We had the good fortune of connecting with DJ Rob Flow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi DJ Rob, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?

Hi! Great to talk to you. Thank you for reaching out! Well, I was born in San Francisco and grew up in Daly City, CA, the town that borders SF to the south. I started DJing in 1983 when I was in middle school. At that time there was a massive mobile DJ’ing movement that was happening in the 80’s made up of mostly Filipino mobile DJ groups. Of course there were other kids of other backgrounds as well, Black, Latino, White, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and more, but it was mostly Filipino, and spread to other neighborhoods throughout the Bay. The movement was chronicled in Oliver Wang’s book, Legion Of Boom (Duke University Press).

Some of the DJs that came outta there were: DJ Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike (Beastie Boys), Shortkut, DJ Apollo, D-Styles and many others. Straight heat! So that was super inspirational!

There were multiple DJ showcases and battles every week and my friends and I would go to as many events as we could. The whole scene was super poppin! Everybody I knew was in a DJ group so my friends and I naturally started one and I learned fast. The movement was at its peak when I was in high school.

I would say that experience during middle school and high school combined with watching my father and sister play guitar, sing, perform and the popular music that was out before I was 10 (the 1970’s) impacted me deeply.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Well, I got a lot of records in my head.

I’m 54 years old and have been doing this for the past 40 years. That is crazy. I started DJing in 1983, at 14 and grew up in the middle of that great era.. DJ’s were always performing and Hip Hop reached my neighborhood for the first time then as well. Insane. Culture everywhere burgeoning and proliferating before my eyes when I was a teenager.

In the early 90’s Hieroglyphics blew up. I ended up passing Del The Funky Homosapien a mixtape at a club on Broadway in SF, soon after he asked me to be his DJ and I worked with Hiero for the next couple of years, toured Germany with the Invisibl Skratch Piklz & The X-Ecutioners, and produced for some amazing local MC’s during that time. The 90’s baby. Then moved to NYC at the end of 1997 and DJ’ed there for 19 years, too many stories here, but for 7 of those years I was the resident DJ at legendary Hip Hop spot, Sutra in the Lower East Side, owned by Ariel Palitz, who is now the Senior Executive Director of New York City Nightlife in the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment. I LOVE NYC! And living there for 19 years makes me a New Yorker too! Yeah, I said it!

I always had a vision to produce music that has the same energy that I would create when DJing a room. During the pandemic, I studied music theory. Now, with deeper understanding, I notice all the records I’ve listened to and played out, having an influence on what we are doing in the studio or when I’m behind the turntables.

Was it easy? Is anything you truly want to master easy? I don’t know. I just take it one moment at a time, execute ideas and not bother to think too much if it’s easy or not. Just figuring out what I feel needs to be done, do it, and see if its good or not.

I overcame challenges because nothing was going to stop me from doing what I wanted to do. It was really a do or die situation for me after I moved to NYC from California and that motivation stayed with me.

All killer, no filler every time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, hit Takato in the Conrad Hotel on a Thursday night and have an amazing Japanese/Korean dinner across the street from the beach and enjoy me playing vinyl pieces of history, then walk across the street and cross the short beach to the water, (I like short walks on the beach) and check the moonlight reflecting off the ocean and if you’re lucky maybe it’ll be a blood moon, it’s surreal. After that, hit Big City Tavern and say what’s up to the homies, Rachel, Isaac & Alex behind the bar and put a couple in the air. Then after that hit Sparrow at the top of the Del Mar Hotel for an amazing cocktail nightcap, maybe there’s a DJ there too.

Friday night go to South Beach and have dinner at Blue Ribbon Sushi in the Plymouth Hotel and order The Fried Chicken. Yeah, I capitalized those words on purpose. They also have some of the best sushi in Miami and if my best friend was a vegetarian, that’s great too in any places I choose. We could listen to their banging playlist either at the bar, in the dining room or on the patio by the pool. After dinner, walk around the corner to Sweet Liberty and get an Old Fashioned from some of the best bartenders in Miami, dance to the dope DJ’s they always have there, and maybe slide thru 17 at Broken Shaker afterwards since we are right there.

Saturday, if my best friend was coming the 3rd weekend in February, we would hit the Miami Boat Show and party on some boats, I know a guy. Then after go for Cuban food and check some amazing live Cuban music and my man DJ Funktual playing all 80’s at Café La Trova on Calle Ocho. I been loving 80’s synth pop joints lately, and you already know I’m not the only one!

Sunday we sleeping in and going to a little shop called My Mama’s Books and Records in Dania and have a salad, avocado toast and espresso, cuz it’s probably a good idea. We can enjoy some live music and since I’m with my best friend, they won’t get mad while I dig through the records there for a few hours. After that we can check Day Club on Ft. Lauderdale beach and see if DJ Mike Locke is playing. Early evening we would go to the dope speakeasy style bar, No Man’s Land in Ft. Lauderdale, grab some dinner and cocktails and listen to me playing more historical vinyl pieces from 8:30 – 10:30pm. Then go to sleep early cuz tomorrow we are going on a road trip.

Monday morning hit the road and drive 3 hours to the cute town of Sarasota on the west coast of Florida and visit my good friend Jesse aka “Vegas Cadillac”, the bar manager at Patrick’s on Main Street and pop into about 7 other spots on strip with him cuz he knows everybody. Then we would go to Salty Dog Records and since I’m with my best friend, they won’t get mad if I spend a few hours digging through some records and sending them for coffee. Then head to Siesta Key Beach and watch the sunset while our feet are in white sand that looks and feels like SUGAR, it’s crazy, and stay the night at the Aloft Hotel in downtown Sarasota.

Wake up on Tuesday, do it all again, leave Sarasota around 6pm and drive straight to the Corner Bar in downtown Miami, check my man Alé behind the bar AND the turntables, (he’s also sick upcoming DJ under my tutelage), and listen to some dope live Jazz and DJ’s playing Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop & Brazilian vinyl. Afterword, head to 1800-Lucky in Wynwood to check my man Jarobi White of A Tribe Called Quest, DJ with the talented DJ Tillery James. Maybe there will be a guest DJ. Maybe it will be Diamond D? Maybe it will be Breakbeat Lou? Maybe it will be Nick Bike? Maybe Dave Chappelle will pop up, who knows??

Wednesday we keep it low key and local and hit Twitch to say what’s up to my homie Kiera behind the bar and have a beer, play video games and talk about the adventurous week.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Big shoutout & dedications to my man Paul and the staff at Takato, in the Conrad Hotel, Jonathon James and the staff at No Man’s Land, DJ Gravy & staff at Dante’s Hi-Fi, Ariel Palitz, DJ Q-Bert, Echoslim, DJ Funktual, Peppaboxx, Maite, Rachel, Barry Heyman, DJ Min One, Mark B, End Of The Weak family (RIP VICE VERSES BIG DEDICATION) & K. Gaines.

Big Shout to my favorite DJ’s: DJ Scratch, DJ Spinna, Tony Touch, Scram Jones, Roc Raida (RIP), Lord Sear & Cosmo Baker for always keeping me inspired and teaching me a thing or two. Really, all DJ’s in general for that same reason.

Last but not least, shout to my wife, who’s a dope DJ herself, and my kids.

Website: robflow.bandcamp.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djrobflow/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-flow-lualhati-0a41b06

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DJRobFlow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djrobflow

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@robflow/videos

Other: djrobflowmusic.com

Image Credits
Lin Grossman, Kerri Cooley

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