. He began teaching me violin at a very young age, but as a child, I resisted it a lot. Music wasn’t something that came very easy to me when I was little, so I kept on quitting. If I had any other teacher growing up, I probably wouldn’t be a musician or an artist today. My brother knew the importance of growing a love for music inside of me and it is because of his persistence and unwillingness to give up on me that I make music today.

After years of playin violin, I picked other instruments (guitar, bass, keys, & drums) up along the way. I also started to take singing a lot more seriously in my teenage years and the only thing I was missing was means of recording. After some messing around on random recording softwares, the idea hit me. I realized that I needed to hone in on my audio engineering skills to make my art sound professional. A few years later I got my Bachelor’s degree in ‘Audio Design & Production’ from Columbia College – Chicago and built my own home studio. Being able to write, produce, edit, mix, master, market and release my own music has always given me full artistic control of my music which has really allowed me the freedom to express my true self through my music and that is also something that is very instrumental to me and my music-making process.

S&S: What drives you creatively? People do. The world is such a beautiful place filled with so much love and sadness. I like to acknowledge both in my music. I want people to feel love when they listen. I want them to smile. I want them to cry. I want them to FEEL! I pour my heart and soul into all I do and I hope you can sense it when you listen to my creations.

S&S: How much does your audience influence you and your music selection? While I obviously aim to create content that people enjoy, I wouldn’t say anyone necessarily dictates what I create. I don’t agree with any big time artist that “sells out” for that payday. I want to be authentically myself, and I can only hope that people dig it.

S&S: What artists or genres do you listen to when you’re not working? Ah, my Spotify playlist usually is all over the place. I’m big into reggae so that’s on a lot but besides that, my playlist will go from deep house, to trap music, to heavy rock/metal, to gypsy folk violin all in a matter of minutes.

Most recently though, I’ve been listening to a lot of EDM and hip hop.

S&S: Do you have any favorite memories of growing up with your family? I come from a very musical family. My father, along with my two brothers Matt and Jan, all play violin, so there was never a shortage of music any time we were together. Growing up, we all played traditional Polish folk music and still do til this day.

My brothers, our two friends, and I are in a Polish Highlander group called Kapela Hajducy, which roughly translates to “a band of highway robbers”. We’ve been lucky enough to have played around the country and internationally performing at many different events such as weddings, festivals, and various concerts together. Check out our Facebook page @KapelaHajducy to see and hear us play.

S&S: Is there anything you would like people to know about you? Actually, just recently, my siblings and I went to audition for Family Feud, and we got on! We stood out from the rest of the competition because not only did we show up in our traditional folk attire, we even brought our instruments and played our own rendition of the Family Feud theme song for the producers, and then eventually for Steve Harvey himself.

They flew us out to Hollywood and the whole experience of recording for the show was nothing short of a dream, and working with Steve Harvey was an honor my family and myself with always treasure.

We represented Chicago and Polish people well by becoming undefeated champions on the show, going 5-0, and winning nearly $50,000 and a new car!

S&S: Are there any charities you are working with or excited to tell us about? Well, I’m not currently working with any charities at the moment, but I am doing my part for the community and for the next generation of musicians and artists by just having recently become a violin, guitar, drum, and dance teacher at a new music school my brother recently opened up in Lemont, IL called the Lemont Music Academy.

S&S: Are there any questions that you wish people would ask you? “When are you available to collaborate on a new song?!”

S&S: And on the flip side of that, are there any questions or references you wish people would stop asking or using? My relatives would always ask me, “When are YOU going to get married?!” And lucky for me, I don’t have to dodge that question any longer because I recently got engaged to the love of my life, Kinga.

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S&S: What artist(s) have you been the most excited to work with? Honestly, I’ve been blessed that the other artists I work with on a consistent basis are either my brothers or very close friends of mine.

dB bobek is my pseudonym for producing music but when it comes to live shows, I play with my best friends Kamil Brozek, Mitch Mucino, & Bryan Cole under the name the Paraffin Aliens. Together, we’ve got to play shows at some really legendary Chicago venues, such as The Cubby Bear in Wrigleyville and the Tonic Room, alongside nationally touring reggae band, Dubbest.

S&S: Are there any artists that you dream of working with on a collaboration? That list is definitely long but my top picks would have to be: Stick Figure, Lauryn Hill, SOJA, Chronixx, Damian Marley, John Mayer, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Anderson. Paak, Russ, Allen Stone, Leon Bridges, Tenacious D, or Post Malone. (Just to name a few)

S&S What advice would you give to an aspiring artist? Don’t give up. Your music will suck before it gets better, but that’s how growth works. Don’t listen to those pathetic people who tell you your art is a waste of time, forgive them, they don’t know better. Work hard. Be patient. Dream BIG!

S&S: What can we look forward to next from you? I plan on releasing some new songs that I have been working on soon. But in the meantime, feel free to check out my music on Spotify, YouTube, iTunes, or wherever you listen to music.

Q&A By:Shannon “Skip” Syas – S&S Chicago

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S&S Records, Inc. (and S&S Chicago, Inc.) was established in 2005 by 4-time GRAMMY® nominated producer Steve “Silk” Hurley and global DJ/Producer Shannon “DJ Skip” Syas. Merging Hurley’s worldwide commercial success and Syas’ strong global following, the dance label has become home to numerous musical greats and one of the most respected blogs on the internet.