Droog

A quintessential LA story: three people (Andrei Osyka, Brett Griffin, Justin Sloe) make a westward pilgrimage at the turn of the millennium, all from different places and backgrounds, unknown to each other but connected by love of dance music and the search for fresh and exciting territory. A friendship, formed after chance meetings in the Los Angeles dance music scene, evolved into a fullfledged musical partnership.



From the first gig together in 2005, through countless hours spent crafting a common creative identity, Droog was formed. Droog’s individual musical origins and taste combined under the common denominator of the collective - Justin’s love of old school hip-hop and house, and his proficiency with a down-tempo style; Brett’s affection for classic New Wave and fresh indie rock, Andrei’s beginnings in deep and disco house of the late 90’s.



At the start of 2007, the trio’s development took a big leap with the launch of their residency at the vaunted Avalon nightclub. Entrusted with the task of bringing a new underground sound inspired by the best parties in Europe to one of the biggest venues in the US, Droog honed their skills alongside such luminaries of the scene as Richie Hawtin, Damian Lazarus, Tiefschwarz, M.A.N.D.Y., Locodice, Josh Wink, Booka Shade and others. Droog’s opening and closing sets, as well as burgeoning relationships with the strongest global talent, have helped cement Avalon’s reputation as the venue of choice for cutting edge dance music in Los Angeles.



A natural extension of the Avalon experience for Droog was the desire to throw their own events, which have showcased forward-thinking music from the world over. Droog have delivered the underground to the heart of Hollywood with a series of nighttime soirees and have gotten international attention with a host of parties on the rooftop of the modern Standard Hotel. In two years of events, the collective played with and showcased rising global stars and established creative forces from Magda, Jamie Jones and Seth Troxler to LoSoul, Konrad Black and Ewan Pearson. At the same time, Droog have expanded their reach by DJing throughout the United States. Sharing the controls with the artists they respect and admire most, building a scene around their parties, DJing on the road, and combining sensibilities of three personalities have all contributed to Droog developing their own distinct sound. Droog’s sets fuse the classic U.S. house and techno traditions with the best in European underground dance music, from deep house to minimal. 2009 has been a banner year for the lads. At this year’s WMC, Droog launched their nascent label, Culprit. After a barnstorming showcase at DEMF, Culprit released its first EP by Hot Natured (Jamie Jones & Lee Foss) in June. The slate of new releases planned on the label will include Droog’s debut original and remix material.



The Droog collective now stands poised to solidify and expand this reputation, at the forefront of the LA dance music resurgence.