Mike Rogers is the hybrid combination of talent and sound that make a promising soulfoul electronic supergroup, consists of Mike Mago and RogerSeventytwo. It all started when they were in the studio experimenting with different sounds than they were normally used to. With this new alias Mike Rogers duo represents the gap between pop and the more left-field electronic sound, and that fact is also translated in their visual aspect. Following the release of their debut EP “Loose Ideas EP” via mike mago's label BMKLTSCH RCRDS, Mike Rogers sat down with Viralbpm for an exclusive interview to talk about their urge to create new music, latest releases, upcoming single ‘Over Love' feat. Carmen Rose and their first performance on the 19th of October during the BMKLTSCH BASH in Amsterdam.
V1. How did the Mike Rogers project happen? When did you decide to form this intriguing duo?
Mike Rogers: It all started when we were in the studio experimenting with different sounds than we were normally used to. It seems we both had the urge to create music that felt closer to us at that moment in time. After a couple of demos it took more shape, so we thought: why not start a new duo?
V2. What does Mike Rogers represent for you? How would you describe the whole concept to music fans in general?
Mike Rogers: Mike Rogers represents the gap between pop and the more left-field electronic sound and that fact is also translated in our visual aspect. There is a place between the city centre and the periphery of a city. Our focus lies in the objects, people and small details of an area where it appears that nothing much is happening. But there is always a story behind it.
V3. “Loose Ideas EP” was a pretty cool release and we really felt that one. Could you describe to us the creative process behind this EP?
Mike Rogers: The base of ‘Loose Ideas' was created pretty fast, which was a great sign. It instantly felt good and we decided that we needed some strong features on it. First off MYBADD wrote the chorus, then JONES delivered her amazing part and lifted the song even more. We then had the feeling that it still needed a little edge so we asked Tiggs, and gladly he liked the track as well. He showed us his part through a skype session and we were sold immediately!
V4. We guess that's not the only project you were working on, right? Any future releases you can already reveal to us?
Mike Rogers: Yes, we are currently finalizing our next single – ‘Over Love' feat. Carmen Rose – which we are very happy with. It has a slightly darker vibe than our previous material, but it definitely fits the progression of our project. Next to ‘Over Love' we have more singles on the shelf that will be released very soon.
V5. Tourwise… Are there any special events or maybe radio shows or mixes like the ‘Hump Day Mix' you would like to tell us about?
Mike Rogers: Absolutely. We're working hard on our live show at the moment. It's really exciting for us as our background is mostly DJ based, yet it really feels relieving to challenge ourselves with actually playing live drums and keys. Our first performance will be on the 19th of October during the BMKLTSCH BASH in Amsterdam.
V6. Do you have any specific goals in your mind regarding the Mike Rogers project or is it just about making dope music?
Mike Rogers: We started with just making dope music and enjoy it yet, the further we grow into the process, we're getting more specific in what we aim for and with who we want to work with. One specific goal is to shape our signature sound more and the other is to build our live show to a certain level.
V7. How has social media affected your personal life, but also your career as artists? Is it important in order to cultivate a relationship with your fan base? Which platform is your favourite one?
Mike Rogers: Social media is really important for artists, yet it is also a hard game because of the competition. It's not only about music anymore, but also about profiling yourself. You can say it's a good thing because the distance between a fan and the artist gets smaller, but on the other hand we have to ask ourselves how personal artists should be on social media. At the end of the day, the majority of the artists are now a brand.
V8. Thank you a lot for doing this with us and we are really wishing both of you all the best. Any final words you want to share with the Viralbpm readership?
Mike Rogers: Well, thanks for the support on our project and we hope you'll enjoy the new output in the near future!
