Mastermind of The Bloody Beetroots, Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo (that name will never stop being hilarious), is bringing his latest album, HIDE, out of the woodwork and into sweating clubs and dance parties around the globe. With an infectious determination, Rifo has created a whole new tapestry of Italian dance/punk earworms that will be brought to life onstage by The Bloody Beetroots v.4.0. The live arrangement has been fleshed out once again into a three-piece (as debuted in Australia in January), essential for bringing to life the collaborative influences on the album. Somehow, the madman Rifo enlisted rock royalty in the form of Sir Paul McCartney, Tommy Lee, Theophilus London and Peter Frampton to help out on HIDE. Yep, no-one else can really believe it either, but it’s all true. Rifo took a few moments to speak with the BRAG ahead of this week’s release date.

What are you up to at the moment?

I am about leave the hotel and go to the video shoot of my new single ‘All The Girls (Around The World)’ featuring Theophilus London in Los Angeles.

Collaborating with Paul McCartney – is it as amazing as we’d all expect it to be?

Working with Paul McCartney really was a dream come true, after all it is Paul McCartney. He is such an iconic figure.

How did that collaboration come together?

I was in the studio with Youth and he basically helped make it happen. He asked me who I would like to collaborate with on my new album and I told him Sir Paul McCartney – he actually had an old song from Paul, one thing led to another and ‘Out Of Sight’ was created not long after.

What is influencing your latest releases? Is it an energy, an emotion, a response to the past successes of The Bloody Beetroots or something more personal?

My influences come from a very wide palette. I love music and I never even think to classify it. Classical, contemporary, electronic and punk are all part of my musical spectrum. I’ve been inspired [by] everything from The Clash and Massive Attack to Bach. There are no boundaries.

The Bloody Beetroots Live that you brought out here in January – is that lineup still going strong and doing more shows?

Absolutely. The whole ‘Live’ show is brand new and always evolving. The structure of the show hasn’t changed that much but the energy has. It’s going to be ‘Live 2.0’.

Tell me a bit about the social media platform you’ve begun and why you felt it was needed? What holes does it fill?

The Real Church Of Noise is an evolving framework, created by myself, where activists can share and [create] content with each other in complete autonomy. In fact, I actually worked with the team behind Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters platform. It’s an open door into The Bloody Beetroots universe.

What are your plans for the rest of the year as far as touring is concerned?

Touring. Touring. Touring. [There are] more shows being added all the time.

The Bloody Beetroots play Stereosonic 2013 with David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Armin van Buuren, Boys Noize, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell and more at Sydney Showground on Saturday November 30 and Sunday December 1.HIDEis out Friday September 20 through Hussle Recordings/Ministry Of Sound Australia.

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