It really seems like the focus of the dance music industry is always on the Netherlands. However, it is very important to remember the contributions that have come from Sweden. The homeland of names like Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello, Avicii and more, Sweden is also producing young talent that is growing at a meteoric pace. An example of this is Rob & Jack, a Stockholm-based duo that appears to be doing all of the right things to make a name for themselves in the industry. Those names in the second sentence are important, as they have all supported Rob & Jack music since their debut last year.  We caught up with the duo to discuss the influence of other Swedish stars, the hardest part of being a musician, and their favorite moment in their career so far. Enjoy!

How did you two meet, and get into producing music together?

We met about six years ago through mutual friends outside a deadmau5 concert in Stockholm, we were all too young to get in, but just standing outside to maybe get a glimpse of the Mau5 was cool as well, haha.

Robert had brought some Polish vodka to the “party,” and asked if I wanted some, and we started talking music and realized we had the same dreams and goals in music, a couple of days later we were in the studio together, hehe.

How would you describe your sound to those who may not be familiar with it?

I think we try to make music you want to dance to, not jump, you know? Like, the most important thing for us while making a track is that it makes you want to move your feet. When we start a new track, we almost always start with the drop trying to build a sexy rhythm, and usually if it’s good, without thinking about it, we get up from our chairs, walk around the room listening, nodding our heads like, “Yeah, this is good, this is good…” so, that’s a good sign, haha. But to be more clear about what kind of music we make, we try to make groovy house music that makes you want to move, and if it makes us move in the studio, then we know it’s good.

Your debut release, “Sabale,” received an edit from Tom Staar. How did his early support impact your future?

The release with Tom was super great! It really kickstarted our career and made us realize that this is the kind of music we want to do. Before that release, we made a lot of progressive/melodic stuff, but I think it’s harder to stick out from the crowd with a melodic progressive track than to do a banging sexy track, you know? So yeah, the track got great support, and it was amazing for us to see our track actually climb the Beatport charts, which we had dreamt of for so long. And Tom is a great guy, think this scene needs more guys like him and Kryder, supporting young upcoming producer,s letting them get these great opportunities to share their music and to do gigs etc. It’s cool when someone believes in your stuff from the beginning, even if you’re a “nobody”.

Your track “Badgal” has been supported at just about every big festival and by every big name, does the success of that record inspire you guys in the studio?

Yeah it really does, it makes you want to work even harder and to push things even further. Reading all the reviews and fans loving the record makes you so psyched to go in the studio and make another banger! I

It’s cool to see, the track being played at huge arenas and festivals, while knowing we made the track and recorded the vocals with Sanjin in a small shitty studio/basement in Stockholm last year, haha.

Last week, you released “Freak” together with Corey James. How did this collaboration come together, and how do your differences in the studio make each other better?

Yeah, “Freak” was a really fun track! It started off by Corey writing to us saying he loved our stuff and would love to do something together, so we said “yeah for sure man!”, sent him like 10 ideas we worked on at the moment, but he didn’t vibe off of anything really so we were like “yeah, well, then maybe you should send us something instead,” haha. So, he sent us this really groovy loop, like 10 seconds, just drums and a sub bass. He had heard another track we’d made which has a dark vocal on the drop and asked us if we could do something similar. So, we just wrote something sexy, recorded the vocals, sent the track back and forth a couple of times and then it was finished! Think it took like four days, haha, a little bizarre that discussing vibes and ideas took longer than to produce the actual track, hehe.

Corey is really quick in the studio, which we love as well. If something takes to long you often lose the vibe you had around the track from the beginning, so that was awesome for us to work with someone who had the same tempo in working as we have. We’re currently discussing a follow up to “Freak,” but like we said, discussing the ideas takes time 😉

What would you say is the most difficult part about being a professional musician? Is it tough to balance the hectic responsibilities of producing tracks and performing at shows?

I think the hardest part right now for us is, since we can’t really afford to sit in the studio everyday making music yet, we have to do other shitty stuff, like part-time jobs and studying, just to pay rent or like, making your mom proud. And that sucks so much. It’s so frustrating to be somewhere you don’t want to be, but you have to, and all you want to do is to be in the studio. And that also makes it harder to find time to balance everything with your girlfriend, family, friends, work and studio. You can look like a superstar DJ/producer on social media, and yeah, of course, things are moving really fast for us right now, and things are going really great! But, Monday morning on the bus on my way to work, I’m just a normal guy like everybody else. But that’s also what we love about it, sitting on the metro, morning traffic, loads of people, and nobody knows that your track was played by your childhood heroes last night in front of 30,000 people. But you know, the day we can quit our jobs and do music seven days a week, we’ll be the happiest guys on earth.

What has been your favorite moment in your musical career so far?

Such a hard question, so much has happened in, like, six months and things have been moving really fast, but when DJs you’ve been following since you were a kid play your music in front of so many people, or on BBC Radio 1, that’s an amazing feeling. Miami was also absolutely sick for us. It was our first time at WMC so we were really excited, and to play Miami during the Miami Music Week was really a dream come true. I remember we used to watch videos from pool parties, dreaming of how it would be to play there one day, and suddenly we had our first gig there; a huge milestone for us. We’ll be back next year for sure!

If you could give one piece of advice to a past Rob & Jack, what would it be and why?

Don’t worry so much, everything takes time. I think for a couple of years, we worked really hard and nothing happened, and I think we started to question ourselves and our music. But, I think things just take time, and if you work hard, you’re gonna get there. If you never quit, you never fail.

Having been born in Sweden, is it extra special to see your tracks supported by arguably the country’s biggest talents in Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Avicii and Steve Angello?

Of course! Like I mentioned earlier, these guys are our childhood heroes. We’ve been watching every YouTube clip and interview with them that exists, haha. We’ve been following them for so long, and when one day they play your music, and like what you’re doing, that’s a dream come true. And, since these guys are Swedes, they give young producers like us hope and makes us think, “If they can do it, so can we”.

What is in store for Rob & Jack this summer?

We go on holiday in about 2 weeks (FINALLY! haha), so we’re currently planning all our shows for the summer; some of them in Sweden, actually. We’re also planning to go to Ibiza to support some friends playing there, so it’ll be our first time on the island as well, so we’re really excited for that. Regarding tracks, we have a couple of originals and remixes coming out that we can’t wait to show everybody! Of course, looooooads of studio time to finish up tracks and collaborations we’re working on. Yeah, summer is gonna be great! In Sweden, it’s darkness for nine months, so some sunshine will be nice as well, haha.

Top 5 Tracks:

1. Corey James vs. Rob & Jack – Freak
2. Rob & Jack feat. Paul Aiden – Pressure
3. Sanjin – Nah Tell Dem
4. Kryder – Crocodile Tears
5. Salvatore feat. Enya & Alex Aris – Dive

Rob & Jack are clearly off to a fantastic start to their career, and have a very bright future. Keep an eye out for more groovy tracks from them very soon!

About Thursday Thoughts:

At Dance Rebels, we strive to bring our readers as close to their favorite artists as possible. One of the best ways to make that connection is to discuss a wide range of topics with the biggest names in the dance music scene. If there is an artist that you think we need to talk to, reach out to us on Facebook or Twitter!