Guy Gerber

Guy Gerber has always favored the road less traveled. The Israeli DJ thrives on confounding expectations. What other underground DJ could collaborate with one of hip-hops biggest moguls, Puff Daddy, or start a left-field night at one of Ibiza’s most commercial clubs, Pacha? What other producer blends the worlds of melancholy and euphoria so effortlessly, or turns in a breakup album as an official mix for a revered club brand? It’s these kind of contradictions that define Gerber’s compelling duality.

Before he was fiddling with drum machines and synths, Gerber was all about groups like Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. These influences still echo clearly in his music today, whether it be his hypnotizing live performances or contemplative, moody productions. Over the course of four albums, Gerber has shown himself to be a singular artist. In 2007, he brought his debut album Late Bloomers to Sven Vath’s Cocoon, following that with 2009’s My Invisible Romance. In 2012 and 2013, he usurped the concept of a mix CD, delivering a Fabric album made up of 100% original new productions; then on Who’s Stalking Who creating an LP more akin to an extended composition than anything else.

As a performer, Guy Gerber is consistently rated one of the best touring acts in dance music, earning a top 10 live performer nod three years in a row for Resident Advisor. When DJing he’s known for extended sets, epitomized by a 12-hour performance at Burning Man in 2014. Gerber’s sets are never forgettable, and he has an unerring ability to disrupt expectations, whether it be confounding Ibiza VIPs with his 2013 Wisdom of the Glove residency at Pacha - which even caught the New York Times’ attention -- or 12 months later going in a totally new direction with his clandestine free Ibiza beach party, Rumors. Even at more traditional club residencies like those he holds at Marquee, Sound, and Story, Gerber acts as the subversion, transforming the normative experience into something alive with mysticism and mystique.

On the label front, Gerber has helped curate and A&R some of underground music’s most intriguing talents. His label Supplement Facts hosted everyone from Chaim, to dOP, Guti and Kate Simko. In typical Gerber fashion, just as it was reaching its apex he put it on hold to launch a new imprint Rumors, a befitting title for the mischievously minded Gerber. The new project got off to a promising start, serving as home to Guy’s colossal collaboration with Dixon, “No Distance,” as well as his crossover album with Puff Daddy, 11:11, which proved one of 2014’s most startling and impressive LPs. As with Supplement Facts, Rumors reiterates Gerber’s attention to the visual aesthetic. Both labels have seen him collaborating with artists all over the globe -- most recently with Miss Kittin on the critically acclaimed ‘Rumors on The Dancefloor’ EP. Rumors has also served as a home for EPs from other high-profile artists, like Seth Troxler, as well as enigmatic upcoming talents with unique styles, such as Clarian or Acid Mondays.

However, RUMORS is of course more than a well-curated imprint – Gerber also launched the accompanying event series in the summer of 2014. The RUMORS Ibiza party was a free event with a relaxed atmosphere, thanks to its setting in the Playa d’En Bossa beach hotspot Beachouse. Staying true to the original ethos of Ibiza, the RUMORS parties rejected hype by avoiding the mega-lineup announcements and posters across the rest of the island, with very little information about the parties being given away until the last minute, if at all. Despite this, 2015’s RUMORS parties saw huge artists like Sasha, Miss Kittin, Kenny Glasgow and Matthew Dear sharing the decks alongside Gerber, as well as many of the label’s upcoming artists.

Following their Ibiza successes, Guy is now taking his RUMORS parties worldwide, with events at Art Basel Miami and stages at BPM Mexico and We Are FSTVL in London proving that RUMORS really do spread. However, Guy Gerber’s vision of the perfect musical event will remain the same no matter what the stage or country: “The night has a very particular flow… it has to start very deep, very spiritual, and it slowly builds up, never too fast. It’s a very natural-feeling party. The tracks played must have some substance, not too loopy, and have some kind of musical vibe in them. I’m looking for challenging deep house.”

What’s next for Guy Gerber? Like any good rumor, it’s sure to have tongues wagging.