Former international aid worker turns international DJ. It’s a story that’s been told many times before. But no one tells it quite like New York City native Greg Oreck.
After turning his life towards music 8 years ago, Greg quickly began making a name for himself with his no holds barred DJ sets that moved asses across New York and around the globe. Greg has welcomed the millennium in New Zealand with an epic 8 hour set, held court as the official DJ of Amsterdam’s prestigious Cannabis Cup and he’s shown most European countries just how far you can take a party and still survive to tell the tale.
Some say it’s his wide musical background that sets him apart. Others say it’s his natural penchant for danger, picked up while working both in deepest Africa and the South Bronx ghettos. Probably it’s a little bit of both.
But either way, he certainly knows how to throw a party.
In addition to DJ duties though, Greg has also been making a name for himself with a slew of top notch productions. His latest project, Thugfucker, puts him together with Holmar Filipsson (of Mr. Negative fame). Thugfucker mixes the reckless hedonism of disco, electro and house and puts it all on little round discs of vinyl that have been instigating dancefloor anarchy worldwide.
Their last single, “Pocket Rocket” (released on Music for Freaks) has been receiving heavy play from such prestigious DJ’s as Derrick Carter, DJ Sneak, Laurent Garnier, Mark Farina, DJ Hell, Trevor Jackson, Lottie, Ivan Smagghe, Psychonauts, Erol Alkan, Kenny Hawkes, Ralph Lawson, Tiefschwarz, Boris Dlugosh, Moose T, Phil Weeks, David Duriez, D’Julz, Jeff K, Steve Bug, Craig Richards and Lee Burridge. Meanwhile, last year’s hit, “Bodyshaker” sat at #10 on Groove magazine’s top 50 dance singles chart and is still found consistently in DJ boxes everywhere.
This winter, Thugfucker will be unleashing two more dancefloor bombs. The first, on Brique Rouge, is called “Not A Remix” and has been already getting heavy play from DJ’s in the know since a few exclusive promos made it out during this year’s Sonar festival. Next up is “The Dance” on Germany’s Wasnotwas label. Already getting constant play from Tiefschwarz and the Dirt Crew since it was slipped into their hands last year, it’s like a modern day house macarena. But cooler.
In addition, Greg also has several solo projects in the works, including a recently released collaboration with Freestyle Man called “Lady C” and upcoming solo singles for both Moodmusic and the hot new Dirt Crew records out of Germany. He’s also working on collaborations with D’Julz, Freestyle Man, Dyed Soundorum and Paco Guillaume -- as well as a downtempo album with Girls Against Boys’ Eli Janney. And he’s recently won the X-Dance award at Sundance for Best Soundtrack thanks to his work on extreme sports film ‘Adrenalin Hunters’ by director Victor Muh.
Recently Greg has relocated from New York to Paris where he currently holds a residency with Open House’s Paco Guillaume for their “Honor Society” party. But he can often be found stimulating adrenal glands on both sides of the Atlantic.