It’s been nearly three years since DROELOE ended their time as a duo to become Vincent Rooijers own solo project. There were never doubts concerning the future of DROELOE, only anticipation of how things would evolve. Now, the Dutch phenom is ready to spread his wings on his debut solo album The Art Of Change, out now via AEI Music.
The sound of DROELOE has always been one of exploration and ingenuity. The Art Of Change is a genre-defying and personal project that takes listeners on a journey through time and place. DROELOE uses recorded voice memos as a ‘feedback loop’ allowing his present self to engage in conversations with his past and future selves, creating a fluid sense of perspective and time. DROELOE also teamed up with acclaimed digital artist Funi to create a 360° animated world for each track on the album, adding an entirely unique visual component to the project.
Musically, The Art Of Change is DROELOE’s most expansive and innovative project to-date. Captivating melodies soar amidst orchestral-tinged electronic productions filled with horns, strings, synths, vocals, and bass. The impeccable songwriting of “Foolish Fish” sets an hopeful tone for the rest of the album. There’s a stark contrast of light vs dark on “A Current, A Void” as DROELOE combines hard-hitting elements with beautiful melodic ones. And “Terminal Velocity” finds the Dutch producer experimenting with a newfound excitement consisting of faster rhythms and creative harmonies.
We had the chance to sit down with DROELOE about his own musical and personal growth, his inspiration behind the album, his collaborative animation project, his upcoming live shows, and more. You can check out our conversation below, along with the stream of his new album. Enjoy!
DROELOE – The Art Of Change
[TSIS]: It’s been really fun to watch the DROELOE project evolve over the years. Obviously, a lot has changed from the beginning to now and that has to be reflected in your music. Now that you’re manning the project on your own, how much has the change affected you? And what has been the biggest difference for you creatively?
[DROELOE]: The change or at least the desire for change came before Me manning the project on my own. A Lot of things were already changing in the world at that time. We were in Mid COVID times finishing the Matter of Perspective album Which Gave us a new perspective on what we were and had been doing and we both felt like change was imminent. Since that change has happened I Feel like I’ve become a different artist not so much in a musical or creative way, but more so in a Holistic sense of who I am as a person and what it means to push a project like this forward. It Has been a very interesting process and also a big inspiration for my upcoming album the art of change
‘The Art Of Change’ is such a beautiful and vast musical experience. During the recording process, you used messages from young, old, and AI-generated voice actors. Can you walk us through that process and the inspiration behind it all?
The inspiration behind the messages is mainly the idea that Engaging in a continuous conversation with myself makes it easier to gain control over the direction I grow in as an individual. Looking inward, understanding my own narrative and knowing how I can make changes in that narrative are lessons that I learn when talking to myself. Self-reflection and The ability to love myself are a big part of growing, to me at least.
You also worked alongside acclaimed digital artist Funi to create a unique 360° animated world for each track on the album. What was it like working with Funi? And what was your motivation for creating something visual to accompany the album?
Working with Funi was a Blast and his approach to creating visual artwork was very refreshing. He took my conceptual input and together we turned these places into homes for the songs. The songs are inspired by ideas I want to emphasize within myself and by attaching the songs to the homes I can revisit them more easily. It’s like a memory palace. The more tangible an idea becomes, the more it will resonate with everything you do.
We’ve been hearing about your unique fan-fueled merch concept. Can you talk a little bit about that idea and how fans can participate?
I personally felt the benefits of writing in a notebook and the positive effect it had on my path of self-development. I can only wish that for everyone. that’s why I created a notebook as a merch item To potentially inspire people to find that for themselves too.
You have five unique headline shows this year. more US tour dates coming up this year. What’s new about this tour and what can we look forward to at this limited show run?
I really like experimenting with instruments, and I want to incorporate that more into my live show. It has been and still is a journey to turn this album into a show, and I can’t wait to share it to you. Thank you.
What’s the musical landscape like in the Netherlands? How has it impacted you and your music? Are there any exciting Dutch producers we should keep an eye out for?
To be completely honest, I’ve never really delved deep into the musical landscape of the Netherlands. My parents were both jazz musicians so I grew up listening to a lot of jazz and World Music. I briefly rapped in dutch when I was about 16 years old but noticed that I loved making the beats more than the rapping so I quickly grew out of that, that Is definitely when I lost track of the Dutch musical landscape. The only other impact I can think of was the early times of DJ Tiesto, which I listened to while sitting in the backseat of my dad’s car when I was eight.