Jimbo James
Doctor Dru — a household name in dance music — nestles himself in the niche community of Hamburg, Germany; where he lives, loves, and creates.
As the man behind Jeudi Records — the label that has housed a score of top talent since day one; including fellow Hamburg natives Adana Twins, Sidney Charles, and Monte — Doctor Dru has a knack for spotting brilliance; the complete catalogue is a testament to that. In this age of the Internet hustle — his business sense to run a successful label, smart productions, and intrinsically great taste in music, place Doctor Dru in the upper ranks of house music in our eyes.
We thought it’d only be appropriate to call in the Doctor for this special — Valentine’s Day Edition — Lovecast episode; and we have to say, it’s one of our best yet. Check it out, Lovers!
* CLICK HERE if you do not see the SoundCloud player
Connect with Doctor Dru:
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter
Beatport
Interview with Doctor Dru:
What did you get your Ph.D in?
I am the doctor of the beats. I was earned my Ph. D by studying the hidden secrets of the grooves for years and years; first being a drummer and then a producer and artist.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day — What piece of advice can the Doctor lend when it comes to dating a DJ? Any sweethearts you wanna give a shout-out to?
I’m sorry to say this but I don’t think dating a DJ is such a fancy idea. You have to be aware that we are travelling a lot — almost every weekend; and in between it’s often studio time again. Most girlfriends can’t cope with all this. I respect my great love so much for supporting me and my passion for music. I am a very lucky guy and don’t take this support for granted. So my big shout out goes to my sweetheart.
We marvel at the success of Jeudi Records – Adana Twins, Finnebassen, Monte, Sidney Charles, Tapesh, Digitaria – Who’s gonna be the next star coming out off your impressive catalogue in 2015?
Yes, when looking back on the chronology we have really spotted some talents. The remarkable thing is the Adanas, Monte and Sidney are all boys from our Hamburg electronic music scene. One next big talent is coming from east London — Hodgson’s “One Spliff” stirred up the underground last summer. I think Maya Janes Coles has been playing this tune at every show in Ibiza. He is coming with new hot stuff soonish. Then we are very happy with our latest signing: Bambook from Sweden. Yes, JEUDI is spreading and I’m very proud when we are all together at our crew nights, like just recently in Berlin. That’s when you really realize how much this family has grown.
Where is home base for you? How would you describe the scene there? Are there any local guys that you would consider a Hometown Hero?
My home base is Hamburg city. That’s where I was born and where my family and my girl’s family live. It is the second largest city in Germany — very green, lots of water, and great standard of living. Hamburg has a small but very productive scene. Liebe & Detail; the Diynamic boys like David August, Solomun, and H.O.S.H.; JEUDI of course; also guys like Kid Alex. As Hamburg doesn’t have the huge variety of clubs and nightlife, like Berlin, you don’t get distracted here so much. I guess, maybe thats why there’s so much outcome here. You have to stay focussed and have an output to be able to pay the high rents here! haha!
Which do you enjoy more – tour time or studio time?
I recently took some time off to finally enjoy my studio again. I have had rebuilt the acoustics, bought new gear, read some manuals, and produced music again. It is so important for me to produce and compose music. I wouldn’t feel complete by only DJing. But after a while you need to be on the road again and feel the crowd and test your new tunes. It doesn’t make sense to me to produce dance music and not play them at all. I need to get the vibe of the party people. In the end it has to be a healthy balance.
What’s on the plate for you this year that you’re especially excited about?
I am going on tour for Carnival in Brazil this week. That is gonna be very exciting!
I will be in Rio for Sapucaí, the famous sambadrome; and will also be playing Warung beach club again. Brazil is always a highlight for me. I love this country.
And there is a bunch of new music ready so I can’t wait to finally release it. Next thing will be my remix of “Too Long” of the unforgotten Romanthony. And of course some solo stuff I am excited to bring. Oh, plus I will be back in U.S. for some gigs this year. 2015 will be a good Doctor Dru year!
What’s your go-to floor-filler at the moment?
Christian Nielsen – Do You Mind [Play It Down]
I’ve been playing this tune for a while now. It is a great track to get the people and to get me in the right mood. A classic grooving house tune with all the ingredients people love to dance to.
Tell us about your mix…
I imagined a freshly fallen in love couple at a memorable full moon party and with this mood I started the mix.
Drink of choice…
I like water when playing and champagne And a cold beer of course to bring the german cliche in. Vodka and all that stuff makes me crazy!
CHEERS!
– jams