MySpace a place for friends

IN Newsweekly-New England

In an era when DJs are a dime a dozen, when its simply too easy to throw a CD into a player or some vinyl onto a table, it takes something really spectacular, a bit of theatrics, to keep club and circuit goers enthralled.

Drew G COULD drop names. Hes a protg of Peter Rauhofer and Junior Vasquez, the two leading DJs and producers in the U.S. today but he doesnt need to. When fans go to hear Drew spin at such clubs as XL, Jaded, Roxy, Stonewall and SBNY, its not because they know that this up-and-comer has received coaching from the best, its because his style and his shtick are more than just a gimmick. Believe it or not, I spent all my years in high school playing in rock bands, and thats my inspiration a lot of the time, says Drew, who can play nearly a dozen instruments, an anomaly in the jock world Drews ear is honed beyond the beats. Every time Im in the clubs, that experience gives me something really unique, something that that Im so excited to give back, because, lets face it, audiences are expecting something a little more these days.

What Drew delivers is a lot more. Its not uncommon for Drew, in the middle of a hot set, to pull out a guitar, hook it up to an amp, and play along with whatever track, or tracks, mark his set. Note: tracks plural.

Drew is among a select few DJs who have taken the giant leap to converting his entire music library, thousands and thousands of songs, to digital media, allowing him to travel with the ease of only a couple of hard drives in tow, but with endless possibilities for unique, one of a kind, sets.

Its sometimes tough because, even though this is the direction that the industrys moving in, there are a lot of purists who still believe that vinyl is the only way. The truth is, using digital media opens so many doors for me to sample, and resample, to extract an acapella, bass lines, you name it, to create a sound that is so completely unique, that the crowd is always just wondering what is Drew going to do next, enthuses the young jock who, although only playing for a little over a year, has already cut his teeth at some of the hottest nightspots in New York City.

Drew G began his career in music in rocks bands, unlike most DJs, who got their start in a makeshift basement studio with a box full of 12 inch records. Drew was brought up on a diet of pure rock, playing guitar in various bands during his teens. By the time he turned 18, he had already released five albums and had produced several others for other local bands.

As 1999 rolled around, Drew Gs music tastes diversified even more than before, and he began to record and mix house tracks that showcased his guitar work. He continued recording, playing and admiring the DJ masters until a few years ago when he deiced to make his mark in the New York City club scene.

 Before long, he was a weekly visitor to Roxy to hear Peter Rauhofer play. Eventually, after much coaxing, Drew was offered an internship at Rauhofers imprint, Star 69 and, within months, became a retail marketing rep for the label. All the while, Drew has sought out and been welcomed into booths with open arms to play his signature sound, something he describes as rock and tribal. Its a flavor that makes as much sense as it sounds bizarre: rock, punctuated by its epic guitar rifts and a steady beat, says Drew, is very similar to the tribal MO: a consistent melody punctuated by a throbbing bass and drum line.

For Drew, its poetry. And, working with the digital media gives me so much more leverage to not only mix, but to get me out of the booth and add my own flavor, says Drew. What am I going to do next? Its hard to say, and its on the fly, because every night for me is a new night, with new inspirations, and new material. Drew is doing something, though. Hes also using his stewardship at Star 69 to begin his own label, Jeckyl and Hyde Productions, already being sough out by some of the better-known artists. In all, this is all a great experience, and a dream come true, says Drew of the growing attention hes garnering. For now, I want to keep pushing the boundaries with my live sets, playing a variety of venues, while continuing to work on my studio its all good.

<a