Patrick ShannonMidway up the Hollywood Hills is a quiet roundabout with ample street parking and well-kept, verdant lawns. A woman in a tennis skirt and sports bra is walking her dog and stops in front of a neighbor who is watering her lawn to discuss whatever affluent, middle-aged women talk about.
It looks like a film cell cut from The Stepford Wives, except for the fact that a few mailboxes down from the suburban daywalkers is the residence of Borgore, the EDM DJ and producer who is known for hyper-sexualized branding and leading a rat pack of ratchetry.
His home appears modest from the street, but its breadth comes from three stories that are carved into the hill and provide ample space for a 28-year-old musician living by himself.
He descends to the bottom floor and takes a seat by the pool that is framed by trees on either side and looks out on Hollywood. Even coming to meet a journalist for an interview, he carries his laptop and external hard drive with him; it soon becomes apparent that no matter how deep the conversation gets, his mind will still be clamoring to wrap things up so he can get back to work.
“I always worry about everything all the time. There’s no shutting it off. That’s why I cannot sleep too much,” Borgore explains while spinning the hard drive between his thumb and index finger. With a Vegas residency at Foxtail, a string of headlining festival dates and a record label demanding his constant attention, he credits his tightly woven Israeli family with helping him maintain his sanity.
Buygore's Hella Lit Wednesday at Sound Nightclub; Credit: Jennica Mae Photography
“Sometimes it’s hard for people [in America] to understand it,” he says, adding with a laugh, “It’s almost like a communist family cell. Everything I own, they own. But outside [the family] we are very capitalist. We’re here to win it.”
His mother, or as he describes her in Hebrew, “matriarchalit” (matriarch), is a successful cosmetics importer/exporter who raised Borgore with a business mindset. His father, a project manager for IBM, infused Borgore's childhood with an interest in computers and technology. His sister, Yael, is a soulful pop singer who also lives in Los Angeles and appears on several of his tracks. Although his parents are in Israel, the family finds time to talk every day and support one another.
Borgore and his sister remain close, and Yael hangs out upstairs while he continues to fidget with the hard drive. He speaks highly of his sister’s diligence and gets protective when discussing her musical career. He encouraged her to learn music production because it is “the smartest way to have full control over your creation,” and with Borgore’s guidance she has been producing for almost a year.
His propensity for mentoring extends far outside his relationship with his sister and is the driving force that motivates his label, Buygore Records. He started the company after struggling to place his own lyrically controversial and sonically abusive dubstep on other labels, but he also wanted to develop a nurturing environment for overlooked, talented producers.
One of the most recognized EDM tracks of recent years, Jauz’s “Feel the Volume,” was originally released on the label as a free download before it got picked up and distributed by Diplo’s Mad Decent Records. Following the track’s success, Borgore and Jauz met in the studio to produce “Lindsay Lohan,” which has amassed over 1.5 million plays on Buygore’s SoundCloud account.
“I actually imported some [artists] from Israel,” Borgore says. “A couple years ago I was in Israel and I heard this guy producing fire, and I was like, ‘Dude, you can stay in Israel and produce for all of these Israeli acts, but you have more potential than this.” He's talking about Buygore-branded artist Dan Farber, who is now an L.A. resident.
“Think of Buygore as a blog. We take music from all of these people and we use Buygore and Borgore’s social media to help them promote their music,” Borgore explains. “It’s not just about releasing the music. It’s about culture.”
Once acts are adopted by the label, they are put on the shortlist to share the marquee at Buygore’s notorious parties. Earlier this year the label threw two sold-out events during Miami Music Week that featured several L.A. locals including Getter and Jauz; Buygore also curated an up-and-coming lineup at Space Yacht, the popular Tuesday night event in Hollywood.
“Buygore is well-known for throwing parties that are kind of gnarly,” says Borgore with a mischievous smirk. “We had a show at Sound and someone got kicked out for getting a blowjob on the dance floor. They’re kinda reckless.”
The label is continuing its close-knit party tradition with Hella Lit, a monthly residency at Sound that ties new Buygore artists with established headliners. The next Buygore event in L.A. will feature veteran dubstep act Terravita plus guests Algo, Half Empty and Pavarotti on Wednesday, May 25, at Union Nightclub.
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