Artist Detailed Info: Droog

There is more than one artist with this name:

1) Droog (ドルーグ) is/was a Japanese alternative punkrock band which started activities in 2007. They've been on hiatus since May 5th 2018.


Members:
** Vocals: カタヤマヒロキ (Hiroki Katayama; born October 27, 1991; also works as a radio personality on FM Yokohama (program: "Oldies But Goodies", solo project since 2021: KTYM)
** Bass: 多田拓斗 (Takuto Tada; born October 6, 1991)
** Drums: 右田智弘 (Tomohiro Migita; born February 18, 1992)

Ex members:
** Guitar: 荒金祐太朗 (Yutaro Arakane; left on May 5th 2018; born May 7, 1991; main composer)


History:
Droog is/was a four-piece rock band from the Jigoku ("Hell") district of Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, consisting of Hiroki Katayama (vocals), Yutaro Arakane (guitar), Takuto Tada (bass), and Tomohiro Migita (drums). The members had been friends since kindergarten and first formed the band in their final year of elementary school. After a high school teacher introduced them to the Sex Pistols, they became interested in punk and rock 'n' roll. In 2007, they adopted the name Droog, inspired by Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange.

Katayama's literary lyrics, the band's aim of reinterpreting music of the past through a contemporary approach, and an intense live style developed through performing around 100 shows a year became defining characteristics of the group. Their sound combined influences from 1970s punk, glam rock, and Japanese kayōkyoku.

They performed mainly at live houses in Oita Prefecture and released their first mini-album, Droog, on February 10, 2010, at the age of 18. The release topped the weekly overall sales chart at Tower Records Oita, outselling compilation albums by Koda Kumi and Kaela Kimura that had been released the same day. The band's debut generated significant attention in the Kyushu music scene, leading to numerous media interviews and competition among major labels. Word-of-mouth support led to appearances at major festivals including PUNKSPRING 2010, ROCKS TOKYO, ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL, SUMMER SONIC, AOMORI ROCK FESTIVAL, and Rock 'n' Roll Summit, where they became known for their energetic live performances.

Eight months after their debut, Droog released their second mini-album, Violence, on October 6, 2010. The five-track release featured songs including "Kiseki no Hate" and "Karakawanaide". The album emphasized fast-paced, aggressive rock and reflected the band's combination of classic rock influences and youthful energy. On December 18, 2010, they held their first one-man concert in Tokyo at Shinjuku Red Cloth.

In 2011, Droog signed with Avex and made their major-label debut with the mini-album LOVE SONGS on August 3. Beginning on August 19 in Beppu, they embarked on the "Droog GIG TOUR 2011: ALL THE YOUNG PUNKS", which visited 30 venues nationwide and concluded at Daikanyama UNIT.

On May 23, 2012, Droog released their first full-length album, End of teenage. They supported the album with the "Droog GIG TOUR 2012: End of teenage", which covered 22 locations and ended at Shinjuku LOFT. In August 2012, they performed at JOIN ALIVE. Beginning in November, they held the "Droog 2MAN TOUR: ALL JAPAN ROCK HORROR SHOW", performing in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Beppu alongside different guest acts.

On May 15, 2013, they released their second full-length album, Buttobi-panashi, and undertook the nationwide "Droog Yakeppachi TOUR 2013", visiting 20 locations. Later that year, they launched their self-produced event series, "Droog presents Jigoku Meguri".

On May 14, 2014, following a label change, they released the single In A Ghost World. They supported it with the "Droog TOUR 2014 ~Jigoku Meguri~", which visited 17 locations and included headline performances in Osaka, Beppu, Fukuoka, and Tokyo. During the winter of 2014, they organized the "MAKE A GIRL TOUR 2015" with THE BOHEMIANS, holding joint headline shows in Osaka and Tokyo.

In January 2015, Droog held the "Issei Shageki" three-band tour across nine locations with Large House Satisfaction and Villageman's Store. Beginning in May, they staged the three-month event series "Droog presents 3-Month Consecutive Project 'VS'" in Tokyo and Osaka, consisting of two months of joint concerts followed by headline shows. On October 23, 2015, they released their first live DVD, naked droog, which became the first release on their newly established independent label, TICK Records. They followed it with the "naked droog tour 2015", which covered ten locations and concluded with a floor-level headline performance at Shibuya Milky Way on December 24.

In January 2016, after appearing with artists including Heesey of THE YELLOW MONKEY and THE SLUT BANKS, the band began recording new material for the first time in two years. Maintaining a schedule of around 100 live shows per year, they released their third full-length album, Meidai (Proposition), in August 2016 through TICK Records. Later that year, they returned to a major label through Universal Music and released Monochrome in December 2016. The band's fourth mini-album overall, Monochrome marked their first major-label release after returning and further developed their blend of punk energy and rock 'n' roll aesthetics.

On May 5th 2018 they announced an indefinite hiatus:
"As of today, the rock band Droog is suspending all activities indefinitely.
This decision follows a request from Yutaro Arakane (Guitar) to leave the band; as we cannot imagine Droog existing without him, we have concluded that an indefinite hiatus is the only option.
The ten years we spent performing together—having formed the band as childhood friends—were filled with ups and downs, but were truly happy ones. We hope you will continue to support each of us in our individual endeavors."


http://www.droogweb.jp/
https://www.facebook.com/droogweb
https://x.com/droogweb
https://sputniklab.com/artists/droog.html
https://www.universal-music.co.jp/droog/biography/


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2) Droog is an alias of Danilo Tomic, a producer from Belgrade, Serbia. The idea behind Droog is to have an outlet for any kind of sounds that make him move, from glitch minimal to ambient deep house while releasing music in parallel under his real name and the Rec.ept moniker.

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3) DROOG is the DJ cadre of Andrei Osyka, Brett Griffin and Justin Sloe. We play dance music - techno, house, minimal. DROOG has had the honor of playing alongside influences such as Richie Hawtin, Lee Burridge, Damian Lazarus, Tiefschwarz, Three, Mr. C, Booka Shade, MANDY, Jamie Jones, Matthew Dear, Magda, Phonique and Guido Schneider. We currently have a residency at Avalon (Hollywood), as well as promote our own parties, including a Freak n' Chic label showcase at the WMC '08 and Mathew Jonson's live show

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