His mother always had the radio on, his father dug beats and his uncle had his own studio. Needless to say, Wayne Goodlitt was bound to cross paths with his destiny – music. Now, at 33, the DJ and producer who is popularly known as Roska lives in London and is a pioneer of a strain of dance music – UK funky. Before making his India debut in Bengaluru on April 2 at The Humming Tree, here is what it is straight from the horse’s mouth.
Roska was a nickname his friends used to call him and that caught on with his journey on the console. His productions also pack a punch with his distinctive, cheeky name drop that gets the crowds moving. “I’ve always been into heavy percussive music whether it was tribal house or bass-driven dancehall. And my sound is based on something that emerged in 2008 under the name UK funky,” he tells us, letting us in on how he got on board the genre. His unique sound that has garnered fans across the globe is now a powerful cocktail of house percussion, blocky melodies and body-battering sub-bass.
Working across the ‘funky’ genre, house music and various, mutated strains of bass-heavy club music, Roska has earmarked himself as one of UK’s most accomplished underground exponents. But what does he consider an achievement? “Being able to still tour seven years on in my music career with a bonus of being able to visit numerous places across the world,” he says, hoping to catch sight of historical landmark monuments around Bengaluru after his show in the Wild City’s Various Artists series. What’s more exciting is the fact that he doesn’t put it past him to collaborate with Indian artistes either. “I know a little about Indian music, more about the instruments than artistes actually,” he says.
After releasing his third album Refresh last year, he’s even set to drop a brand new EP on April 8, after his shows here. But don’t think he has no time to chill. “I have a PlayStation 4 that I usually play to chill out. I also meet up with my family or go out to grab some food. I love my sleep,” says Roska. Although he had no formal training in music and everything comes from the soul, he drops some advice, “Enjoy every minute of it and have patience through it all. Nothing happens overnight.”
