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Rolando

Real Name:
Rolando Ray Rocha
Profile:
Born in the 1970's in southwest Detroit, he grew up in the Hispanic district heavily influenced by his cultural Latin rhythms and percussion. Encouraged from an early age by his musician father, he pursued his own interest in music and became well known and respected within the community. It was later when he heard Jeff Mills as "The Wizard" that he discovered the innovative sounds of Techno. Through a mutual friend he was introduced to "Mad" Mike Banks and promptly became a member of the enigmatic Underground Resistance crew.

Soon his first opportunity came to cross the Atlantic and his speedy proficiency on the turntables wowed audiences worldwide earning him respect and notoriety within the industry as a whole. 'Knights of The Jaguar' although not Rolando's first release on UR turned perceptions of Techno on their head, breaking into other genres of dance music and becoming a classic in the boxes of DJs such as Tenaglia, Morillo, Oakenfold and Giles Peterson. With the ensuing battle against corporate goliath's Sony - the battle was morally won by sheer determination of the small independent label and the steadfast support of fans worlwide.

In more recent times, he and Gerald Mitchell created the label 'Los Hermanos' ('The Brothers' in Spanish) - the sound continuing on the themes and tones set in place by his own "Knights of The Jaguar".

As of January 2005, citing creative differences and a chance to progress, Rolando left both Underground Resistance and the Los Hermanos project.

The alias 035 refers to Kraftwerk - Expo Remix on EMI Electrola
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Aliases:
Variations:
All | DJ Rolando | Rolando
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Discography

Releases:
Nite:Life 016 (2 versions)   NRK Sound Division 2003
From There To Here And Now (4xLP)   NRK Sound Division 2006
Hiatus EP (12", EP)   Delsin 2008
The Afterlife EP (12", EP)   Saved Records 2009
Remixes:
Rush Hour - Part One & Two (CDr, Maxi, Promo) Rush Hour (Rolando Remix) Rush Hour Recordings 2007
Appears On:
Virtuoso (Remixes) (12") Virtuoso (Rolando Remix) Soma Quality Recordings 2002
Peek Time (12") Peek Time (Rolando's I... Superb Entertainment Records 2007
Tracks Appear On:
RA.135 (File, MP3, Mixed, Pod) Where Were You Resident Advisor 2008
Global Underground: Nic Fanciulli (Comp) (2 versions) Where Were You ???, Af... Global Underground Ltd. 2009
Saved Records Presents Joel Mull (CD, Promo) Running Saved Records 2009
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YouTube Videos

Los Hermanos - Birth Of 3000
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Reviews & Discussion

Review by jonathan_armstrong Jun 26, 2003
Rolando will probably always be known for his "Knights of the Jaguar", which is definitely a good track. All of his other work on/as Los Hermanos is very good as well. Check out his remix he did for Kraftwerk's "Expo 2000" for a good example of his sparse, lush, melodic sound.

But can he DJ?

Hell f---ing yes... I was lucky enough to catch his set at the last Detroit Electronic Music Festival and I can't say enough good things about this guy. After being into this scene almost twelve years I've seen hundreds of DJ's, and I'd easily place him in the top five, easy... he played tons of classics, doubled up two copies of "Strings of Life" and staggered the piano break perfectly before dropping in all sorts of minimal techno classics - "French Kiss", "Red 2", etc. Only a skipping record towards the end marred this otherwise perfect set. 90% of DJ's who try to mix on more than two turntables have no business doing so. This guy is in the other 10%... if he continues to throw down like this I don't think there's much stopping him in the years to come. Highly recommended for either techno or house fans.
Review by arthust (edited over 8 years ago)
First time i heard about DJ Rolando, i just felt in love with what this guy does. There's for one time poetry, harmony, force and conviction in that music.
This is a celestial song : you close the eyes at the beginning, you let the music penetrate in your head... ; you open it at the end of the song, and you have changed, trust me :D

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