Robot Bomb Shelter
Gig Seeker Pro

Robot Bomb Shelter

San Francisco, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2007

San Francisco, California, United States
Established on Jan, 2007
Solo EDM Techno

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Album Review - Staring at Screens"

Robot Bomb Shelter – Staring At Screens - 2010

http://www.robotbombshelter.com/

Jake Brower is not a DJ. That’s not to say DJs are not artists and top-notch entertainers in their own right. In fact, there is an impressive number of world renowned DJs that earn rock star salaries by slapping down and mixing other artist’s music for the masses in sold-out stadiums. Where Jake differs, is that under the name Robot Bomb Shelter, he creates and performs electronic dance anthems that are on the spot and improvised, so no two shows are ever alike.

Staring At Screens is 10-track release by Robot Bomb Shelter that embodies all that is great about modern electronic music. Although simple and instantly danceable, the songs contain a layered complexity that warrants closer inspection, ideally while sitting in a comfortable chair, wearing a good set of headphones and at high volume.

The album’s first track “codatylate” contains distinct elements of Progressive House, a genre made wildly popular by big name producers like Deadmau5, but has a darker Hard Trance essence reminiscent of Green Martian. This interweaving of electronic styles exists throughout the entire album, making it challenging to define not only this album, but Robot Bomb Shelter’s overall style. Listening to “conflex” we are reminded of The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, “braindaedalus” contains traces of Dutch electronic producer Speedy J’s 1995 G-Spot release and “aestheticalistic” envelopes Detroittechno king Plastikman’sethereal minimalist approach.

Comparing this CDwith these electronic masters shouldn’t be interpreted as any degree of lack of originality on Robot Bomb Shelter’s part. Quite the contrary. The music is undeniably original, fresh and infectious, and a comparison of the album to these artists is testament to the care and quality of the music Jake creates and the artists he obviously respects. Put this CD on at your next party, stand back, and watch your guests take notice. Guaranteed, they’ll ask who is coming out the speakers and jot down Robot Bomb Shelter’s name. - Dave MacIntyre - The Examiner.com


"Robot Bomb Shelter named one of the best electronic music artists of 2011 according to Toronto's examiner.com"

Robot Bomb Shelter aka Jake Brower visited during Canadian Music Week and wowed the audience with his on-the-spot electro grooves. He’s a name to watch as popularity in the genre continues to grow and we hope to see him for 2012’s CWM.

Visit his website for more info and to sample his amazing dance offerings:

http://www.robotbombshelter.com/ - Dave MacIntyre, examiner.com


"Roadtrip Nation Interview with Robot Bomb Shelter"

"My interview with Jake from Robot Bomb Shelter is by far my favorite conversation with a musician. He was so friendly and open, and had such a great story."

Read the entire article and listen to the audio interview at http://blog.roadtripnation.com/2011/04/26/musician-interview-robot-bomb-shelter/ - Roadtrip Nation


"Accidental Has a Chat with Jake Brower of Robot Bomb Shelter"

Jake Brower of Robot Bomb Shelter has it going on. An impressive musical resume with decades of smashing work dating back to 4th grade when he was already getting familiar with a variety of instruments. Unless you’ve lived your life under a rock or stuck at home for agoraphobia you’ve most likely danced your ass off to some of Jake’s music, whether you knew it or not. I got Jake to catch me up on what’s happening in his world professionally and personally. Personally I think Jake’s quite the looker, professionally Jake is quite the master. Check out we has has to say!


San Francisco Electro/Techno musician/producer/controllerist (not a DJ) Robot Bomb Shelter (aka Jake Brower) has been producing his brand of electronic dance music for 2 decades.



Q & A:
AB: Brilliant name! How was it birthed?
My partner and I were house sitting for 2 friends that were going to be moving away. They had their house all packed up and they were away looking for an apartment in Florida. I happened to look on a side table among all the boxes and papers and I noticed some random words scribbled on a crumpled up piece of paper. In one corner it said, “Robot,” and another corner said, “Bomb Shelter.” The 3 words literally lifted off the page and struck me in the face. At that instant, I became Robot Bomb Shelter. I had been going by “Fraktal,” but that wasn’t working.

AB: I see you have in bold, several times that you are not a DJ. Define controllerist.

A controllerist is someone who uses hardware controllers to manipulate software. in my case, I use hardware such as the iPad and the Akai APC40 and other tools to create music in real time on the stage. I am not a DJ, but instead a musician/producer like other electronic bands. I just happen to do it as a solo artist. I play my own original music and my shtick is being able to create a set live on the fly.

AB: Your music has been highly successful decades. What keeps you ticking and fresh?

Thanks! Constant learning and being influence by artists all around me. I spent the better part of 10+ years just learning the technology and then 10+ more learning more technology and how my music sets me apart from everyone else. Now, here I am 24 years later and I my sound is uniquely my own. I still learn something new every day and try to incorporate that into what I do to see if it fits…some does and some doesn’t.

AB: A flash back question? Where were you in the early 90's? Can you remember? lol

I had just moved to Seattle in the early 90s and it was the height of both grunge and Detroit Techno. I was in quite a haze myself, but there I was…a new kid in a new city and so much music to be made. Believe it or not, I was also a gogo boy during the early 90s, too. I was exposed to a lot of great music and people during that phase.

AB: Do you think there is some music made to played to an audience on drugs? What’s your take on that?

Of course there is, BUT any music can be that way. The way I feel is that, if someone wants to be high while listening and dancing to great music, so be it. As long as you know your limits and aren’t harming yourself or others. The key is to leave the club when you’ve come down from an amazing experience and not to do it again for a while; don’t make it a regular occurrence.

AB: I read that you use a ton of tools to make such powerful beats. What are some unusual things you have used?

I have so many tools at my disposal that I’ve acquired over the years…some hardware and some software. I use many of the industry standards for music making especially in terms of music software. I use pretty much the entire line of Native Instruments’ software (Massive, Kore, Battery, Absynth, Reaktor) as well as reFX and Spectrasonics. I create music on both Cubase and Ableton.

For unusual things I’ve used…in my early days, I used to record sounds with a pocket recorder and then sample them into my DAW to create unusual drum riffs.

AB: Can you think of anyone song that should never be touched and alway left in its original form?

Hmmm….Anything by The Smiths should never be touched. They represent such a huge part of my growing up and it is a sin when I hear someone remaking a Smiths or Morrissey song. They are classics and should stay so.

AB: Love the name of the song “Dirty Sunshine”. Is there a story behind that title?

I was learning how to create killer dirty bass about 4 years ago and one day in San Francisco (where I’ve lived since 2002), I was taking a walk outside and humming my track, which was still in progress, and I looked up on that beautiful day and the name just struck me. I never name any of my tracks until the album is complete and then I wait to be inspired.

AB: I’m a sucker for song mash-ups. It’s the only way to make me listen to some of todays pop songs when they’re are mashed with something heavy. Are you a fan of mash-ups?

I am not really a big fan of mash-ups. I am with yo - Accidental Bear


"Jake Brower, also known as Robot Bomb Shelter, is changing the dance floor experience with his innovative, fresh and extremely infectious brand of techno."

Jake Brower, also known as Robot Bomb Shelter, is changing the dance floor experience with his innovative, fresh and extremely infectious brand of techno. What sets Robot Bomb Shelter apart is the fact that he creates the music on the spot. The beats are not pre-recorded, and Jake is not a DJ. The music is unique, improvised and always original. Most importantly, the music is amazing!

Robot Bomb Shelter took time from his busy schedule to answer some questions about his music, influences and upcoming plans.

Read the full article at the link below. - examiner.com


"Robot Bomb Shelter is my musical hero..."

Read the full interview I did for Bearotic online magazine at:

http://www.bearotic.com/2010/04/14/robot-bomb-shelter-electronic-dance-beat/ - Bearotic magazine


"Robot Bomb Shelter – Cobra Nightclub - March 9, 2011"

Review and Photos by Dave MacIntyre

I never make it part of my normal routine to start off a Canadian Music Fest evening with bass-heavy electronic music and then move on to folky-acoustic sets. Really good techno is infectious and gets trapped in my head, making the appreciation for a banjo playing musician challenging. So what made Wednesday night different then? Jake Brower did.

To the misfortune of patrons who didn’t arrive early, the artist better know as Robot Bomb Shelter, the San Francisco based electro wizard worked his brand of catchy dance tunes to a steadily filling room. What makes RBS’s music so unique is the fact that he creates it on the spot using a laptop and an Akai APC40. Everything coming from the speakers is improvised, original and highly magnetic in its appeal, as those who did take advantage of the roomy dance floor would testify. It was a fantastic set, but as feared, ruined any hopes I had of listening to other bands that night. I headed home with Robot Bomb Shelter’s 10-track CD Staring at Screens booming through my speakers.

http://www.robotbombshelter.com - Dave MacIntyre, Lithium Magazine


"A True Masterpiece"

a true masterpiece, "SYNTHETIC FAMINE" will kick lazy asses on any dance floor. BooM Namasté - 604-Tokay - ReverbNation


"Dirty Sunshine is fantastic"

Dirty Sunshine is a fantastic piece of work. Excelent production.

Elaine, ReverbNation - ReverbNation


"Incredible Synth Work"

Incredible sense of when the beats should drop that makes ya' move~ Insane arpeggios never before imagined that sound more robotic then humanoid, with organic bass bringing it back down to earth. - Hiraether, ReverbNation


Discography

The 9th Machine, EP, release date: 10/21/2013 (Beatport exclusive)
Osculate, EP, release date: 2/12/2013
Staring at Screens, LP, release date: 8/10/2010
Synthetic Famine, Single, release date: 10/4/2009
Robot Picnic, EP, release date: 6/4/2009

Remixes:
Art Department - Robot Heart (Robot Bomb Shelter Remix) - Official remix
Release date: 1/22/2013
Return (Robot Bomb Shelter Mix) by Adonisaurus

Release date: 5/11/2011
Mojave Phone Booth (Robot Bomb Shelter Mix) by Poor Little Saturday
Release date: 10/28/2010
Get Out (Robot Bomb Shelter Mix) by ejector
Release date: 3/1/2009

Photos

Bio

Robot Bomb Shelter named one of the 2011 best electronic music artists by Toronto's examiner.com
- Dave MacIntyre, examiner.com.

Signed to:

  • Blue Pie Records (Australia)
  • Golden Age Recordings (US)
  • Friends with Benefits Records

Upcoming tours/major shows:
TBD

Recent tours/major shows:
April 2013 - Florida Music Festival, Orlando, Florida (opened for Boombox)
May 23, 2013 - Royal Phoenix, Montreal
May 2013 - One Man Band Festival, Montreal
May 24, 2013 - Midway Cafe, Boston
December 2011 - Project Nunway, Beatbox, San Francisco
September 2011 - Kansai Music Conference/Festival, Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe
August 2011 - Milk Bar, San Francisco
June 2011 - San Francisco Pride Festival
June 2011 - NXNE, Toronto
May 2011 - Chicago tour
May 2011 - UP F.A.M.A and Kahlua, Guatemala City
March 2011 - Canadian Music Fest, Toronto (opened for Kill the Noise)
September 2010 - Kansai Music Conference/Festival, Osaka, Kobe
September 2010 - Folsom Street Fair, San Francisco (opened for Nitzer Ebb)
June 2010 _ Sonar, Barcelona (chosen as an alternate)
June 2010 - Madrid Pride, Madrid
___________________________________________

'Robot Bomb Shelter is changing the dance floor experience with his innovative, fresh, and extremely infectious brand of techno.' - the Toronto Examiner

Robot Bomb Shelter will make you worship the floor you dance on. Since 2006, controllerist Jake Brower has been crafting improvised sets from disparate elements - electro, techno and industrial/EBM. His sets redefine electronic music, and his beats inspire harmony in the wilderness of the hearts of fans around the globe.

While performing live, Robot Bomb Shelter casts off the shackles of a set list, which allows this controllerist from San Francisco to shatter the crowd's expectations, and replace the preconceived notions he has just crushed with music created in the now, built from positive tensions and interpreted through the feeling that surrounds him in the room. Robot Bomb Shelter's divine mission is to constantly seek the perfect mood and to destroy the most recent past. He is fully alive and free, ever-evolving as he, his technology and his music balance on a tightrope. Each moment he creates stands on its own, and then transforms to bring everyone to their maximum level of euphoria.

Embracing his musical heritage at an early age, Robot Bomb Shelter has been honing his craft since he first experienced Front 242 in the early 80s. Rebelling against the expected through his training days in trance, and becoming unstoppable since discovering wonky techno & electro, no two Robot Bomb Shelter sets will - or can ever be - alike, keeping his fans clamoring for more.

By popular demand, Robot Bomb Shelter has issued three studio albums, steeped in the tradition of his live sets. All albums begin being written with the bass, which pumps life through the song as fluid layers and layers of kick drums, hi-hats and other rhythm elevators are added. Loyal to only the change within himself, RBS shares his music by partnering deconstruction and reconstruction techniques while recording. His releases, the EP Robot Picnic (2009), Synthetic Famine (2009) and the full-length Staring at Screens (2010) bring the timeless complexities of Robot Bomb Shelter's unique brand of controllerism to the recorded milieu. His next EP Osculate was released in February 2013 and represents a more minimal side.

Robot Bomb Shelter tears up dance floors world-wide by mastering opposites, blending the sensuality of music with the structure of technology. His choice technology - Ableton, Akai APC40, Native Instruments' Maschine and iPad - can be fully realized only if mood is at the controls. The pull of intricate bass and drum lines is answered with the push of joyous movement from the crowd. The friction built from this pure, artistic creation builds music inspired by the feeling that builds inspiration that creates more feeling and more music.

At the forefront of techno music and technology, Robot Bomb Shelter uses his nightly musical metamorphoses to bring his fans to a state of delirium. As the tattoo spirals that symbolize change on his arm denote, the proper musical tension is built from passionate disparities, and sets everyone free.

Robot Bomb Shelter releases are available on Beatport, iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, Amazon & Napster.