DJ OF THE WEEK 4.25.11: ROB FLOW

New York is such a big city, with so many talented DJs to be found in even the most inconspicuous hole in the wall, that it is easy to take them for granted. Pick a nite, any nite, go out to that party you heard about from your friends, or picked at random from your wall stream and chances are you’ll dance your ass off and get your mind blown. One of the DJs that does just that to unsuspecting party people in this beloved city, is DJ Rob Flow.

Born in San Francisco, Rob Flow caught the DJ bug at an early age. Maybe it had to do with the musical foundation laid down by his family; his father played guitar, upright bass, and other stringed instruments, and so did his sister, who is also a singer/songwriter. Maybe it was the Hip Hop beats coming in over the airwaves, whatever it was, by 13 he was mastering his own instrument, the turntable.

Fast forward a few years and Rob, going by the name Robski, is making a name for himself as a mixtape king. One of these mixtapes caught the attention of Del the Funkee Homosapien which led to Rob being invited to become his DJ. This in turn took Rob on his first national tour. He later served as the opening DJ on the 98’ German tour of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz and the X-ecutioners. The young upstart was now a bonafide DJ.

Once the new millennium arrived, Rob, now going by his new moniker, Rob Flow, was living in New York, and spinning in a little hole in the wall in New York’s Lower East Side. Flow put the musicality in his blood and all the experience he had gained on the road to the work for the benefit of New York nitelife and its revelers. Spinning a mix of classic Hip Hop, feel good R&B and Disco joints, House, Rock, and all the good music you didn’t know you had been missing, Flow makes his small hole in the wall feel like the biggest party in the city. It didn’t take long before the towns party people took notice and he was voted “Best NYC DJ lounge of 2001” by Citysearch.

Aside from a few productions he has done over the years, something that he is increasingly doing more of; Flow can be found spinning twice weekly at his new residency at Sutra, another small, yet not so inconspicuous venue, also located in downtown New York. Whether you are a native who hasn’t realized just how lucky you are, or you’re from out of town, never mind what your friends or your status updates say, and make sure you go catch Rob Flow behind the decks and experience what really keeps New York up all nite.