CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 113: LDRU FROM SHOWER MASHUPS TO FAKE IDS AND A TIGHT RELEASE SCHEDULE

Interview by Mark Griffin.

LDRU first blazed into the national consciousness in 2017 with the EP, Sizzlar. Featuring five-times, platinum single, Keeping Score, it was a club regular for the summer and an ear-worm that hang around long after.

After a brief Covid-induced hiatus, Drew Carmody, the man behind LDRU, is back and he’s a man on a mission. With a cracking new single, Alone Again, featuring PEP TALK and more releases lined up, Drew is ready to make 2023 his year. We were lucky enough to catch up with him and find out everything from how he got his start thanks to some fake IDs and singing in the shower, to what he looks for in a song, and who he’d love to collaborate with next.

FMM: First up, congratulations on the new single. It’s a cool track.

Drew: Thank you, brother. Appreciate that.

FMM: How did you get hooked up with Pep Talk?

Drew: Honestly, I think we got… it was an A Capella that got sent across into my email.

FMM: I was having a listen to the A Capella on Pep Talk’s Instagram earlier actually, very cool.

Drew: That’s it! Yeah, I actually can’t remember who sent it, which is probably a bit annoying for you because you can’t write it then. But yeah, I got sent this A Capella and I was like, ‘this voice!’ You know? These guys sound amazing. I would love to work with them especially on this song.’ Then we ended up going into the studio together and figuring parts of the song out and what we wanted to do with it. It Just became a really nice experience to collaborate with them from there.

FMM: So what’s the process like in the studio once you’ve got them in there?

Drew: So I first got the A Capella and then you know, do what I normally do. Just fluff around the studio for like a day or so trying to get the music bed down, the structure and whatnot. And then there’s always missing parts and then that’s when I get the girls in and be like, okay, we need to re-record this or record this again, maybe speed it up and just kind of fill in the blank.

FMM: Well, obviously the process worked because the track sounds great. I was just looking into what you’ve been up to recently. It looks like, since 2022, you’ve been a man on a mission. Is that fair to say?

Drew: Yeah that would be fair to say man. There was a bit of an hiatus for almost three years, I think. You know, Covid hit and it hit everyone. *laughs* Big time. So I mean, I’d been touring for four years straight pretty much up to that point. So it was kind of a much needed break and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was starting to burn out a little bit and I was like, you know what, Covid hid, I’m just gonna take some time off.

FMM: Yeah, sure.

Drew: But then one year turned into two years and I was like, ‘oh okay, I probably should try and get back into it.,’ and then started booking more shows and they’ll get cancelled. Then two years turned into three years and I was like ‘oh no, okay.’

FMM: There’s been a lot of talk at the moment with some other artists, and I think Gang of Youths were one of the big ones, that have raised the flag a little bit about the grind of touring. Was that something you found really hard or—

Drew: —Look, man, honestly, I was so, so young that I was just enjoying every single moment of it. It was all a big blur, just you know, party town almost every night. Just having a really, really good time, meeting new and amazing people… travelling the world. As a young, you know, someone in their young twenties—

FMM: — How old were you when it all kicked off? It was 2017 that was kind of the big year wasn’t it?

Drew: Yeah 2017. So what’s that? I’m 29 at the moment so probably 24.

FMM: Wow. Yeah okay, perfect age for parties.

Drew: Prime, prime time for parties. So I’ve been DJ-ing since I was 16, sneaking into nightclubs to play and there’d already been a few years before that. But that’s when it really kicked off, when we started doing all the festivals, like Splendour, Groove in the Moo… pretty much all of them in Australia. So it was super, super fun man. I definitely miss it for sure.

FMM: So you have this hiatus, and getting back into it now, is it sort of hitting the ground running, making up for lost time or do you see it as a new phase?

Drew: More as a new phase. To be honest. There’s no point looking back at the past and dwelling on the past. Otherwise you just get stuck there. I’m always looking forward, looking for the next thing to do, looking for the next person to work with, the next show to play.

FMM: Have you got some big goals you are looking to hit or is it more just take it as it comes?

Drew: We definitely have some big goals man. I’m very keen on having a tight release schedule this year. So we’ve got another single coming out, hopefully, what are we now? February. So coming out in March.

FMM: Can you drop hints about who might be involved in that one?

Drew: I want to sorry, but I can’t. I might get in trouble.

FMM: *laughs* That’s all good.

Drew: Yeah we’ve got some cool collaborations coming up which I’m really excited about. I can probably give you a hint that there’s a cool remix coming out by an up and come drum and bass producer for the last single, Alone Again, by Dom Darko.

FMM: Dom Darko. Nice.

Drew: Yeah, he’s doing some really cool things man. I literally just heard one of the final versions about two hours ago and, it sounds incredible.

FMM: That sounds exciting. We’ll definitely keep our ears open for that one! So you’ve got that coming, you’ve got another single coming as well, What else have you got planned for the year?

Drew: We’ve got… Actually I can’t say that sorry. *laughs*

FMM: *laughs*

Drew: I’ll have to have a look at the schedule, but we’ve got Bass in the Grass and then we’re heading over to Bali for Dream Machine Festival. And then I’ve just had another couple locked in which I can’t say again. And then I’ve just had one cancel, which I also can’t say until it comes out.

FMM: So we should be keeping our eyes open then?

Drew: Yeah for sure.

FMM: Awesome. And then obviously you’ve worked with a lot of really cool artists. Keeping Score was obviously the first big one, and you had Paige IV on that. Is there anyone that you’re really keen to feature on a track that you haven’t been able to lock in yet? Is there sort of a wish list of artists that you’d love to get?

Drew: Yeah, there’s heaps man. There’s heaps. I actually wrote an email the other day with a big wish list but, off the top of my head, if we’re shooting for the stars; Post Malone would be incredible. That would be incredible. I had Tove Lo down there. I was gonna say Mac Miller would’ve been incredible but he passed away, unfortunately. He was always someone who I really wanted to collaborate with. Then there’s Rufus. I’ve known those boys for years. I was in the studio when there were writing Innerbloom and I got to hear it for the first time. They asked me for my opinion on it, if it was too long, and I was like, ‘do not make it shorter. Whatever you do. It’s perfect the way it is.’ SO yeah, those guys, I’d love to work with Sarah again for sure. We’re still in contact over Instagram and what not, but she’s in America. I’m in Australia, so it’s a bit harder. 

FMM: Of course. And you mentioned you got into DJ-ing really young. What was it that turned you onto it? Whas there an artist that got you hooked?

Drew: Man it’s weird hey? I think how it first really began was just when I was a kid. I remember being in the shower and singing songs. The one song would just turn into a different one. 

FMM: So you were kind of remixing?

Drew: In the shower, on the fly, yeah. Then my brother-in-law funnily enough, he just loved dance music, so I think he had a big influence on me kind of leading into the dance music world. We would drive around and I remember he’d play like the Gold CDs from Ministry of Sound from years and years ago. He would have it so loud on in the car, just sitting in the car, smiling. I was like, ‘this is sick! This is really, really cool.’ From there I just remember begging my Mum if she could please get me some CDJs to practice on. *laughs* and she said absolutely not because they were so expensive.

FMM: *laughs* Yeah I remember seeing them in shops and they were so expensive.

Drew: That’s it. So I started making mixings together on, I can’t remember what the programme was called now. But it was a basic computer programme that you could mix songs on.

FMM: Like Audacity or something?

Drew: No. It wasn’t like a Cubase or an Audacity. I think it was called MixMeister acutally. Let me have a quick look now.

FMM: Do you still have some of those old mixes just hanging around on an old hard drive somewhere?

Drew: Oh it is! It’s MixMeister Fusion. That was the on. And no, I don’t think so. That was an old PC laptop from over a decade ago. It’s probably long gone now.

FMM: And when did you realise that you might actually be able to turn that into a career?

Drew: I never thought about it, turning it into a career. Honestly, I just really loved it. The passion for music was always insane from a young age. I just got offered a few opportunities to go down and play at the local clubs down in Manly. And then that turned into getting a few shows in the city. But I was underage, so they said, look, as long as you can get yourself in, you can come play.

FMM: I was going to ask you to name drop any venues that helped you get started, but maybe not.. *laughs*

Drew: Yeah, I probably shouldn’t so they don’t get in trouble. But I went out and found a few fake IDs, and got some fake IDs made from friends and what not. I started turning up and playing. It was great.

FMM: And then obviously Sizzler, the EP was huge. I think five-times platinum for the single on that. Did you feel that created pressure for future releases or was that just not something you really thought about?

Drew: Back then? 100% man. You know, once a song starts to do well, it’s always in the back of your mind. Like I’ve got to back this up, you know? Hopefully it does as well as the previous song, which is daunting, but it’s exciting too which is I think what keeps me going. Now I just enjoy the process. I’m always thinking ahead to be honest. If a good song starts to blow up, that’s amazing. Like maybe let’s take a step back then and actually figure out what we can do to get it to more people so they can hear it. But for now man, I’m just happy writing, writing, writing and releasing and releasing.

FMM: So with your writing process, what is it you look for in a song? Is it a top line melody, full bassline? Are you looking at weird mashups? What is it for you that hooks you into a new song?

Drew: Man, creativity is a weird thing dude. *laughs* It’s weird when it strikes. But, if I’m writing a song with vocals, definitely the voice, like 100%. I get sent hundreds of demos from people and I have to sift through and really think, can I make something from this that people are going to like and that I’m going to actually like and enjoy writing? So in that aspect, definitely listening to the voice. I think the same thing with Pep Talk and Sarah Aarons. I’d never seen what they looked like, who they were, but as soon as I head the demos… I wanna work with this artist, whoever it is, I don’t care.

But then you know If I’m writing just for the sake of writing. Maybe a loop on Splice will pop up that will just give you inspiration, like some nice chords or whatever. And then you can just kind of recreate the chords and change the key and just add a melody over the top. But as I said man, creativity, it’s weird, it strikes in all different, various ways.

FMM: Do you find you are really into the technology side of it? Do you consider yourself a gear-head or more just trying to make music however that happens?

Drew: Look, I’ve definitely done a lot of research over the years. I went to Ableton Live School to learn all about music production. I do love finding new gear and VSTs. I’m always on the hunt for new samples and all that kind of stuff. So probably 70% gear-head and 30% *laughs* that came out very wrong but—

FMM: No, I hear what you mean.

Drew:  Yeah, 70% gear-head and 30% just enjoying it.

FMM: And you got into it really young. So for kids getting into it today, what would you say to them? What’s your piece of advice for a 15-year-old bedroom producer?

Drew: Dude, just stick at it. Hard work, just keep going. No matter what anyone says just, honestly, I know it’s cliché, but hard work will always pay off. If you are in the studio every day or after work and you consistently grind and do that compared to the guy who just does it on the weekend over a year or two years, that’s all gonna add up. And I promise you, something will happen, and you’ll head in the right direction.

FMM: Amazing. And then last thing before I let you go, you’ve already achieved some cool things. You’ve gone on tour with some amazing people. You’ve featured some really cool artists. You’ve had some big tracks and based on the new track; you’ve clearly got more big tracks in you. But, in the next five years, where do you see yourself being. Like if we’re catching up in five years’ time, what’s on the cards now?

Drew: Madison Square Garden. That’d be pretty cool. Headlining, sold out..

FMM: That was quick. That’s the dream?

Drew: That’s definitely one of the dreams. Yeah, for sure man.

FMM: Awesome. And then lastly, what should everyone be looking out for in the next couple of months.

Drew: Stay tuned for a very tight release schedule. Very excited to be putting out lots of music this year.

FMM: So 2023 is going to be a banner year for you?

Drew: That’s it. I can’t wait man. We’ve got lots, lots and lots of music lined up. Almost too much. We’re in a good spot, but a bad spot because there is so much music to choose from. It’s kind of hard to narrow it down to figure out what we’re going to put out.

FMM: I suppose that’s the kind of problem you want to have.

Drew: It’s a good problem. Yeah.

FMM: Awesome. Well, thanks so much Drew for your time. I’ll let you get back to your evening.

Drew: No worries, Mark. Thank you very much mate.

Alone Again feat Pep Talk is streaming in all the places right now!

L D R U  APPEARING AT…

 Friday 3rd March – Vanfest – Bathurst, NSW

Saturday 20th May – Bass In The Grass Festival – Darwin, NT 

Friday 9th June – Dream Machine Festival – Nusa Dua, Bali