ROW LOW
BACK FROM THE FUTURE
text Jorge Perezchica
photography Tom Fowler
Born in Vienna, Austria, raised in Southern California from the age of four, Rowland ‘RowLow’ Akinduro has arrived from the future. He’s half Austrian, half African, 6’ 3”, and “31 going on 22,” as he likes to put it. On his website bio he is described as, “an inter-dimensional being.” He grew up in Yucca Valley, but confesses,“There are things here that are so unique and under-appreciated because, if you grew up in Yucca Valley, there isn’t much to do. So, you are forced to focus on your craft.”
Calling himself “a galactic activation portal that is here to universalize special forms of art and music along with helping to raise the frequency of earth into a positive state,” RowLow inhabits many titles, including: “lyrical visionary, music producer, MC, actor, researcher, philosopher, teacher, locksmith, and genius.” A self-proclaimed “innovative, progressive thinker, and a born entrepreneur that is here to bring the ideas of the future into the present,” he has a different way of looking at our beloved planet Earth. “The way I see things, everything goes around frequencies,” he explains. “Higher vibrations will result in more positive thoughts — we’re here to learn positive thought.”
Music has always been a part of the RowLow life since he was young, and he calls his personal form of music “inter-dimensional music, super-concious music.” “My mom always enjoyed playing music around the house.” He admits, naming Korn, 2Pac, UTIOG, Marilyn Manson, and HIM as some of his many inspirations. Arguably, these are some otherworldly artists as well. Perhaps they, along with RowLow, all come from the same dimension?
RowLow hopes his music will have a global impact, influencing other parts of the world, and what he aspires to achieve through music is “knowing that I made a positive impact, positive feedback.” Like most artists, RowLow has his own creative process, and says it’s all about “balancing the creative process with the mundane necessities of everyday life.” His eccentric life has recently become more like our own, with fatherhood beckoning him down to Earth. “It makes me focus,” he says about being a father, and pays the bills by operating a locksmith company in-between acting gigs. Still, he confesses to being his worst critic, despite being “ahead of the time and ahead of the curve.”
RowLow’s music is his biggest passion, and he strives to become an influence on today’s music. “The better [you are], the more that you’re able to express what’s on your mind, the better the music will get,” he says. “Bring ideas from the future to the present.” Aside from his solo career, he makes time to jive creatively with his crew, AMFM (Animals Made For Music). It’s important to him to have like-minded creatives. He feels that “seventy-five percent of music today is electronic, because people like perfection.”
Major projects RowLow is excited about right now are collaborations with U.K. producer GadManDubs, Texas producer Sleazee, upcoming performances with AMFM in partnership with Culturas Music+Arts at Synergy Festival on November 14th in Coachella, and upcoming East Valley performance sponsored by Crisálida. He hopes these outlets will give him an opportunity to perform and share his music with not only this Valley, but the world.
Looking ahead in his career, RowLow hopes to expand his creativity and move towards writing and directing movies. And when the time comes for him to leave this dimension for the next, he hopes he will be remembered as “someone that liberated a generation.”
WEBSITE: IROWLOW.COM
MUSIC: SOUNDCLOUD.COM/ROWLOW
TWITTER: @IROWLOW