Raised on a healthy diet of Garage and 90’s RnB & Hip Hop Toyboy & Robin started gaining admirers early in their career boasting support from the likes of Radio 1’s MistaJam, Toddla T, Cameo and Target; and DJ support from the likes of Bondax, T.Williams and Waze & Odyssey and some serious online love from only the coolest Hype Machine blogs. With their ‘Studio 7’ EP out now, Toyboy & Robin look to well and truly stamp their mark on 2015. With one of many new singles in the works, “Borrowed” ft. Gyptian & L Marshall, arrives tomorrow, February 5th, via Big Beat Records
Photography by Aron Klein
Interview by Montana Dzurella
Montana: Since breaking into the field of house electronic music, what can you say about your songs that makes you particularly stand out from other artists in the same genre of style?
Toyboy & Robin: When we first broke into the house scene, we were fusing our love of R&B with house, but that isn’t unique as such anymore it would be fair to say. We’ve been writing originals for a couple of years now, stepping a little away from the over saturated R&B – but still keeping the grooves and melodies first associated with our sound. We guess the right answer to this question is to listen to our music and decide for yourselves ;)
Montana: Being from London, is there any influences that inspired you from the atmosphere around you that shaped the vibes of your music?
Toyboy & Robin: UK garage definitely inspired the shuffle we have on some of our drums, but a lot of our influences are actually from USA with R&B and house. Living here definitely shapes our music – it’s a great city to live in, and being in England we actually have 4 seasons so you can get to write the dark moody stuff in the Winter and the nice happy stuff in the Summer which is handy when writing our album!
Montana: Tell us a little bit about the touring lifestyle, is it what you expected? Is the feedback from the crowd as lively and upbeat to your expectations while you perform?
Toyboy & Robin: We’ve been touring for a few years now – travelling is a pain but the ends definitely justify the means. Thankfully we haven’t had many bad crowds, but our personal favourite right now is The MID in Chicago – we love playing there as the crowd seem to trust what we play, even if they haven’t heard it!
“Any music that can evoke emotion is good, and as long as someone is feeling something, were halfway to doing our job well!”
Montana: While creating your vision for your new song “Borrowed”, was there a lot of emotions and influences that helped inspire you with producing the track?
Toyboy & Robin: We’d love to say there was, but in actual fact we just wanted to try and write a big thumping club track! Shouts to L and Gyptian on the sick vocals!
Montana: How did you both fall into the house music phenomenon, what brought you both to having a passion for that scene and wanting to pursue your sounds?
Toyboy & Robin: We both fell into it as the whole deadmau5 sound was super popular in our first years of university around 2008. We were both in and around the club circuit as DJ’s and promoters and initially began DJing. Production was the natural progression from there really. Then people were digging what we were doing and so we find ourselves here! We never set out to consciously make house music or ride a wave of popularity, it was just what we liked and the scene emerging happened to be in unison. We’re really thankful to the people who have bought into our music though as without them we know we wouldn’t be able to do this job.
Montana: All together, what do you want your music to represent about yourselves? What sensation do you want your audience to feel?
Toyboy & Robin: The thing we want people to experience most with our music is to have fun! That said, our album does have some slower joints on it which will be more reflective than all out happy.
Montana: In one word, how can you describe the process and journey through your music career? Was it easier or harder than expected getting noticed and breaking into the house industry?
Toyboy & Robin: Exhausting (laughs)… just messing. The word to describe it would be “exciting”. As with any job it comes with its ups and downs, but the experience of being in the music industry overall is great and we’re doing the jobs we both want to do so there are literally no complaints. We always hoped we’d get noticed, but you can’t ever force that, so thanks to the team at Big Beat for bringing us in!
