For the past three decades, iconic producer and event impresario Destructo has consistently shaped the state of electronic music.
The LA-based artist (né Gary Richards) founded influential dance music festival brand HARD, and currently heads up his own production company All My Friends which throws celebrated events including the sailing music festival Friendship.
As a DJ and producer, Destructo made a name for himself in the 90s for his hard-techno sets and collaborations with the likes of Basement Jaxx. He then continued to evolve into the 2010s, fusing electro-house and hip-hop with prominent rappers such as YG, Ty Dolla $ign, E-40, iLoveMakonnen, Kevin Gates, and Denzel Curry, and lending his skills to high-stakes remixes (such as his remix of Dolly Parton’s legendary “Jolene”).
Now, for his first EP since 2017’s Renegade, Destructo releases the ‘Future Funk’ EP, a four track package that pays homage to 80s nightclub music. With a litany of dynamite collaborators, Destructo recontextualizes that era’s sound through a modern lens, crafting a nostalgic yet futuristic vibe that once again shows the producer pushing electronic music into new directions.
‘Future Funk’ kicks off with “Perfect Beat,” an infectious funk-house track that perfectly sets the EP’s era-defying atmosphere. “Perfect Beat” kicks off with the track’s central bassline and thumping four-on-the-floor beat, building into its dancefloor-igniting drop full of vintage robotic vocal samples and groovy synth melodies.
Fans got their initial tastes of Future Funk with previously released singles played out by heavy-hitters such as Diplo, Martin Garrix, and Alison Wonderland. The EP’s first single was “You’re the One For Me,” a collaboration with genre-defying producer TroyBoi. Filled to the brim with vibrant synth licks, a pulsating beat, and modern trap drums, “You’re the One For Me” is a disco-inspired throwback jam with a contemporary touch.
Next was the single “F With Me,” an 80s-synth pop pastiche in collaboration with dance vocalist Tima Dee and retro-futurist masters Chromeo. And finally, there was “The Future Is Faster,” an intergalactic disco jam made under the Misingo project – the four-piece dance music group Destructo joined alongside renowned house producer Doorly and multi-instrumentalist Australian duo Colour Castle.
With the Future Funk EP, Destructo is giving a glimpse into the future by looking back into the past. The project shows affection for sounds of past eras while acutely reflecting contemporary sensibilities – a tricky balancing act that’s immaculately executed, a showcase for why Destructo is one of the most revered artists in electronic music.
