Staying Alive

Robert Aguilar was blessed to be born on September 11, 1979, in El Paso, Texas. His early years were spent in the Segundo Barrio, a stone’s throw from Juárez, Mexico—El Paso’s soul sister city. Known as “Segundo” to El Pasoans, it was home to Mexican and second-class citizens living together in the city’s first housing projects. Here, the first lesson was clear: rise above “second” for the sake of family or fall. And in the end, when called, hope to be judged worthy in the hands of God—to reunite with the family lost too soon.

Since 1982, loss became a defining thread in his life, shaping an early understanding that love never fades, only continues within the heart. From 1986 to 1989, he lived in Nuremberg, West Germany, where he witnessed firsthand how divisions—whether social or environmental—could fracture humanity. Darkness set in. Yet, he was blessed again, experiencing the unity of Oktoberfest as a child and feeling the warmth of music even in the bleakest of times. The underground house parties of the projects had already shown him that music could keep hearts united, even through hardship.

Germany in the ’80s introduced him to a world of international artists fighting to be heard, their music becoming a universal language of love and rebellion. Hooks and sequences sparked a passion to push back against the silence. Then, in 1997, in El Paso, Texas, at Ohm, he first experienced underground music, marking the beginning of a new era of inspiration—when house, trance, and jungle reigned, and everyone partied as one.

In 1998, with the birth of his son, followed by two daughters, dreams were set aside for reality. Serving in the military, he trained as a nurse to provide for his family, only to be honorably discharged after standing against failed leadership during Operation Enduring Freedom. And with that, the eagle was free to fly.

After 19 years of caring for both adult and pediatric patients, a new chapter began—because life’s cycles are deeply personal. He embraced learning every day, from shifts in health to the limitless world of music, with the unrestrained curiosity of a child and the wisdom of an adult.

Following the rhythm of life led to creating rhythms of his own, embracing all genres but always gravitating toward progressive sounds. Beto: strictly progressive house. Bob-E: a child of ’80s music and electro house. Every cycle of love inevitably returns to its origin.

In honoring his creator, Julio Aguilar, and facing the heartbreak of losing him in 2018, Robert—aka Bobby—continues his journey in atonement, carrying the hope that one day, he will reunite with his father and family in heaven.

Staying Alive

Beto o Bob-E