DJG (2)

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dean J. Grenier, A.K.A DJG, landed in the Bay Area underground dance music scene 2006 with his first 12” ”Shadow Skanking” b/w “Joyful Sound” on Narco.Hz, two slices of lithe, slick dubstep. Immediate airplay for “Joyful Sound” on Rinse FM and drops in the clubs from prominent DJs like N-Type quickly propelled DJG to the forefront of American bass music producers early on in his career.

DJG’s production style is rich and welcoming, sometimes visceral but never anything less than evocative. Now considered a veteran of the American scene, Grenier self-released the two-disc Voids collection in 2010, revealing not only a clever grasp of dubstep and dnb but ambient soundscapes, and since then he’s released on labels like Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood imprint, Headhunter’s Transistor, Frite Nite, Pushing Red and Wheel & Deal Records. DJG’s recent productions see him moving in a more experimental direction, dropping the tempo to as low as 125BPM while playing around with rhythmic structures that hint at soulful house, garage, and other weird shapes, all imbued with the warm melodic embrace he’s always kept hidden beneath the beats. With forthcoming releases on Tectonic, Photek Productions, Get Darker and Frite Nite (with LA’s Salva), 2012 looks to be a banner year for Grenier, as he continues work on his debut album. DJs ranging from Mary Anne Hobbs, Mala, Pearson Sound, 2562, Pinch, Addison Groove, Salva, Photek, N-Type, Distal and many more have been supporting DJG’s recent and forthcoming releases.

Grenier’s performance behind the decks reveals a wide-ranging taste and smart grip on all sorts of music, elegantly-paced sets full of his own productions and like-minded efforts from others. His DJ talents have brought him all over the world, including a recent set at the legendary club Fabric in London and a tour around Europe in 2011, and back home in North America he’s headlined British Columbia’s Bass Coast Festival.