Destructo

Destructo, birth name Gary Richards, is a longtime music industry figure that has been inventing and producing an energetic combination of electro-house and rap since 2012. Working under this alias from his early days, the DJ, producer, and promoter started releasing solo productions on Boyznoize and OWSLA, first beginning with his Technology EP (2012). He chose to merge dance and trap music on his West Coast EP (2014), and as a result, has teamed up with artists like E-40, Too $hort and Busta Rhymes. Rolling Stone and Billboard have since labeled Richards one of electronic music’s most significant icons.

Based out of Los Angeles, Richards began curating dance events and was chosen to work as an A&R for the electronic music sector of Def American Recordings in 1993. He worked on deals with XL Recordings and Harthouse Records signing artists like Lords of Acid and God Lives Underwater. As his alter ego, Destructo, he played tough and bold DJ sets ridden with the most aggressive techno of his time. Richards as Destrcuto also remixed other artists’ work into his own style, including Awesome 3's “Don't Go.”

Using his earlier experience as a promoter, he organized and established HARD Events in 2007. Yearly festivals and an expansion to international tours were the results of one successful NYE HARD event. At the peak of EDM infatuation in the 2010s, Richards focused heavily on creating electronic music and promoting HARD concerts with artists like Skrillex and Diplo. He remixed the work of acts like Depeche Mode and Major Lazer, and issued three EPs on OWSLA/Boysnoize. The first EP, Technology, was released in 2012, while the second, Higher, and the third, West Coast, were released in 2013 and 2014. These productions featured a powerful and influential list of rappers like YG and Ty Dolla $ign.

The following years were filled with the releases of Destructo’s smash singles, which included “Shipfam” and “4 Real,” featuring the artists Anna Lunoe, Sgt. Buzzkill, Ty Dolla $ign and iLoveMakonnen. “All Nite” was the next to arrive, a single that featured E-40, Too $hort, and Iamsu!. “All Nite,” “4 Real,” and “Catching Plays,” were all collected to be on the Renegade EP in 2017. The track, “Loaded” featured Yo Gotti, while the 2018 single “Fucking Shit Up” featured Busta Rhymes. The 2020 single "Bandz" included guests Kevin Gates, Denzel Curry, and Yo Gotti, and Richards has kept active into the new decade. “You're the One For Me” ft. TroyBoi and “Shine On” came out in 2021, and in 2022, Destructo released his Distorted Reality EP, his single “F With Me” featuring Chromeo, and another track he called “All of Me.”