Bando (Andjelo Bandovic) started his career from an early age. He found his love in electronic music while he was taking piano lessons. Bando developed a keen sense of music and sound and started producing his own music. In 2016, he received his diploma in Music Technology and Sound Engineering from Music Technology Institute in Athens, Greece.
At the age of 15, he made his first steps as a DJ. Bando has been spinning in Greek major clubs such as Cavo Paradiso (Mykonos), Island, PIXI, Mikro Kiss The Future, Cash, Saint Solange and Blast Dance Club which currently is his residency home. Throughout his career as a DJ, Bando has been a support DJ to many big names such as Martin Garrix, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Eddie Thoneick, Kryder, The Cube Guys, Fraanklyn and many more.
Here is his exclusive interview with HFR:
HFR: What was it like growing up with your father and uncle who were both professional athletes? Well, growing up in a family where my father and uncle were both athletes has always motivated me in many ways because sports require so much sacrifice and practice to achieve goals. That notion has always been my motto, and it helped me in my love for music- whenever I thought things were hard, I always remembered what my family has achieved. On the other hand, growing up in sports created a love for athleticism in me and that’s what drives me today to stay fit and enjoy my gym sessions and football [soccer] whenever I can.
HFR: How do you stay healthy while working late hours? Working late night hours has always been a big deal for me because it causes a lot of issues when you care about your health and body. My main goal is to avoid alcohol as much as possible! I also stay away from late night eating and always stay hydrated with lots of water.
HFR: During the day when you aren’t DJ’ing at a nightclub, what is your health routine? Every morning, when I wake up, I make a fruit smoothie to kickstart the day with energy. After my smoothie, I eat a good breakfast and then hit the gym for weights, cardio, and CrossFit, followed by rest. In the afternoon, I might go for a good swim at the beach to relax after the gym traning.
HFR: Do you have any physical activities or hobbies that you like to practice on your free time and how often do you practice them? I have always loved playing football [soccer]. When I was a young kid, I would watch my father and uncle play live and videotapes of their matches and it would inspire me. I have always had a love for the game, and even though I did not make it in professional football, I still train whenever I have the opportunity, which is about once a week. I also do CrossFit 3-4 times a week, which I love a lot because of the tension and speed and good results.
HFR: What is your healthy nutrition like?
My healthy nutrition could be better, to be honest. Working late night hours makes me hungry at weird times and if I eat it doesn’t affect my body in a good way. Another big issue with my schedule is that I am always at venues for daytime pool parties and nighttime clubbing, which means I often have to eat out. Not to mention, eating healthy on the road is always a little bit hard. When am home, I try to eat healthy foods that include fruits, smoothies, salads and organic stuff but when on the road, that’s not always an option.
HFR: Do you get enough sleep even though you work late hours?
Sleep is always an issue with me because of my work because I like to sleep a lot and often cannot! However, when I work in a nightclub I might only sleep for 4-5 hours because I always like to wake up around 12-1 so I can enjoy the day as much as I can. When I’m not working, I make sure I sleep a lot so my body to recover from training and so that I can be prepared for my next gig.
HFR: When you are overwhelmed with work, how do you handle your stress?
It’s very simple for me: training and exercise! Whenever I am stressed from work and everyday life, I just hit the gym. In stressful times, I find that running and 1-hour cardio sessions kill all the stress, anger, or nerves inside of me. Sometimes, I will also go for outdoor bike rides with my uncle where we can enjoy the views.
HFR: There’s a new study that says night clubbing is healthier than yoga, how do you feel about that? Do you agree? Why or why not?
I think everything in life has to have a balance- that includes work, exercise, and nightlife. Every person is different, for some, nightclubbing can make them forget their problems, meet more people and have fun and enjoy the music of their favorite DJs and musicians. I agree to the study to a certain extent, because everyone has things that relax them and makes them happy. For some, that might be yoga but for others, it might be nightclubbing and experiencing new things, enjoying the good music, or listening to their favorite DJ. In general, yoga is more healthy in a person’s life but all that can change throughout our hobbies and life- that’s my belief.
