Bolier

Amersfoort, Netherlands

Hydra EP

DowntempoElectronic

Behind the Music

One thing that both instantly moved and intrigued me in The Outlaw Ocean was the story and footage behind those Cambodian boys who are basically modern slaves. Now, I am not naive, and I know slavery is still around today, but seeing the footage of these boys laboring at sea and the very “traditional” rhythmic cadence of their work and drill singing was something that instantly made me want to come on board the project and tell their stories. So, in the track where I use the audio of these Cambodian boys as they work, I want to express with my music the cadence and monotony they experience, while at the same time keeping the music itself exciting. My music in “Hydra” will express a variety of emotions. For example, the track “Shore” will focus on the beauty found in the ocean’s marine life and shores—both things that need to be preserved. “Submarine” is similar and mimics the sounds of marine life, including whales. In songs that have spoken word, I use the audio I have crafted to catalyze the spoken word so they are more impactful, just like what I would do in an typical EDM track.

Bolier
About Bolier

Bolier has been making waves on the international electronic music scene for the past several years. “Sunshine,” his 2014 collaboration with Dutch duo, Redondo, saw him morph his sound into the more organic, pop influenced deep house that has become his signature. Further Redondo collaborations, “Every Single Piece” featuring U.S. indie band She Keeps Bees, and “Lost & Found” featuring Bitter's Kiss, have seen him continue his rise to fame. “Forever And A Day,” featuring singer Natalie Peris, also helped propel Bolier’s career forward.

Following this, Bolier surprised everyone in 2016 with an official collaboration with the late reggae icon, Bob Marley and The Wailers, reworking Marley’s, “Is This Love” together with producer and DJ, LVNDSCAPE. Supported by the Marley family and released through Tuff Gong records, the track got picked up worldwide, now garnering over 100 million Spotify streams.

In 2017, Bolier dropped the popular deep house tune, “Imagine.” Recently, he presented the successful collab single with Joe Stone, titled, “Keep This Fire Burning.” Meanwhile, Bolier undertook a sweet summer tour, which included venues and festivals such as, Tomorrowland, Mysteryland, Ministry of Sound, and shows in the Middle-East. He also supported Martin Garrix at his Ushuaïa residency.

The release of, “Follow Me” featuring NBLM, marks the launch of his own label, FRCST, a platform for Bolier to showcase his music as well as other artists he believes deserve the spotlight.

Winner of the 2021 Scripps Howard Award for Excellence in Innovation in Journalism

The Journalism behind the Music

All music in this project is based on The Outlaw Ocean, a New York Times Best-Selling book by Ian Urbina that chronicles lawlessness at sea around the world. This reporting touches on a diversity of abuses ranging from illegal and overfishing, arms trafficking at sea, human slavery, gun running, intentional dumping, murder of stowaways, thievery of ships and other topics.

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