Andreas loved music, all kinds of music, and surrounded himself with it. From guitar to trumpet to synthesizer, dj’ing and singing, his music studies were solid and his journey rich. He was composing electronic music before he went out and acquired the formal tools he wanted to do it better.
You have a lot of music inside you, I told him once, when he played some of his first compositions for me and asked me what kind of feel I was getting from them. His prose and poetry were often the first drafts for his songs. His writings are full of references to music and song. He had fun sharing his music, blending styles, including references to Greek pop or folk music.
We are sharing Andreas’ music and poetry for all of you to enjoy.
With love,
Elsa, Bruce, Sophia
Andreas was an amazing person, friend and had love for everyone. He was an embracing person and it showed through versatility. From different art forms to martial arts, music, sports, comedy, philosophy etc. He was eager to learn and enjoy all cultures across the board. The music he produced cannot be confined to a single genre, as his catalogue covers many genres. There is much I am sure I have not heard yet.
Andreas, our friend Denzil and myself were in a group called, BL4CK M4SK. Although we recorded music and performed, we never scratched the surface as life took our attention away from BL4CK M4SK, occupying our time. We would still like finish up and record the BL4CK M4SK project that we were on our way to recording while active. We also have UNIS Family (Classmates) and friends of Andreas and ours that we would like to create music and art with. In appreciation, admiration and honor for Andreas. His music can be soothing, striking, mellow, provocative and so much more. At times you will find it all within a single song. One constant that can be said about Andreas’ art, is that it is always interesting. Vibe Out and Enjoy
Andreas had a Heart of Gold and was as genuine of a person as it gets. That is why so many love him. Love you Brother!
-Love. Create. Love-
Ali Coleman, 4 March 2021
Andreas’ music is joyful. It is from the soul. I would liken it to a stream of consciousness in audio form, that is entirely predicated on emotion and what inspired him a place where he could be the most free. It is genre bending and it colors outside the lines. It is inclusive and community building. It is the type of music that is missing now. Music where you can just close your eyes and let the rhythms just overtake you, where you could be carefree and imagine the colors and tones of each sound as it traveled through your body to the marrow.
Joelle Frøydis Joseph, 18 Feb. 2021
Andreas is one of the most interesting and inspiring people I ever met in my life. We met at a music school and we studied music production together. I never forget those late night convos on our way back from school and many shows we did together. Our goals were to find our own sounds. His music is very unique and innovative. I just want to thank him not just for musical inspiration, but for the genuine friendship. It’s really hard to make friends especially in a big city like New York. I was so lucky to have you as a dearest friend. I am so lucky to have you as a friend, Andreas I will never give up on my dream.
Love,
Mio Fujii
Mio Fujii, 20 Feb. 2021
Ahh, Andreas' music.... I remember moments with him when he first started playing around in Garage Band and he was playing me his recordings in his room. Those felt like the "revelations", where he was so excited to share what sounds and effects he had somehow discovered, not realizing yet that it was his own artistry being unearthed right then and there. Then came his shows at small venues like Arlene's Grocery with other UNIS folks on stage. That's where his artistry was known by HIM, and he was living and channeling it without inhibition. It showed in his performance that his music brought him to another place and in some way brought him home to himself. The sounds in his early music felt like a sort of astral world to me. It felt like a meditative and subconscious space, and he was inviting you into that place with him. I'll always remember his passion and excitement over it.
Celine Laheurte, 18 Feb. 2021
Andreas Robbins is the biggest inspiration I have. And, he’s BIG. Andreas exuded a level of compassion and creativity that we should all be striving for. Hopefully his music will provide you with a roadmap of sheer excellence and off-the-wall brilliance that you too can strive for. I know that’s what he wants.
Wyatt Leigh, 27 February 2021
Andreas (or as he was known in my family, “Zeus”) was an answer seeker. He felt the burden of existential questions we all ask ourselves, more deeply. He cared for what people stood for and would always look for the best in everyone he met – anyone who connected with Andreas found common ground in his kindness. Andreas was one of the most comforting people I’ve ever known, but do not mistake his gentle soul for weakness. As laid back as he was, he wouldn’t give an inch on the basketball court. Smirking all the while, he would run circles around his defenders showing off silky smooth layups reminiscent of his favorite Knicks. Andreas was a beautiful person. He loved in the most universal sense of the word. Each individual and their passions mattered.
Robb Pearson, 5 March 2021
Andreas had a curious and special mind. In the digital age in which we live Andreas’s samples of retro electronic music fits both his personality and the world we live in today. A mashup of eccentricity and nostalgia is a perfect description of both Andreas and his music.
Henrik Pierce, 28 February 2021
Andreas’ music is one of the ways he reaches out to the world to extend his unquenchable love for life, grace and joy. It is his way of immortalizing the magic of being in his presence – the feeling of being subsumed by an indomitable spirit reveling in beauty and wonder.
Stelios Potamitis, 9 March 2021
Andreas had a way of looking at the world and reflecting it back at me that always had me re-examining my own way of seeing. Whenever we spent time together, whether it was playing 1-on-1 basketball or talking late into the night about the nature of truth, I found myself able to loosen my grip a little and relax into a playful and curious mode of being that allowed me to be creative and consider new perspectives. At the same time, he dug deep and gave his entire attention to things, moving intentionally. He was really present, and very much himself whenever I was with him. I think his music has this same focused but playful and curious quality to it, encouraging the listener to follow suit. I always admired Andreas’s ability to care so deeply. About people, about music, and about truth. Above all, he was a kind and loving person. He made people feel they mattered. He was a collaborator, and even now his music invites people to engage and interact with him. I believe the way Andreas lived his life embodied the qualities of playfulness, curiosity, presence, authenticity, and loving-kindness. His music serves as a reminder for his life, and his life serves as an invitation to this way of seeing and being.
Jonny Rodgers, 5 March 2021
Rainy days remind me of Andreas. Not for any melancholic reason, but because we found the most joy in the greyest and rainiest of days. When we were kids, we got caught in a crazy rain near his house in Tribeca. We laughed like fools, embracing all the rain brought, skipping like lunatics, splashing through reflective puddles; wet clothes, cold heads, soggy feet. Riotous humor, despite all the typical physical discomfort that comes with being drenched: Spirit. Andreas taught me to laugh on rainy days, to embrace rainy days. He invited joy into elements of life in ways that the mediocre can't grasp. Andreas understood the fullness and wholeness that all life brings, rain or shine, and he imparted this wisdom in the steps he took. Through the halls of school, in NYC streets, with friends, with strangers. He brought wholeness to his interactions and flowed with a knowing gentleness that held you safely, but never tightly. This whole, compassionate, flowing, humorful spirit whispers secrets on the streets of our city. On many days, but especially rainy days, I feel this spirit. While those duck for cover under the safety of dryness, I remember to dance with the droplets. Thank you Andreas, for being everything that you are. You changed my life.
Bibi Tran, 5 March 2021
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