The Story

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Papa Lu dove into the underground music scene straight out of high school — throwing parties with true-school legends like Digable Planets, Digital Underground, Gang Starr, and Kool Keith. As his ear evolved, he found himself drawn deeper into the worlds of house and dance music, eventually producing events like Night Moves at Monarch SF and building a reputation for bringing fresh sounds and talent to the Bay Area.

In 2013, Papa Lu co-founded The Kazbah, one of the most iconic sound camps at Burning Man, quickly gaining a devoted following through his signature sound throughout Black Rock City and beyond. Since then, he's performed at world-class festivals including EDC, Escape, BPM, Ocaso (six consecutive years), Vujaday, SXMusic, Forever Midnight, and Blossom Never Sleep in Greece.

With releases on Walker & Royce's Rules Don't Apply, Soul Clap Records, Desert Hearts, Popgang Records, and Music is 4 Lovers — and tracks charting on Beatport with support from Jackmaster, Richy Ahmed, Lauren Lane, and Seth Troxler — Papa Lu keeps a relentless schedule between international festivals, headlining local shows, and time in the studio crafting new sounds.