El Rod
Encyclopedia
Roger "El Rod" Saro is a half Surinamese, half Native American singer, vocalist and songwriter whose diverse style incorporates elements of funk
, pop
, indie pop
, electro and hip-hop
. In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, El Rod also raps and sometimes arranges the songs he wrote and performs on. Sometimes his music doesn’t contain actual singing. He often uses his voice as a percussive instrument with frequent rhythmic grunts and chants with rhythm-section patterns. He released his debut EP
“Art Nouveau” in June 2011.
, the Netherlands
on August 11, 1984, to Maira Maria Saro, a young freelance model and Steven William Arnhem. His mother is of Surinamese descent and his father is of Native American and Surinamese descent. His parents split up almost immediately after he was born so he was solely raised by his mother.
His interest in music started very early on as he not only danced to Michael Jackson
songs in his room, but surprisingly knew the lyrics to the songs in detail. He studied the English language and took a liking to it after he noticed he had a knack for it. He would watch television shows and tried to avoid reading the Dutch
subtitles so he could memorize the English words. He also read a lot of English Marvel comics
. The name El Rod was given to him by his cousin, actually meaning “Little Rod”. His family always called him Rodney instead of Roger, (in a similar way “Robert” turns to “Bobby” or “William” turns to “Bill”) so because of his petite height and his nickname, the stage name “El Rod” was born. Early in his career he worked with several well-known Dutch musicians. Pete Philly & Perquisite requested to work with him on a song for their sophomore album “Mystery Repeats
”. (The song never made it past the demo
stage, thus not appearing on the final product.) He also worked with Dutch pop/soul singer Jenny Lane whom he met during a music camp. El Rod wrote a reference track called “Enjoy Yourself”. It was the first time he wrote for another artist and discovered that he had the know-how to come up with melodies. House DJ Don Diablo
was also part of the camp and was aware of El Rod’s music. They recorded some rough demo vocals. Blogger Nalden often posted about El Rod on his popular site Nalden.net and even DJ Tom Trago asked to collaborate. All these behind-the-scenes experiences with established artists helped him in his growth to become a very well-rounded musician. Even though El Rod is an artist, personally he's a véry private person and a self-proclaimed recluse
. Tending to keep to himself, for a long time he adamantly avoided participating in social media
and didn't even own a cellphone. He lost his phone while partying one night and then simply decided to not get a new one. He would use email, payphone
cards or small scraps of paper with numbers scribbled on them to get in touch with people. He created a Facebook account under pressure from his friends complaining that he should be as active on the internet as he is in real life. He also created a Twitter account but deleted it the very next day. Eventually settling into Facebook, he now uses that platform as his only social media tool.
-inspired track was featured on popular sites like 22tracks.com
and Ajanaku.com and gained a modest cult following
. DJ and director of the Dutch film “Rabat
” Jim Taihuttu, praised the song on Twitter
and P. Fabergé (from the Dutch band “De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig
”) praised El Rod in his “Double Dutch” column in Vice Magazine. Following the good response on the song El Rod was ready to officially release some music. His friend, producer/songwriter Joveek Murphy just signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell music and was interested in creating something totally new and they started recording songs together. His debut EP 'Art Nouveau' was the outcome. El Rod was inspired by artists such as Sia
, The xx
, Roisin Murphy
, Goldfrapp
, Radiohead
, James Blake
, Prince and Justin Timberlake
. Studying song structure
, vocal arrangements and the overall sound of a mixed record. While searching for inspiration El Rod started traveling. He visited Martin Margiela
’s exhibition in MOMO in Antwerp, trekked through Berlin and visited fashion shows in Paris
during fashion week all to broaden his horizon and to soak up knowledge. During his stay in Paris he came up with the 'Art Nouveau' title. His love interests inspired El Rod to become a very visual writer. Focusing on imagery and scenery, women play a huge role in El Rod’s creative process.
with jeans brand Wrangler
and popular European blog
/website Ajanaku.com. El Rod had a releaseparty in the Jimmy Woo, the most popular nightclub in Amsterdam celebrating the release. The project was offered exclusively to Ajanaku.com. The site has an international allure and a wide range of visitors from all over the globe. This caused the project to be noticed by people in Denmark
, Sweden
, Londen and France
. Currently El Rod is slowly building his fanbase in his hometown Amsterdam and Europe through the internet. El Rod chose for the “one site only” approach to hope build a clear fanbase. He opted to not overload the internet and blogs with his material. On October 13th he released a deluxe edition of the EP which will be included on YouTube
and make will more blog
rounds than its predecessor.
partnership
came from El Rod’s behind the scenes experience and knowledge of how the music industry works;
“The way people purchase music has drastically changed. They rarely buy CD’s anymore. They just download or stream it. Linking your name to a brand, a store or even a magazine makes the artist more of a brand instead of “just” an artist. I believe this is the best way for up & coming acts and bands to profile themselves. Nowadays creating your own following, look and sound will eventually offer more opportunities than the traditional “record deal” will”.
El Rod teamed up with Wrangler after being introduced to their visual merchandiser
Gino Gersie. Wrangler had a new way of promoting their brand via a daring project called PGA (Product Giveaway) Dutch celebrities like Waylon and Marly van der Velden (from the Dutch series “Goede tijden, slechte tijden
”) receive clothes from Wrangler which will in turn enhance the visibility of the brand. Gino offered El Rod to be part of the project, while El Rod proposed Wrangler with an offer to jointly release “Art Nouveau”.
, Karen van de Kraats to create the artwork for “Art Nouveau”. Every track featured on “Art Nouveau” will have its own individual cover art. Specifically aimed at the progressive rate gadgets and multimedia
is going, the covers will be best visible on the iPad
’s and iPhone
’s. El Rod: "When you ‘sweep’ from song to song you will see a different cover, which gives you something to look at. I wanted the artwork to tell a story. It doesn’t replace the actual CD booklet, the nostalgic feeling of unwrapping the CD and reading the credits. But it’s more so “nostalgia
meets multimedia
”.
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
, electro and hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, El Rod also raps and sometimes arranges the songs he wrote and performs on. Sometimes his music doesn’t contain actual singing. He often uses his voice as a percussive instrument with frequent rhythmic grunts and chants with rhythm-section patterns. He released his debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
“Art Nouveau” in June 2011.
Biography
El Rod was born in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
on August 11, 1984, to Maira Maria Saro, a young freelance model and Steven William Arnhem. His mother is of Surinamese descent and his father is of Native American and Surinamese descent. His parents split up almost immediately after he was born so he was solely raised by his mother.
His interest in music started very early on as he not only danced to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
songs in his room, but surprisingly knew the lyrics to the songs in detail. He studied the English language and took a liking to it after he noticed he had a knack for it. He would watch television shows and tried to avoid reading the Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
subtitles so he could memorize the English words. He also read a lot of English Marvel comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The name El Rod was given to him by his cousin, actually meaning “Little Rod”. His family always called him Rodney instead of Roger, (in a similar way “Robert” turns to “Bobby” or “William” turns to “Bill”) so because of his petite height and his nickname, the stage name “El Rod” was born. Early in his career he worked with several well-known Dutch musicians. Pete Philly & Perquisite requested to work with him on a song for their sophomore album “Mystery Repeats
Mystery Repeats
Mystery Repeats is the second full-length album by Dutch Hip-Hop duo Pete Philly and Perquisite. The album was released on September 7, 2007 in the Netherlands and Japan on ANTI Records.- Track listing :- External links :* from MySpaceTV...
”. (The song never made it past the demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
stage, thus not appearing on the final product.) He also worked with Dutch pop/soul singer Jenny Lane whom he met during a music camp. El Rod wrote a reference track called “Enjoy Yourself”. It was the first time he wrote for another artist and discovered that he had the know-how to come up with melodies. House DJ Don Diablo
Don Diablo
Don Diablo is a Dutch record producer, songwriter, artist, DJ. His parents named him after Don van Vliet .-Biography:...
was also part of the camp and was aware of El Rod’s music. They recorded some rough demo vocals. Blogger Nalden often posted about El Rod on his popular site Nalden.net and even DJ Tom Trago asked to collaborate. All these behind-the-scenes experiences with established artists helped him in his growth to become a very well-rounded musician. Even though El Rod is an artist, personally he's a véry private person and a self-proclaimed recluse
Recluse
A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society, often close to nature. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." There are many potential reasons for becoming a recluse: a personal philosophy that rejects consumer society; a...
. Tending to keep to himself, for a long time he adamantly avoided participating in social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
and didn't even own a cellphone. He lost his phone while partying one night and then simply decided to not get a new one. He would use email, payphone
Payphone
A payphone or pay phone is a public telephone, often located in a phone booth or a privacy hood, with pre-payment by inserting money , a credit or debit card, or a telephone card....
cards or small scraps of paper with numbers scribbled on them to get in touch with people. He created a Facebook account under pressure from his friends complaining that he should be as active on the internet as he is in real life. He also created a Twitter account but deleted it the very next day. Eventually settling into Facebook, he now uses that platform as his only social media tool.
Art Nouveau
Late 2010 El Rod quietly released his online single “Picky” to overwhelming response. The minimalistic PrincePrince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
-inspired track was featured on popular sites like 22tracks.com
22tracks.com
22tracks.com is an online jukebox consisting of 22 playlists of different genres, each playlist filled with 22 tracks which are refreshed every week, selected by DJs from Amsterdam & Brussels...
and Ajanaku.com and gained a modest cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
. DJ and director of the Dutch film “Rabat
Rabat (film)
Rabat is a Dutch roadmovie, and the first film made by Jim Taihattu and Victor Ponten, from Habbekrats.Habbekrats, founded in 2004, is an independent dutch advertising company, which focuses specifically on people and companies with a so called mentality...
” Jim Taihuttu, praised the song on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and P. Fabergé (from the Dutch band “De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig
De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig
De Jeugd van Tegenwoordig is a Dutch hip hop and R&B group based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, renowned for their musical approach of irreverent, humorous lyrics and electronic beats...
”) praised El Rod in his “Double Dutch” column in Vice Magazine. Following the good response on the song El Rod was ready to officially release some music. His friend, producer/songwriter Joveek Murphy just signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell music and was interested in creating something totally new and they started recording songs together. His debut EP 'Art Nouveau' was the outcome. El Rod was inspired by artists such as Sia
Sia Furler
Sia Kate Isobelle Furler or simply Sia, is an Australian pop, downtempo, and jazz singer and songwriter. In 2000, her single, "Taken for Granted" was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom. Her 2008 album, Some People Have Real Problems peaked in the top 30 on the Billboard 200...
, The xx
The xx
The xx are an English indie pop band, formed in London in 2005. The band's members met while studying at Elliott School, the same school that produced Hot Chip, Burial and Four Tet. They became a trio when their second guitarist and keyboardist, Baria Qureshi, departed in late 2009. In September...
, Roisin Murphy
Róisín Murphy
Róisín Marie Murphy is an Irish singer-songwriter and record producer, known for her electronic style.Murphy first came to note as part of the electronic music duo Moloko. Her partner in the band was then-boyfriend Mark Brydon. After the two ended their romantic relationship, Murphy released her...
, Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
, Prince and Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
. Studying song structure
Song structure (popular music)
The structures or musical forms of songs in popular music are typically sectional, repeating forms, such as strophic form. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, verse-chorus form, and the twelve bar blues...
, vocal arrangements and the overall sound of a mixed record. While searching for inspiration El Rod started traveling. He visited Martin Margiela
Martin Margiela
Martin Margiela is a Belgian fashion designer. He studied at Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts along with the legendary avantgarde fashion collective the Antwerp Six. Many still consider him to be the "7th" member of the collective.- Life and work:After graduation in 1980 he worked as a...
’s exhibition in MOMO in Antwerp, trekked through Berlin and visited fashion shows in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
during fashion week all to broaden his horizon and to soak up knowledge. During his stay in Paris he came up with the 'Art Nouveau' title. His love interests inspired El Rod to become a very visual writer. Focusing on imagery and scenery, women play a huge role in El Rod’s creative process.
Ajanaku
‘Art Nouveau’ was released independently on June 9th in conjunctionConjunction
Conjunction can refer to:* Conjunction , an astronomical phenomenon* Astrological aspect, an aspect in horoscopic astrology* Conjunction , a part of speech** Conjunctive mood , same as subjunctive mood...
with jeans brand Wrangler
Wrangler Jeans
Wrangler is a manufacturer of jeans and other clothing items. The brand is owned by the VF Corporation, who also own Lee, JanSport and The North Face, among others. Its headquarters is in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, with production plants in a variety of locations throughout the world...
and popular European blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
/website Ajanaku.com. El Rod had a releaseparty in the Jimmy Woo, the most popular nightclub in Amsterdam celebrating the release. The project was offered exclusively to Ajanaku.com. The site has an international allure and a wide range of visitors from all over the globe. This caused the project to be noticed by people in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Londen and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Currently El Rod is slowly building his fanbase in his hometown Amsterdam and Europe through the internet. El Rod chose for the “one site only” approach to hope build a clear fanbase. He opted to not overload the internet and blogs with his material. On October 13th he released a deluxe edition of the EP which will be included on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and make will more blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
rounds than its predecessor.
Wrangler
Wrangler also participated in the release of the EP. The out-of-the-boxThinking outside the box
Thinking outside the box is to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. This phrase often refers to novel or creative thinking....
partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
came from El Rod’s behind the scenes experience and knowledge of how the music industry works;
“The way people purchase music has drastically changed. They rarely buy CD’s anymore. They just download or stream it. Linking your name to a brand, a store or even a magazine makes the artist more of a brand instead of “just” an artist. I believe this is the best way for up & coming acts and bands to profile themselves. Nowadays creating your own following, look and sound will eventually offer more opportunities than the traditional “record deal” will”.
El Rod teamed up with Wrangler after being introduced to their visual merchandiser
Visual merchandising
Visual merchandising is the activity and profession of developing floor plans and three-dimensional displays in order to maximise sales.Both goods or services can be displayed to highlight their features and benefits...
Gino Gersie. Wrangler had a new way of promoting their brand via a daring project called PGA (Product Giveaway) Dutch celebrities like Waylon and Marly van der Velden (from the Dutch series “Goede tijden, slechte tijden
Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden
Goede tijden, slechte tijden , also known as GTST, is the longest-running Dutch soap opera, which began on 1 October 1990 on RTL4. The programme was the first daily soap in the Netherlands. The soap is produced by Joop van den Ende and to date over 4,000 episodes have been broadcast...
”) receive clothes from Wrangler which will in turn enhance the visibility of the brand. Gino offered El Rod to be part of the project, while El Rod proposed Wrangler with an offer to jointly release “Art Nouveau”.
Artwork
El Rod teamed up with the partner of Dutch fashion designer Antoine PetersAntoine Peters
Antoine Peters is an Amsterdam based Dutch fashion designer.Antoine Peters graduated cum laude at the Art Academy in Arnhem and then continued to study his Masters degree at the Fashion Institute, Arnhem. His graduation show took place at the fashionweek in Paris in march of 2006...
, Karen van de Kraats to create the artwork for “Art Nouveau”. Every track featured on “Art Nouveau” will have its own individual cover art. Specifically aimed at the progressive rate gadgets and multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
is going, the covers will be best visible on the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
’s and iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
’s. El Rod: "When you ‘sweep’ from song to song you will see a different cover, which gives you something to look at. I wanted the artwork to tell a story. It doesn’t replace the actual CD booklet, the nostalgic feeling of unwrapping the CD and reading the credits. But it’s more so “nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
meets multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
”.