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Photo by Cayce Clay

07/30/2020

I Drank a Beer With Bob Remis

By AUSTIN SCRIVNER //  Watch Portland-based DJ, Producer and artists perform a live DJ set on What’s Next PDX Twitch TV on Friday, July 31st from 5-7pm

Sharing a cold brew on a hot day in a local Portland neighborhood park, DJ and producer, Rob Bemis (aka Bob Remis) sat down with me to talk about his past, his upcoming music and virtual shows.

Before getting into the house music scene, Bemis started out as a sponsored skater for Nike SB, Fourstar (flow), Zoo York and Cal's Pharmacy. From his late teens into his early twenties, he traveled throughout the United States to competitions like Tampa AM in Florida where he placed in the top 50 out of 150 skaters. As a child, Bemis moved from his hometown of Redmond, Oregon to California and then on to Arizona, before returning back to his home state and landing in Portland.

Once Bemis moved out of his skating career, he was looking for something to replace that adrenaline rush. He found it in House Music. Starting out with note sheets and a guitar, the budding producer began creating his own Tech House-oriented tracks. He began DJ’ing shows around Portland and integrating himself in the local House Music community by bumping his favorite Tech House. “House Music is all about the people and culture,” he stated. “As a DJ, you can be a part of someone’s night and make someone dance. Getting the opportunity to share your own sounds with people and set the groove is the best feeling ever.”

As Bemis’ music career took off, he changed his DJ/Producer name to his own spoonerism, ‘Bob Remis’.

With a new moniker and growing Portland fan Base, music labels and house music communities around the world have started taking notice. In a Facebook music group for Golf Clap’s label Country Club Disco, Bemis shared two tracks and grabbed the attention of Down Right Dirty Records’ owners. Bob Remis joined the record label and released his own EP, Like We Do, earlier this year in March. The day after it released, “Like We Do” featured at #44 on Beatport’s ‘Tech House Top 100 and rose to #25 in less than a week.

Watch “Like We Do” by Bob Remis


Not long after his Beatport success, Bemis was set to feature a new song on a compilation with Italian DJ/Producer Frame, which will be released on Down Right Dirty Records this August. . Frame and Bob Remis also have a compilation coming out that will feature an original song and remix by each artist on KLEXOS Records. Bemis has a few other releases planned this year, including an original song called "Let's Rave, Let's Dance" on KLEXOS’ sub-label T-Tracks. “I’m stoked to be able to work with producers from different countries so I can hear new sounds and styles and be heard by other house music communities,” he said. Another new track, "Come On," will be released this August on the Late Night Munchies label, which includes remixes from Doctor Boom, Bossy ING and Rodrigo Veiga.

Like many other artists out there, Bob Remis is feeling the effects of the COVID pandemic on local music communities. With shows being cancelled, venues closed and social distancing in effect, Remis and artists like him are showing communities that COVID can’t stop the spread of house music culture. As the popularity of live streams continue to rise, music fans of all genres can still dance their booties off while tuning in to their favorite local artists.

Watch Bob Remis perform unreleased originals, remixes and other tunes in a live stream DJ set this July 31st, 5-7pm on WhatsNextPDX’s  Twitch.com account.

And be sure to check out more of Bob Remis on Soundcloud.

*Editor's note: Updated to correct release information.

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