Blixaboy,Musician, Futurist, Techno, Electro, Producer, DJ, Audio Engineer, Journalist
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Articles by Wanz Dover
Electronic Music Still Beats in North Texas As Artists Create Their Own Record Labels
With the years-long roller coaster of lockdowns and venue closings across North Texas, a fistful of electronic producers and musicians of various stripes have retreated to their bedroom studios to build up their discographies. Local independent artists continue to use Bandcamp to share releases, in many cases launching their own labels to push their music out to wider audiences. Here are the electronic acts from North Texas that you should be watching this year.
Observer Music Critics' Picks for Best Albums of 2020
^ I Support Local Community Journalism Support the independent voice of Dallas and help keep the future of Dallas Observer free. Last year was without question one of the most challenging years for the music industry, and in the absence of live concerts, releases have upheld the connection between artists and music fans.
Nervous Curtains's Sound - And Ideas - Are Ever-Evolving, The Band's New Album is 'Anti-Fascist'
Nervous Curtains has been a staple in the Dallas music scene for more than a decade, executing their post-punk musings over the course of five albums and one film score. While the band's sound has evolved with each release, it's not what one would generally think of as dangerous.
Listen to Our Weekly Mixtape - Curated by DJ Yoshi Moto
With close to two decades in the DJ booth, Yoshi Moto has been a constant presence in Dallas DJ culture. Now located in San Antonio, he still makes regular trips back home to gig out with different crews and events across the city. Moto has a long history as a musician, and that experience informs his DJ sets as he incorporates his own productions and custom edits into his sets. When he's not doing music, he's following his other passion for food, as a chef.
10 Electronic Music Documentaries That Will Make You an Expert
The world of electronic music is dense and varied with more genres, subgenres and non-genres than most other types of music. To the uninitiated, it can be intimidating. To those who just discovered dance music in the last decade, there is a common pitfall of lumping it all under the corporate-made non-genre of EDM, three letters that have a skin-crawling effect on DJs, producers and dancers.
Listen to Our Weekly Mixtape- Curate by DJ Willie Trimmer
^ I Support Local Community Journalism Support the independent voice of Dallas and help keep the future of Dallas Observer free. Willie Trimmer has been a constant presence in Dallas music culture for decades. As one of the few club DJs who still makes a full-time living behind the decks, Trimmer has a particularly well-informed perspective on the DJ landscape.
Dallas Observer Weekly Mixtape with Feezy
After a long break, we are back to wrap up the final run of Observer Mixtape. We are almost to mixtape No. 200, and this week we feature Feezy, a scene veteran with two decades behind the decks. Feezy walks the fine line between the pop sounds of crowded Deep Ellum bars, encyclopedic knowledge of underground sounds and the deep history of dance music culture. He is a workhorse, and his versatility keeps him booked and making crowds happy, no matter what venue he is performing in.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Jeremy Word
Wanz Dover 4 Jeremy Word makes his grand return to the Dallas scene. Daniel Beleski AA Jeremy Word has been a trailblazer among Dallas dance music promoters. He's been a behind-the-scenes player responsible for countless electronic acts coming through Dallas and the infamous Meltdown Festival, which was the city's premier electronic music festival for most of the '00s. On top of all that, he remained a staple among Dallas DJs and producers for years.
Dallas Observer Mixtape Featuring Dallas' Top Producers of 2018
Dance music has always had a contentious relationship with mainstream Dallas culture. Going out in the city’s nightlife hot spots like Deep Ellum and Uptown, you might think this is the land of trap, top 40 and hip-hop with not much room for anything else.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with DJ Santa
Wanz Dover 4 Ho Ho Ho. DJ Santa is on the decks. JJ McKey AA For the fifth year in a row, we are pleased to have DJ Santa drop a set for the holidays for the Dallas Observer Mixtape series. He's out once again to prove that Christmas music does not have to suck. It can come in the form of punk, funk, dance and more traditional fare — not necessarily the stuff blaring from overhead speakers in brick and mortar stores during the season.
Dallas Music Tastemakers Tell Us Their Favorite Releases of 2018
It's that time of year when music fans everywhere reflect on the best releases of the last 12 months. Publications' top-album lists have started to populate the internet to celebrate the standout albums and singles of 2018. With streaming music taking over as the dominant conduit for most listeners, sorting through the flood of new music in the digital era can be a lot like grabbing a drink of water by way of a fire hose.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Chris Roze
Between a consistent stretch of residencies and dipping his toes into the production realm, Chris Roze has come a long way since he last popped up on Mixtape three years ago. Roze has a long history as a musician but has focused on expanding his craft as a DJ the last few years. His diverse musical background is personified in his sets by being able to genre hop from such disparate genres as hip-hop to house. It's the kind of diversity that keeps DJs employed and bar crowds bouncing.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Samuel L Waxin from Tree House Collective
Samuel L Waxin is a regular face at Tree House Collective's Drum Djam every Wednesday, where he has nurtured his percussion and DJ decks approach to bass- tech house. With less than two decades behind the decks, Waxin has seen every side of the club music business, from video, lighting and promotion with his crew at Tree House Collective and of DJing.
Dallas Observer Mixtape With DJ Sauro Sale
Dallas is a long way from Italy, but Sauro Sale is yet another import from overseas bringing his talents behind the decks and in the production studio to Dallas — a migration that is becoming increasingly more common. With techno dominating the digital DJ music sites, it would seem that underground club music is becoming less underground. And Sale is further proof that Dallas is fertile ground for new talent.
MC50 Brings Explosive Proto-Punk Revolution for 50th Anniversary
Fifty years ago a powder keg of rock 'n' roll exploded in Michigan, giving birth to the MC5 and The Stooges. Along with The Sonics, who only slightly preceded them, these Michigan bands took the rebellion that was already a foundation of rock 'n' roll and cranked it up to 20. In the process, it laid down roots for what would become the foundation for punk rock a decade later. The MC5 were most notable for their explosive live shows of near mythic proportions.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with DJ Jeff Plunk
Jeff Plunk has earned his DJ veteran stripes with more than two decades of service to dance floors as one of the pioneering drum and bass DJs in the region. Plunk's love affair with the thunderous sounds of jungle-related breaks goes back to when the sound was in its infancy. His passion comes through just as enthusiastically when he discusses the music as it does when he is mixing it behind the decks.
10 Songs From North Texas Artists For Your Sex Playlist
"If I was your Girlfriend" remix – Doc Strange Music should evoke something. That is the magic of its design. It manifests a real feeling out of thin air. Prince's second single from the double album Sign O' the Times was "If I Was Your Girlfriend." The song sounds, smells and tastes like sex. Sparse drum and bass combined with a slinky synth line creates an audio bedroom where Prince Roger Nelson becomes man and woman combined.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with DJ Tums: 2018 DMC Dallas Regional Champ
Chris Esquivel, under his alias DJ Tums, is one of the special few among DJs who still loves the art of playing vinyl and is adept at the turntable. He's skilled enough in his craft that he won the DMC regional battle this past July. He has been behind the decks just over 20 years filling all the DJ roles from blue-collar mobile DJ to being deeply involved with b-boy culture. DJ Tums is a rare beast in this neck of the woods, and he definitely lives up to the hype.
Pat McKanna and Matt Swaney From the Band The Trees Is Back With Palace of Sin
Pat McKanna has patiently waited almost three decades to release the debut album Palace of Sin from his band The Trees. In an era when short attention spans have made albums tend to be collections of singles, Palace of Sin truly stands out from the pack as an album with a complete story arc from start to finish — the kind of sincere storytelling that in pre-internet decades was more of a prerequisite than the exception.
DJ Aaron Merges From Treehouse Collection With The Mixtape
With only a year into the DJ game, Aaron Merges is the epitome of a rookie, but don't let that fool you. Merges has taken to the craft like a fish to water. He's a natural talent with a deft ear and the required amount of hustle that comes with slinging tunes.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with DJ Megalomaniac from Move
Washington Charcopa is humble and zen, which is the exact opposite of his alter-ego, DJ Megalomaniac. In an environment where techno is once again topping the DJ charts and an increasing number of younger DJs are genre hopping over to techno every week, Charcopa is a bonafide veteran among the pack. You can catch him Aug. 7 at his residency, Move at Beauty Bar. It's a weekday meeting point for DJs, promoters, dancers and fans and regularly features a who's who from the Dallas techno scene.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Stetra of LOLO
Stetra has been in the DJ game for just under a decade, but in the last year, she has left her footprint all over Dallas nightlife, helping to move dance floors from The Statler to Beauty Bar to The Nines. As a member of the LOLO crew, she has become a key component to the growing influence of the dance music culture in Dallas. This spring, she became one of the regular DJs at the downtown hotspot The Statler.
Dallas DJ Jim Pasant, A Producer of the Starck Club Documentary, Gives Us Our Mixtape
Jim Pasant has a distinguished spot in the upper echelon of Dallas DJ vets, with just short of three decades in the DJ trenches. Along with being a veteran crate digger, he also has a producer credit for the infamous Starck Club documentary that will finally be available for public consumption later this year. Although Pasant is most often affiliated with house music, like any experienced DJ, he is not one to be pegged in a corner of a singular genre.
Dallas Observer Mixtape With Redsean: 'I Need a Beach Vol. 4'
Redsean has been a staple in Dallas' weekend DJ nightlife for the past decade. He's most often spotted dropping tunes ranging from the underground savvy to unapologetically pop music at various residencies in Uptown. Redsean rides that fine line, but when pressed on the subject of his preferred genre, he proudly defers to his love of pop music in all forms. His preference for catchy hooks and wide-eyed melodic wonder is on full display for this week's mixtape, created for a summer vibe.
Ryan Butler of Flunked Records Gives Us This Week's House Mixtape
Flunked Records is the brainchild of Ryan Butler and his continuing quest to keep house music an active concern. Club music trends come and go in Dallas only slightly less frequently than the changing of the seasons, but house music has been a constant. Even with the recent uptick of interest in techno and electro, house music still has the most consistent club music fan base.
David Byrne Proves He's Not Just Some Old Rock Star at Winspear Opera House
David Byrne is best known for groundbreaking music he made as frontman for the Talking Heads — a band with influence extending far beyond its late-'70s to mid-'80s lifespan. You can hear it in every corner of music today, from punk rock to hip-hop, pop and dance music. Talking Heads were the most popular flag-bearers of the art-centric side of the late '70s New York punk scene, which they quickly outgrew as they continued to push the envelope, bringing influences from all corners of the globe.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with PVLMS
Lexxi Sacco and Frank Stevens' mutual interest in synthesizers and electronic music has brought them together as the ambitious electronic duo PVLMS, a pairing that happened at a chance meeting at a Baths concert five years ago. They reconnected soon after in college and have been making music together ever since. Like most electronic producers, their initial forays dwelled in more experimental directions but soon found a comfortable niche within house music.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with DJ PriestTD: Left-Field Hip Hop and Trip Hop Mix
Pedro Gonzalez Jr. has been fighting the good fight behind the decks for over two decades under his alias, DJ PriestTD. Although his roots are deepest in hip-hop, he is versatile in a variety of genres, like any veteran DJ. Much of that versatility came from digging for the source samples found in classic hip-hop. In recent years, he's taken the dive into 45s as well.
5 Female DJs Talk About Sexism Facing Women Behind the Decks
The DJ life is a tough haul for anyone. But as in most male-dominated professions, female DJs have to walk an extra mile that their male counterparts rarely — if ever — have to worry about. Despite the different standards, the industry is filled with powerful female DJs like Nina Kraviz, Ellen Allien, Anja Schneider, Kelli Hand, Charlotte De Witte and Deborah de Luca. Most of these women are responsible for running some of the most exciting, forward-thinking and respected labels in dance music.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Alex Kidd
Alex Kidd is a globe-trotting DJ who recently moved to Dallas from South Africa. Kidd was lured to the area at a time when the international club scene is taking interested in Dallas. With a string of releases and a three-decade career, Kidd looks to make Dallas his new home base for now. Kidd brings a wealth of experience to his sets of what he calls minimal deep tech grooves.
No Ragrets? Dallas Musicians Tell Us About Their Worst Tattoos
If you ever find yourself drunk in a tattoo parlor, just stop. Take a moment and stop what you're doing. Or if you ever find yourself at the mercy as a newbie tattoo artist with an at-home tattoo machine, walk away. Please. Just walk away. These Dallas musicians know a thing or two about tattoo regret. Here are their best stories: Kevin Adkins: Face/teardrop Some things go together, like wine and cheese.
DJ Blake Ward Explains Disco, TX, A Party Where Disco And Hip-Hop Come Together
One year ago, DJ Blake Ward had an idea partially inspired by the music of late seventies New York club culture as seen on the popular Netflix musical drama show The Get Down. Between the dominance of house music (affectionally nicknamed Disco’s Revenge) and hip-hop in modern Dallas dance clubs, it's the perfect time to revisit the roots of these music cultures on a bigger scale.
Face-Palm: Dallas Musicians Share the Names of Their First Bands and The Songs They Played
Every musician started somewhere. And that was most likely in a garage playing music with friends. It's that first project that fuels the delusion that music is someone's ticket to the big time or, more modestly, an excuse to just hang with friends. More often than not, someone's first band usually earns a well-earned face-palm. We invited DFW musicians to reveal some of their earliest band memories. The shared the names of their first bands and what they played.
Dallas Observer Mixtape With Amy Payan AKA AY.MZ
Amy Payan is the name on her birth certificate. She's has been on the front lines of the vinyl resurgence, slinging vinyl at Josey Records since it opened its doors three years ago. In an environment surrounded by DJ veterans and librarian-esque music nerds, Josey Records has given Payan access to music of all flavors. Like so many before her, this immersion in vinyl culture set her on the path toward the DJ life.
12 DFW Musicians Tell Us About the Nightmares That Were Their Worst Gigs
Regardless of genre or tenured status, a common thread among all musicians is the nightmare gig, the gig that just did not go the way you expected. It's the gig where that bassist shows up so hammered that he thinks he's the singer. Or maybe it's the night you forget the lyrics to all the songs that you've sung hundreds of times. Or the sordid affair with between that last shot of tequila and malfunctioning zipper that results in revealing more than you planned onstage.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Gavin Guthrie: TRU Label Showcase
Gavin Guthrie, under his alias, TXConnect, has released 13 vinyls on a fistful of notable labels from both sides of the ocean. One would be hard pressed to find many producers in this part of the country who have cranked out so much output in such a short amount of time. This has led to the occasional road trip, but Guthrie still stays busy regionally playing regularly as a DJ.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with J.Caprice
Joshua Caprice fits the archetype of the journeyman DJ, with his work doing A&R for labels, promoter for events, dancer on the floor and, most significantly, as a house music producer under his stage name, J Caprice. After a year on the road as a touring DJ and seeing the dance music industry during its highs and lows, Caprice has a particularly informed point of view on the subject that he explores in this week's Q&A.
'50 Shades of Hate': Dallas DJs Tell Us the Songs They'll Never Play
In most situations, a DJ is hired to provide a vibe for the room by way of music selections — a curatorial exercise that relies heavily on reading the room. In most cases, requests are unwelcome if you aren't in a dance club environment, but if you catch the DJ in the right mood (or just tip really well), your request may reach your ears before you've caught too much of a buzz. Every DJ has limits, and certain requests are just not gonna happen.
DFW DJs Share the Dos and Don'ts for Requesting Songs
For many decades, asking a DJ to play a song was a practice reserved for school dances, weddings, family reunions or other specialized gatherings. In the age of the smartphone and instant access to media, people have grown accustomed to getting what they want when they want it. These new freedoms have encouraged a rise in song requests in every domain where DJs can be found. There is a time and a place for everything, and that concept can (and should) be applied to requesting a song.
Dallas Observer Mixtape With Sean Anderson From Harmonious Discord
Harmonious Discord has survived 17 years during the most turbulent times in the history of the music industry. Under the helm of Sean Anderson, also known as tech-house producer PointBender, the label has cranked out a sizable catalog of releases, mostly from Texas artists, and solidified a core audience of supporters at home and abroad. While riding that fine line between house and techno, the label has excelled at pushing definitions to the limit.
Rebekah Is Coming to Dallas in One of Her Only U.S. Gigs
Although Rebekah has been in the trenches as a working DJ going back to the '90s, only five years have passed since she had her breakthrough with Chris Liebing and his reputable CLR crew — a seemingly perfect match that came as CLR was unfortunately coming to an end. But the influence of CLR could not be overestimated.
RBC Hosts Outward Bound Which Gives Musicians A Stage To Push Sonic Boundaries
When Outward Bound Mixtape launched less than four years ago, it filled a gap that had been missing in Dallas for more than a decade. The weekly event focuses on the avant-garde and experimental sides of music, regardless of the genre. At first, it was more of a left-of-center open mic, but it has since evolved into a consistent venue for left-field musicians and ensembles.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Kacey Unsica
Born out of the bubbling Dallas rave scene in the '90s, Kacey Unsica has made the journey from enthusiastic foot shaker on the dance floor to DJ making the feet shake. Like most deejays, he has gone through a few genre phases, but house music has been a constant thread throughout. Unsica is a key player in the collective and has a regular DJ show on ActiveSessions.fm.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Kaycee Unisca
Born out of the bubbling Dallas rave scene in the '90s, Kaycee Unisca has made the journey from enthusiastic foot shaker on the dance floor to DJ making the feet shake. Like most deejays, he has gone through a few genre phases, but house music has been a constant thread throughout. Unisca is a key player in the collective and has a regular DJ show on ActiveSessions.fm.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Flash 45s
Dance music genres go in and out of popularity, and electrofunk is about to have its moment again. DJ Flash 45s is best known for spinning his vinyl 45s, but this week he takes a stab at electro. Today, the genre is most commonly associated with techno, but it has its roots in early '80s hip-hop, by way of acts such as Newcleus, Africa Bambaataa and Egyptian Lover. Flash 45's mix pays tribute to them without being obvious. You are best known for your 45 collection.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Mala Strana
Most DJs go through phases as their musical palette evolves, and Shawn Kasal's DJ journey has brought him to his current alias, Mala Strana, under which he recently signed to local label Audiophile. It reflects the new, deep techno sound Kasal is channeling behind the decks and in his production work. Dallas Observer: What is up with your new alias Mala Strana? Shawn Kasal: I have been producing under the Stone Castle alias for the last four to five years.
Songs Texans Should Know
Texas music comes in all shapes and sizes, but underlying all the best songs from our state is a sense of fierce independence. Texans have launched entire genres and have helped to shape many others, including Latin music, punk rock, country, hip-hop and even techno. With the help of local DJs, musicians and promoters, we've put together a list of 20 songs that stand out from the last 50 years of Texas' music history. These are the songs every good Texan should know. 1.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with JT Donaldson of New Math Records
Dallas native JT Donaldson has spent the past two decades making a name for himself as a top-notch house DJ and producer. After years of traveling, in 2011, he returned to Dallas, where he's worked closely with Josey Records and started his own record label. New Math Records has house music roots but releases a wide spectrum of music. The label's New Math Mondays event has helped make Monday one of the most rewarding nights to go out in Deep Ellum.
Dallas Observer Mixtape with Tony Ellis aka Little Human
The legacy of house music in Dallas goes back decades, but part of what keeps it alive is the constant introduction of fresh, young talent. Tony Ellis, who performs under the alias Little Human, is a producer, DJ and artists and repertoire executive for Dallas-based house label Flunked Records, and he's part of that new school. Along with Audiophile, Grin Trax and Dolfin, Flunked Records has given a voice to Dallas house producers.
Dallas Observer Mixtape: Left/Right and Kerim Bey of Temporal Loop Talk Dallas Techno
House music still dominates electronic club music in Dallas, but bass music, techno and electro also made waves in 2017. BRØKEN, Temporal Loop, Texas Recording Underground, Dolfin records and New Math records all played key roles in growing regional electronic talent. Gavin Guthrie's Texas Recording Underground continued making headway in the boutique vinyl market with notable releases from Ill76, Convextion, Brooks Mother and Vectorvision.
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