Fresh Kicks 100: Bobby Analog

Bobby Analog has become one of the most pivotal figures in Belfast’s thriving electronic music scene in recent years. A prolific DJ, producer, promoter and Body Fusion label founder, has gone from strength to strength since relocating to the Northern Irish capital at the age of 18, becoming known for his sets of radiant, percussive house music and slick productions.

Tracks like ‘When Will Our Day Come’ and ‘Dr In The House’ have racked up tens of thousands of plays on YouTube, while his Boiler Room set from AVA Festival 2018 saw him being championed as one of Belfast’s finest while also showcasing his stelar selections and technique. Since, he’s gone on to play some very special gigs abroad, including an unforgettable boat party as part of Egypt’s Some Weekend festival.

“Playing Joe Smooth’s ‘Promised Land’ as the sun set on the Red Sea was an experience,” he tells DJ Mag.He’s come quite a long way since buying his first bought a set of second-hand belt-drive turntables at the age of 13, then.

“From then I've just kinda been doing it daily,” he tells us. “I started throwing parties when I was 18 or 19 and when I moved to Belfast I had a run of good club nights that I ran both monthly and weekly. 

“I was doing the weekly party AUX for three years most recently, which we wound up about a year ago because I was burning out so I took a short break from being a promoter to run a label. As of next month though, I will be taking up my role as a promoter again to run some parties in a new space in Belfast."

Recently, Body Fusion released its first music from somebody else, with berlin-based, Irish duo Long Island Sound’s EP from March this year fitting the label’s sonic palette perfectly. However, Bobby doesn’t want the label to take over his life, or become an arduous labour. Rather, Body Fusion will continue to prioritise patience and quality, not just on its release schedule but in the upcoming parties being thrown under its bammer.

“I didn't really ever see it as being a label in the beginning just a series of white label releases,” he says. “So there’s little to no structure to the approach. If there is music I'm happy with and it makes financial sense at the time and I can make the product I want to put out I'll do a record. That's kind of how I operate. I have some music ready to put out – I  think –and I'm talking to a designer I like so maybe by July or August I might have something new out.”

With more gigs lined up for the rest of the year, including a return to Belfast’s mighty AVA, Bobby Analog’s star is continuing to rise at its own pace. With a monthly radio show hopefully on the horizon soon, it should soon be very easy to hear more and more of what he has to offer.

In the meantime, he’s stepped up as part of our Fresh Kicks mix series, serving 60 minutes fo celestial grooves and percussive heat. Check it out below.