Doctor Dru

Welcome to DMCWORLD. How you doing…?

I’m good thank you. I have been in the studio a lot recently making new music, my workplace is getting more and more to what I imagined of being a perfect and cosy place.  It’s just wonderful to spend time there right now besides the touring.

How did you approach the remix of the Jaw and Nico Stojan track? Where did you start?

In this case I had the idea already on my desk and was searching for a vocal. It fitted so well in my current style . I didn’t had to do much.

What are the key ingredients of making a good remix? Should they be true to the original or reinvent it totally?

I need at least one element that is catching me. Here it was first of all the amazing vocals of JAW. I really love his timbre. I’ve done a remix for his and Claptones tune “No eyes” some time ago. So it was a no brainer when Nico asked me to do a remix.

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Nic Fanciulli, Solomun, Noir to name a few have all been playing it – how does that make you feel? Is that key feedback or is it the views of the dancers that matter the most? 

It’s always a great feeling when the big guys are playing your stuff. Of course it helps to build your reputation and the spread of your sound. Anyways I always feel honoured when DJs are playing my stuff because that’s what it s made for – for the dancefloor and to be heard. The dancers are the barometer for me but it s also so important when you are playing your track and how the sound system is. Don’t over judge if there’s not the reaction you’ve expected. Always test your track a few times.

What bits of gear do you use in the studio? Are you a hardware or software man and why?

Both. Recently I did a lot with my analog stuff cause I needed this one knob per function thing for my inspiration. You definitely come up with other ideas when you are able to turn the knobs real time. But it’s absolutely not necessary to do good music. Analog stuff has more character and is much more fun to play with than with plug ins.

Hamburg has a rich history of deep house – does it feel like that in the city or is it still very much an underground thing?

Yes, Hamburg is a house music city, it never was a techno city. Deep house will stay underground, it s not the music for the masses. At least what I consider being deep house or house music. Of course there are the big open airs that are drawing more than 10k people, but the daily house bizz still happens in the underground here.

How did you first get into the scene? What records, label and parties were you into? 

The first house music parties I went to happened in the famous underground club FRONT which doesn’t exists anymore. That was a crazy place where everything was possible. Boris Dlugosch was the resident there. Legendary.

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What is deep house to you? It became massive in recent times but often sounded very little like actual deep house – what are your thoughts?

What became massive is pop music which borrowed elements of the deep house movement that was so popular in the underground in recent years. This happened always and will always happen. Same with Techno in the late 80s and 90s. Acts like Brooklyn Bounce or Technotronic would have never been possible without the techno music of that time. Today we have acts like Robin Schulz etc. and tropical house.

I personally define deep house as soulful music with a deep bass but it’s  also influenced a lot by techno now. But for me still music with a lot of soul and groove.

What else you got coming up/are you looking forward to?

I have to finish some new tunes here  here and I m going on a nice US tour in May. Then I’m looking forward to the showcases with my label JEUDI records here in Hamburg , Berlin and for the OFF week during Sonar in Barcelona. It’s exciting to see how JEUDI has developed through out the last years and how the family is growing. Me and my partners put a lot of work and heart in it so I’m very happy about it.

Catch Doctor Dru at the Jeudi showcase at The Hidden People Off Week series in Barcelona June 17th
https://www.facebook.com/events/1587025568254897/

Doctor Dru’s remix of Nico Stojan feat. JAW – The Blue Hour is out now

https://pro.beatport.com/track/blue-hour-doctor-dru-remix/7746041