São Paulo's Dru delivers Future Stars mix

Hailing from the vibrant streets of São Paulo, Dru is a DJ and producer whose passion for music runs deep. Rooted in the minimal and microhouse genres, Dru has been captivating audiences and earning recognition from some of the most respected names in the industry. His tracks have garnered support from heavyweights like Mihai Pol, Giuliano Lomonte, and Raresh, and his artistic journey continues to soar.

With a foundation in music that started in childhood – learning piano from his grandmother and experimenting with guitar at age 12 – Dru’s love for sound evolved into a career as a producer and DJ. From his humble beginnings experimenting with Ableton’s free trial, to playing his first gig as part of a duo at a 12-year-old’s birthday party, Dru’s journey has been marked by passion, persistence, and an ever-evolving sound.

Now pursuing his solo path, Dru is carving out a space in the minimal scene with unique productions and a vision to revive the genre in Brazil. His work on vinyl and digital releases, including those from his own labels Totoyov and Microdots, reflects his commitment to showcasing both established and emerging talent.

Having made his international debut in London and with plans for a European tour in 2025, Dru is an artist to watch. Whether collaborating with industry titans or drawing inspiration from new musical experiences, Dru continues to push boundaries and craft music that resonates on a global scale. Dru recently did a mix for us too, and we decided to get in touch with him to learn more...

Hey Dru! Can you please start by giving us a brief introduction about yourself and what you do?

Hey guys, I am a producer and DJ from Sao Paulo, with a great passion for the minimal and microhouse scene. I breathe music, live listening to it, so I dedicate most of my free time to music.

As a producer, I’ve released a few EPs until now, not much, but have been receiving amazing support recently - to name a few, Mihai Pol, Giuliano Lomonte, Vincentiullian, Iuly B., Crihan, Arapu, Barac, Vlad Caia, Herck, Cosmijn, Venda, Vern… but I would say my personal favorite works are going out in 2025, on vinyl and digital.

As a DJ, I had my first time playing outside Brazil, in London, this year. But certainly 2025 will be a big year, with lots of projects.

Can you tell us more about your journey into music production and DJing? How did it all begin?

My musical journey started when I was a kid. My grandma used to teach me piano. I also played guitar when I was 12. When I was 16, me and a great friend of mine, called Raphael, started to go to a studio of a friend in São Paulo to watch him produce, and so a few weeks later we started our adventure on Ableton free trial. 10 years later, here we are.

This same friend started playing with me as a duo, called 404_NotFound, and our first gig was a 12 year old party. So, with the money we received from the parents of this child, we invested on our first speaker. We used to keep some of the money our parents gave us to eat and so we split a DDJ SR, which was a super complex thing for us at that time. After some years, this big friend moved to Switzerland with his family and we started to follow our solo projects.

Was there one moment where you really decided you wanted to take it seriously? Or was it more of a gradual thing?

I decided to take it seriously after I saw my friends playing my tracks without asking, because they wanted to. Sometimes I saw tracks I’ve sent to like 5 people with tons of plays and for me that was a crazy thing… But I still wasn’t releasing my music to the rest of the world until I identified with my own style…and that changed after I went to Sunwaves for my first time.

How did you come up with the name "Dru" as your stage name? What’s the difference between Andre and Dru?

Andre is my name. Dru is how my friends use to call me, so I use it as my artistic name too.

What inspired you to focus on more minimal sounds? What was it about those sounds that so inspired and resonated with you?

Sunwaves definitely. But some weeks ago I went to Dhermi, in Albania, and met another line of sound playing around europe. Deeper than eletro, but less microhouse/minimal, that is more my style. But it was nice to open my mind to new timbres and refs. Definitely using some of the things I listened to in this last experience on my future sounds.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences in the minimal scene? Outside of electronic music, are you also influenced?

As DJs, I would say Raresh or Rhadoo are my favorites. As producer, probably Akufen or Riccardo, but I have a lot of references. Can’t forget to mention Villalobos as well, he is a genius.

I also love jazz - Miles Davis, Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald…and of course, Brazilian music - Tim Maia, Rita Lee, Jorge Ben Jor, Tom Jobim, Gal Costa…

Can you share your experience working with artists like Vincentiulian, Giuliano Lomonte, and Constratti? How does it generally work when working with these guys? Is everything online or swapped online? Do you feel it makes a difference?

I had good experiences with all of them. Vincentiulian was one of my first collaborations. The first time I saw someone giving a feedback so specific on the mastering from his remix haha. Really nice remix by the way….

Giuliano Lomonte is one of my top producers, I listen a lot to his productions and mixes. His track “Stay” ufff…So yes, amazing to collaborate with him, especially on vinyl and on my own label, Totoyov. Wish I could play with him someday in Brazil.

Constratti is also an amazing producer, and a really accessible person, it was really nice to work with him. Would love to bring him to Brazil also…was talking to a friend in Buenos Aires that is bringing him there, so who knows next time he is around…

You’ve had a lot of support from renowned artists like Raresh, Barac, and Cosmijn. How does it feel to have these guys playing and encouraging you? Does it make you feel like you’re on the right path?

It's nice! imagining how demanding they must be, and the number of demos they must receive, very gratifying to see this happening...

Do you make music for yourself or for others then?  

For myself, it’s my art, it’s where I put my feelings…but of course, it’s amazing to see people dance to it.

What can listeners expect from your upcoming releases on respected minimal labels?

Different tricks. Trying to make a unique sound that is not the same as much music we see nowadays. Try to put some of my old school inspirations into my music as well.

What motivated you to start your own labels, Totoyov and Microdots? What is the vision behind the labels?

I wanted to make the minimal/microhouse scene alive again in Brazil. I feel like these styles were strong here around 2017-1019, but then the eletro scene got more and more space, so now it’s really rare for you to see true minimal venues here. Because of that, me, TOT and Arthus, my partners on my labels, decided to invest our time into it.

How do you select the artists and tracks to be released on your labels? Are you looking for something very specific each time?

I think every label should have its own authentic style and be always updated with time. New upcoming artists appear all the time, so it’s nice to mix between renowned artists and upcoming ones.

On Microdots, we are looking to keep it into Romanian microhouse, on Totoyov we are opening more for different styles inside minimal and breaks.

How has the Brazilian electronic music scene influenced your sound and career?

The Brazilian electronic scene is really rich in producers. We are a strong community and try to support each other's venues and music. It's really nice to see this union, once it’s really hard to make a living with music here. So music influenced some of my connections, the places I go, some of the trips I make here…it influences me a lot I would say.

How do you stay inspired and keep your sound fresh with each new release? Do you ever struggle for inspiration?

Sometimes I struggle for inspiration, yes…I heard a lot from big artists I’ve invited for projects together that they were taking some time off the studio, and it didn’t make sense for me at some time. But I see now, it’s important to have a clear and fresh head when you are creating.

Also understanding that there are no fixed rules on the creativity process made me evolve a lot. When I’m not inspired, I try to learn different tricks and about mixing, to make better use of my time and turn my existing unreleased productions better. An old project can become something completely different when you revisit it years later.

What advice would you give to aspiring DJs and producers who want to make a name for themselves in the minimal scene?

I would tell them not to give up even when they think it’s impossible. And to look for collaborations with artists they dream of, think big, send demos to labels they don’t even imagine would release their music. It only happens if you try.

Also, for focusing less on releasing and more on being creative and putting their creativity into their music. Big releases will come after it…

One thing that helped me a lot was recording 100% unreleased productions set for a friend from Tamiras. After that, many labels texted me and invited me for releases, I wasn’t expecting that.

Unfortunately, social media is also important…I’m not the best person to talk about it, since I don’t post much about my life, but reposting your releases, showing the creative process behind your work, all this together counts…I wish good luck to all upcoming producers embarking on this journey and count on Tototyov and Microdots to send demos. We don't care about the number of followers; we only care about the music itself.

Are there any upcoming collaborations or projects you’re particularly excited about?

All my collabs are special to me, but I would say my record with Giuliano Lomonte and Constratti is the one I’m most looking forward to. More than two years working on this one. Putting my effort even into selecting the art of the record, it will be very special.

Also really excited about my record to be out on Satya with two amazing remixers to be out on the 1st semester of 2025, might share this one with you guys soon. Being among names like Arapu, Distilled Noise, Electricano is a big achievement for me.

What can listeners expect from your upcoming releases?

Different timbres. More creativity and more experiences. I try to put my life into my music, so whenever I have different experiences, I try to put these feelings into my music.

Aside from music, what else are you really excited about in life right now?

Many trips on my mind I want to do next year, new experiences, playing and producing more and more, seeing personal projects moving forward…that’s what makes me more excited in life. Also new connections are always cool…

Keep up with Dru on Instagram

Listen to Dru's mix for us below