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Tobias Belker, the mind behind BELKER, grew up in the Ruhr area, amidst forests and fields, enjoying plenty of freedom. At the young age of 8, Tobias discovered the drums for the first time in the basement of his slightly older next-door neighbor and was completely flashed. He realized at once: cool grooves make his heart beat faster.
Hearing Blondie’s Heart of Glass on the radio, Tobias immediately fell in love with Debbie Harry’s dazzling voice, and thought to himself: ‘this is it, music is my life’. He went out to the record store and sang the melody to the salesman, since he knew neither the name of the band nor the song title. He was terribly excited to then hold the first record he owned. A little later, as if arriving from a distant galaxy, David Bowie’s music made a huge impact on him, awakening strong emotions and deep feelings; losing himself in the tragic beauty of the song Space Oddity.
This was the beginning of Tobias’ musical journey. His first very own drum-kit was not just an instrument, but became his cockpit, traveling through the universe of music, bringing home precious treasures, among them 70s Funk& Soul with its tenacious, captivating basslines, and 80s Electro-Pop with its red-hot, edgy synth sounds. All of this in the mix became the fuel firing up the desire to create something himself. He began experimenting with a 4-track recorder, drums, the guitar, the piano, and his voice – leading to ideas for his first song and then to start various bands during his teenage years.
After visiting the concert with the original James Brown Horn Section and Melvin Parker on drums, he remained seated, overwhelmed, in the concert hallway after the gig was over, realizing that he wanted to dive in deeper, to penetrate the core, to experience the true magic of music.Tobias dedicated his time studying percussion in the Netherlands. However, due to stiff musical conventions, he decided to devote himself even more to his beloved Trip-Hop and Breakbeats, with his fascination lying in transferring rhythms, mostly created with samples and drum-machines, to the acoustic drum-kit.
He was fascinated, not with mainstream but with creative niches – everything that was boiling down in the Bristol Underground in the mid-90s.On completing his drum and percussion studies, Tobias met with the multi-cultural collective – N.O.H.A., and has toured with them internationally for eleven years, underlaying driving Balkan brass with drum’n’bass grooves, mixing Bulgarian folklore with jungle-beats, as well as contributing actively as producer and songwriter. Some of the highlights during this time were the gigs played at Electronic Beats in Prague, where they, along with The Prodigy, turned the hall into a pot of burning beats – https://www.electronicbeats.net/video/n-o-h-a-singla-man-prague-2010/ – Their hit Tu Café helped to boost the band’s popularity. As well as working with N.O.H.A., Tobias is involved in numerous other projects including those with the Queen of Neoswing, Alice Francis, and audio-branding. After working with N.O.H.A., it was time for something of his own, and Project Belker was brought to life in 2017. He expanded his skills as producer and songwriter, giving his 12-string guitar and his own voice a stage, making way for his love of music with a scattering of melancholic elements.
Furthermore, we saw a few rare analog synthesizers making their way into his sound-lab, with BELKER combining acoustic and electronic elements in his unique style, indulging somewhere between dreamy romanticism and raw beats. BELKER is open to collaborations. Along with guest musicians, such as the soul and pop singer Tsega Tebege (Falling 2017) who has already toured with Damon Albarn. Eckbert Human has been on board since 2020, helping to steer this project as producer, musician, and visionary. Eckbert is known for his drum skills – playing in the unique techno acoustic band T.E.V.O. in the 90s, sending the crowds into ecstasy with his merciless bass drum work, not using any sophisticated electronics.
In spite of the stylistic diversity, there is no doubt in recognizing BELKER’s unmistakable sound.
Tobias Belker, the mind behind BELKER, grew up in the Ruhr area, amidst forests and fields, enjoying plenty of freedom. At the young age of 8, Tobias discovered the drums for the first time in the basement of his slightly older next-door neighbor and was completely flashed. He realized at once: cool grooves make his heart beat faster. Hearing Blondie’s Heart of Glass on the radio, Tobias immediately fell in love with Debbie Harry’s dazzling voice, and thought to himself: ‘this is it, music is my life’. He went out to the record store and sang the melody to the salesman, since he knew neither the name of the band nor the song title. He was terribly excited to then hold the first record he owned. A little later, as if arriving from a distant galaxy, David Bowie’s music made a huge impact on him, awakening strong emotions and deep feelings; losing himself in the tragic beauty of the song Space Oddity...
…this was the beginning of Tobias’ musical journey. His first very own drum-kit was not just an instrument, but became his cockpit, traveling through the universe of music, bringing home precious treasures, among them 70s Funk& Soul with its tenacious, captivating basslines, and 80s Electro-Pop with its red-hot, edgy synth sounds. All of this in the mix became the fuel firing up the desire to create something himself. He began experimenting with a 4-track recorder, drums, the guitar, the piano, and his voice – leading to ideas for his first song and then to start various bands during his teenage years.
After visiting the concert with the original James Brown Horn Section and Melvin Parker on drums, he remained seated, overwhelmed, in the concert hallway after the gig was over, realizing that he wanted to dive in deeper, to penetrate the core, to experience the true magic of music.Tobias dedicated his time studying percussion in the Netherlands. However, due to stiff musical conventions, he decided to devote himself even more to his beloved Trip-Hop and Breakbeats, with his fascination lying in transferring rhythms, mostly created with samples and drum-machines, to the acoustic drum-kit.
He was fascinated, not with mainstream but with creative niches – everything that was boiling down in the Bristol Underground in the mid-90s.On completing his drum and percussion studies, Tobias met with the multi-cultural collective – N.O.H.A., and has toured with them internationally for eleven years, underlaying driving Balkan brass with drum’n’bass grooves, mixing Bulgarian folklore with jungle-beats, as well as contributing actively as producer and songwriter. Some of the highlights during this time were the gigs played at Electronic Beats in Prague, where they, along with The Prodigy, turned the hall into a pot of burning beats – https://www.electronicbeats.net/video/n-o-h-a-singla-man-prague-2010/ – Their hit Tu Café helped to boost the band’s popularity. As well as working with N.O.H.A., Tobias is involved in numerous other projects including those with the Queen of Neoswing, Alice Francis, and audio-branding. After working with N.O.H.A., it was time for something of his own, and Project Belker was brought to life in 2017. He expanded his skills as producer and songwriter, giving his 12-string guitar and his own voice a stage, making way for his love of music with a scattering of melancholic elements.
Furthermore, we saw a few rare analog synthesizers making their way into his sound-lab, with BELKER combining acoustic and electronic elements in his unique style, indulging somewhere between dreamy romanticism and raw beats. BELKER is open to collaborations. Along with guest musicians, such as the soul and pop singer Tsega Tebege (Falling 2017) who has already toured with Damon Albarn. Eckbert Human has been on board since 2020, helping to steer this project as producer, musician, and visionary. Eckbert is known for his drum skills – playing in the unique techno acoustic band T.E.V.O. in the 90s, sending the crowds into ecstasy with his merciless bass drum work, not using any sophisticated electronics.
In spite of the stylistic diversity, there is no doubt in recognizing BELKER’s unmistakable sound.
Tobias Belker, the mind behind BELKER, grew up in the Ruhr area, amidst forests and fields, enjoying plenty of freedom. At the young age of 8, Tobias discovered the drums for the first time in the basement of his slightly older next-door neighbor and was completely flashed. He realized at once: cool grooves make his heart beat faster.
Hearing Blondie’s Heart of Glass on the radio, Tobias immediately fell in love with Debbie Harry’s dazzling voice, and thought to himself: ‘this is it, music is my life’. He went out to the record store and sang the melody to the salesman, since he knew neither the name of the band nor the song title. He was terribly excited to then hold the first record he owned. A little later, as if arriving from a distant galaxy, David Bowie’s music made a huge impact on him, awakening strong emotions and deep feelings; losing himself in the tragic beauty of the song Space Oddity.
This was the beginning of Tobias’ musical journey. His first very own drum-kit was not just an instrument, but became his cockpit, traveling through the universe of music, bringing home precious treasures, among them 70s Funk& Soul with its tenacious, captivating basslines, and 80s Electro-Pop with its red-hot, edgy synth sounds. All of this in the mix became the fuel firing up the desire to create something himself. He began experimenting with a 4-track recorder, drums, the guitar, the piano, and his voice – leading to ideas for his first song and then to start various bands during his teenage years.
After visiting the concert with the original James Brown Horn Section and Melvin Parker on drums, he remained seated, overwhelmed, in the concert hallway after the gig was over, realizing that he wanted to dive in deeper, to penetrate the core, to experience the true magic of music.Tobias dedicated his time studying percussion in the Netherlands. However, due to stiff musical conventions, he decided to devote himself even more to his beloved Trip-Hop and Breakbeats, with his fascination lying in transferring rhythms, mostly created with samples and drum-machines, to the acoustic drum-kit.
He was fascinated, not with mainstream but with creative niches – everything that was boiling down in the Bristol Underground in the mid-90s.On completing his drum and percussion studies, Tobias met with the multi-cultural collective – N.O.H.A., and has toured with them internationally for eleven years, underlaying driving Balkan brass with drum’n’bass grooves, mixing Bulgarian folklore with jungle-beats, as well as contributing actively as producer and songwriter. Some of the highlights during this time were the gigs played at Electronic Beats in Prague, where they, along with The Prodigy, turned the hall into a pot of burning beats – https://www.electronicbeats.net/video/n-o-h-a-singla-man-prague-2010/ – Their hit Tu Café helped to boost the band’s popularity. As well as working with N.O.H.A., Tobias is involved in numerous other projects including those with the Queen of Neoswing, Alice Francis, and audio-branding. After working with N.O.H.A., it was time for something of his own, and Project Belker was brought to life in 2017. He expanded his skills as producer and songwriter, giving his 12-string guitar and his own voice a stage, making way for his love of music with a scattering of melancholic elements.
Furthermore, we saw a few rare analog synthesizers making their way into his sound-lab, with BELKER combining acoustic and electronic elements in his unique style, indulging somewhere between dreamy romanticism and raw beats. BELKER is open to collaborations. Along with guest musicians, such as the soul and pop singer Tsega Tebege (Falling 2017) who has already toured with Damon Albarn. Eckbert Human has been on board since 2020, helping to steer this project as producer, musician, and visionary. Eckbert is known for his drum skills – playing in the unique techno acoustic band T.E.V.O. in the 90s, sending the crowds into ecstasy with his merciless bass drum work, not using any sophisticated electronics.
In spite of the stylistic diversity, there is no doubt in recognizing BELKER’s unmistakable sound.