Hardsoul/Roog
- Hardsoul consists of Dutch brothers Roog and Greg van Bueren.
- They have been making music since they were very young. Both had classical piano training.
- Roog has achieved the feat of being voted No.1 House DJ of Holland in the years for three consecutive years- 2000 / 2001 & 2002 by Dutch dance magazine; Basic Groove. In 2004 he was voted Holland’s most popular club DJ by Nieuwe Revu Magazine and was the highest ranked house DJ in the ID&T overall poll of 2003, 2004 and 2005.
- Their track 'Back Together', featuring house legend Ron Carroll, was voted No.1 record of the 2003 annual DJ Mag Hype Chart. The track was licensed to the following compilations; Hed Kandi - Beach House, Defected In The House by Simon Dunmore, Soul Heaven by Louie Vega, Defected in the House by Kenny Dope, Southport Weekender by Joey Negro, Miguel Migs and Ministry of Sound Germany by Knee Deep.
- Dave Lee (Joey Negro, Jakarta) named Roog/Hardsoul the most talented DJ/producer of 2003.
- The compilations DJ Roog Presents Hardsoul: The Sound of Love and Dedication 2 (Zomba distribution) was Holland's highest selling house compilation of 2003. The third instalment of the series was released late 2005.
- After the huge success of ‘Back Together’ Defected asked Roog (Hardsoul) to join their international Defected In The House tour that brought him to London, Ibiza, Sydney, Melbourne, etc
- They were nominated for the Essential Track of the Year award as well as the ‘Outstanding Vocal Award’ for ‘Back Together’ at the 2004 International House Music Awards
- The 2004 Defected compilation called 'Soulfuric In The House' features four Hardsoul productions and remixes (some mixes are vinyl only). Soulfuric’s head honcho Brian Tappert claims “Hardsoul is the future of house” in the liner notes of the compilation.
- Their 2004 release ‘Committed’ on US based label Soulfuric reached top position in the DJ Mag Hypechart.
- The brothers took their sound to the next level in 2004 - Hardsoul presents Roog & Greg ‘Uber’ made it onto top UK house label Toolroom. The track was named BBC Radio 1’s ‘Track Of The Week’ and was included on numerous international compilations.
- In 2004 the brothers revived their label Hardsoul Pressings.
- MN2S (UK’s biggest DJ agency and London based clubnights) requested Jon Cutler and Hardsoul to mix their ‘10 Years of our House’ compilation in 2005. It was voted ‘Compilation of the Month’ in UK’s M8 magazine.
- Hardsoul/Roog were nominated for breakthrough DJ of the year 2005 at the International House Music Awards.
- Hardsoul have again hit the DJ Mag’s Hype Chart No.1 spot with their 2006 MN2S release Hardsoul feat. Shaun Escoffery entitled ‘No Man’
- In 2006 the brothers started a new label called R&G Electronics for music that wouldn’t necessarily be suitable for release on the Hardsoul Pressings label. R&G Electronics is an alternative outlet that specialises in chunky beat-driven sounds.
- Two records on the Hardsoul Pressings label ended up in the 2006 Top 10 of best selling records on Traxsource (USA’s No. 1 download site for house music), namely ‘Deep Inside’, and the collaboration between Hardsoul and Ron Carroll on ‘My Life’.
- The 2006 release of Hardsoul and Ron Carroll’s ‘My Life’ scored a prestigious 5/5 rating in seminal UK dance publication DJ Mag. The track has been licensed to numerous top compilations, with Seb Fontaine picking it up for his Type 2 comp for Thrive USA and Knee Deep for his The Art Of House album. It was also snapped up by Beachland 07 on Blanco y Negro and long-running UK label Azuli’s Las Tardes In Ibiza 2007 LP. The newly founded CyberJapan record company gave the record a domestic release in the Japanese territory, reaching the No. 2 position in the Japanese Cisco chart.
- In 2005 and 2006 the Hardsoul brothers travel to Japan to perform in Tokyo and Osaka.
- UK’s number one house label Defected asked Hardsoul to mix their new international compilation. The release date is expected to be september 2007.
- In 2007 Hardsoul join Defected’s brand new Connected DJ agency.
- The 2007 release by Greg, Jeroenski & Roog entitled ‘Your Mind is Twisted’ on the R&G imprint is shaping up to be a international underground hit.
DJ Roog
Producer / DJ / Remixer / CEO
- Roog started buying records at the tender age of seven in the late 1970’s. Throughout the 1980’s he started playing at school parties, birthday parties and weddings.
- At the beginning of the 1990’s he fell in love with house music, the music that he heard while clubbing at Amsterdam’s legendary clubs Roxy and It.
- Roog has graduated from law school with a specialisation in Intellectual Property.
- Roog was voted No. 1 house DJ of Holland for three years straight by Dutch magazine Basic Groove, was voted Holland’s most popular club DJ in 2004 by Nieuwe Revu magazine and was the highest ranked house DJ in the Dutch DJ Award poll of 2003, 2004 and 2005.
- With his brother Greg he forms Hardsoul, the internationally successful production duo (for more information on Hardsoul, check the Hardsoul bio and www.hardsoul.nl).
- Roog is playing an astonishing average of 225 gigs a year in and outside Holland.
- Roog played the main stage at Sensation in the vast Ajax Soccer stadium to 40.000 people in 2001, which was broadcasted live by TMF and Radio 538. This event elavated him from an underground house talent to the Dutch DJ super league.
- Roog has compiled ten CDs to date. The sound of Love and Dedication (United/Zomba, 2000) was the first compilation under his own name and was critically acclaimed by Dutch audiences as well as Dutch music press. The follow-up was released in 2003 on his own Hardsoul Pressings label and became one of the biggest selling house compilations of 2003. The third installment of the series was released late 2005.
- Roog frequently plays in New York's hottest club Cielo (voted No.1 club in the US in the Dancestar Awards)
- After the huge success of ‘Back Together’ Defected asked Roog (Hardsoul) to join their international Defected In The House tour that brought him to London, Ibiza, Sydney and Melbourne, etc.
- In 2004, Hardsoul presents Roog & Greg’s release entitled ‘Uber’ on UK label Toolroom saw the brothers take their sound to a next level. The track was named BBC ‘Track Of The Week’ and was included on numerous international compilations.
- In 2005 the brothers revived their label Hardsoul Pressings. The label was quickly adopted by both big name DJ’s and the record-buying public. The releases can be found on numerous international compilations such as Hed Kandi, Defected In the House and Ministry of Sound.
- MN2S (UK’s biggest DJ agency and London based clubnights) asked Jon Cutler and Hardsoul to mix their ‘10 Years Of Our House’ compilation in 2005. It was voted ‘Compilation of the Month’ in UK’s M8 magazine.
- Hardsoul/Roog were nominated for breakthrough DJ of the year 2005 at the International House Music Awards.
- Roog and his long term booker Anouschka Erhl from Holland’s Risk Agency started their own DJ agency called Beyond Bookings in 2005. More info at www.beyondbookings.com
- Roog and fellow Dutch superstar DJ Erick E teamed up to form Housequake and consistently sell out every club they perform at. In 2006, Holland’s dance magazine ‘Release’ devoted seven pages to the phenomena. The Housequake CD/DVD made it to the No.3 spot in the Dutch compilation chart. For more info www.housequake.nl
- In 2006 the brothers started a new label called R(oog) &G(reg) Electronics for music that wouldn’t necessarily be suitable for release in the Hardsoul Pressings label and requires an alternative outlet.
- The 2007 release Greg Jeroenski & Roog – ‘Your Mind is Twisted’ on the R&G imprint is set to be a international underground hit. There is already broad DJ support, crucially also from the likes of Roger Sanchez and Jazzy Jeff.
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