The third Friday of the month is upon us, which means that Movers + Shakers will takeover The BackRoom @ The Mink tonight at 9 pm. Houstonist sat down for a beer with DJ & Producer Dave Wrangler, mastermind of the party.
How long have you been DJing? How did you get started spinning?
I first started toying with turntables in 99’. My first musical projects were hip-hop/mash-up tape edits that my brother and I would do in high school. The edits were comprised of very short musical phrases that were only about 30 seconds long when completed, mainly short pieces of hip-hop lyrics, guitar riffs from metal tracks and various beats.
The DJing aspect came into fruition when I got an NYC mixtape from a friend with miscellaneous acapellas over Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” instrumentals. My first weekly in Houston was called “Movement” on a Tuesday night at a now closed venue called R&R Lounge in Midtown in 03’.
How would you describe your style of DJing?
I like to think of my style as organic, groovy, soulful, intelligent and highly musical house music. As an artist and a musician, I channel those musical elements into my DJ sets. Nothing will get a dance floor moving quite like a jazzy piano or horn solo. People love organic music; there is nothing else to it. When you combine all of those elements with the modern electronic aspects-that’s a recipe for success. My main priority is that everyone in the room is entertained-whether it be 3 or 300 people, I want you to have a great time, remember the party and be touched by the music.
How would you describe the DJ culture in Houston?
DJ culture is such a vague term, there is the hip-hop DJ culture, hipster electro-indie, dance-each really having acutely representative culture’s of their own. If you are part of anyone of these scenes you know exactly what I’m referring to-the image, the lifestyle, music, etc.
How does the Houston DJ scene stack up against other Texas cities and the rest of the US?
Houston has SO MUCH local talent it’s mind-blowing! Truthfully, I’m often times more impressed by the local DJ’s than the headlining acts-there are many dedicated individuals here that I have a ton of respect for. I work with different people from other US cities and they are always impressed by how the much energy there is here around the music. The crowds might not always be in the hundreds-but a large crowd doesn’t mean quality. It depends which scene you’re into, different cities cater more to different scenes. There are really so many variables involved. Most of the other major cities have pretty strong scenes overall it seems-they get more international shows than Houston does- that’s a pretty clear indicator of the demand.
More with Dave after the jump.
What are the different scenes?
The different scenes in Houston are the hipster scene, house scene, progressive/minimal/electro, drum & bass scene, commercial club scene, the hip-hop scene, industrial/goth scene and the rock scene. There may be a scene for polka-hardcore, I just not in the loop. Polka-hardcore…wow…the gears are turning.
What should folks know about the Houston DJ/music scene that they don't know or maybe don't realize?
Not everyone can DJ….”insert comical photo of B-celeb playing with a mixer.”
It’s not all called “techno” for starters. Techno is a very distinct style of electronic music-not encompassing all types. The technical aspects of DJing are much more difficult to learn than playing 5th chords on a guitar. Ask anyone who can do both, the can attest to that. “DJ’s only play other people’s music, they aren’t even musicians.” Wrong. Most DJ’s in town are musicians and make their own music as well as DJ. There is a big difference between DJing and playing music for people…there seems to be a lot of the latter going on in town, which is fine. But when you introduce fresh ears to the concept, they think that is all DJing is. In turn creating a bastardized version of a culture that as a result inevitably infects the others.
Who/what are you musical influences both from a spinning perspective and music in general?
I really love hip-hop, R&B, soul and jazz-black music is so fresh and real. I’m really a lover of music to which I’ll say that there are standouts in every genre. Music that I listen to has a redeeming quality and a conscious offering as well as a plethora of musical elements.
What are your favorite record labels?
ZYX, Strictly Rhythm, West End, Swank, Seasons, King Street, Force Tracks, Buzzin’ Fly, great local labels-Housetown, Kolour, Homesick.
Where at the best places in town to dig out some vinyl?
I really enjoy going to Sound Exchange and also to Texas Junk of all places. Texas Junk is a warehouse on Taft that is full of under-the-radar vinyl gems. B.Y.O.Turntable though…you may just spend an entire afternoon there. Sadly, most of the vinyl record stores in Houston have closed in recent years.
Give us a sample of what's in your playlist right now?
I’m not the type to only play the newest tracks out there. If it’s not pop music or lacks a recognizable vocal, the average person doesn’t know any of the songs that I play…so I enjoy playing a lot of great vocal tracks to help introduce listeners to my style of music.
Dave Wrangler feat. Karina Nistal- Missin’ You
Deep House Souldiers- Live It Up-Swank Rec.
The Rurals- Sorry- Peng Music
Ron Gelfer feat. Tiger Lily – Your Beat Sounds Like – Farplane Recordings
Frankie Knuckles – Bac N da Day - Definity
Hideo Kobayashi & Pheeko Dubfunk – Closer to Me – Swank Rec.
Joss Stone – Tell Me – Jay-J whitelabel mix
Mark Grant – Jazzy Kinda Sum’n - Cyclotron Records
Ben Watt – Lone Cat – Buzzin’ Fly
Rob Paine feat. Lady Alma – The Life I Live - Worship
Ben Westbeech – Hang Around - Brownswood
Do you use turntables or digital (computer, iPod, etc.) during your shows?
I mainly use turntables, but I’m looking to incorporate a production program that I’ve been using for years called Ableton Live…when that happens it’s all over! The possibilities are endless with Live. On the flip side of the coin, that can equally become a deterrent. Before the digital revolution, you had 2 to 4 doors to choose from…now you have 8,000 doors…”what will I do next?” Anything conceivable can be done in Ableton Live!
Why are turntables called 'ones and twos?'
One is for the number of times the DJ might get a restroom break; two is when the party REALLY starts. No wonder “Big Brother” wants you pour out your Cape Cod! We shouldn’t be having that much fun now should we?
Any plans to release some of your own music on CD or podcast?
I have an enormous amount of original material that is unfinished from the past year that I’m utilizing the summer months to complete. Collaborations with Karina Nistal, Lucas Keizer, Esteban Torres, and Travis Stephenson of Standing Souls are a few great projects that I look forward to wrapping up here soon. I have a chalk board in my studio space that littered with titles to near completed tracks that I’m missing instrumental pieces of. It’s much harder to find like-minded musicians than you would think.
Where can folks download your previous shows?
Starting this month we are going to digitally catalog the music for [Movers + Shakers]. The mixes will be available for download on our website: www.bestservedevents.com
What's your favorite Houston landmark?
Landmarks in my opinion are Hoang Son Vietnamese sandwich shop on St. Emanuel in Old Chinatown-$2 tofu sandwich! Bombay Sweets, Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant, Catalina Coffee on Washington Avenue and The Gingerman.
What would folks be surprised to know about you?
I’m not really a hypochondriac…I’m just multi-tasking.
What should folks know about you?
I’ve just started doing sound design for theatre and live performance art. I’ve got one project under my belt and I’m actively searching for more. I thrive on creation in any of its forms, it fuels my thoughts.
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Catch up with Dave and collaborators DJ Pooks, Joey Webb, Lucas Keizer, Shun J & Esteban Torres tonight.
Movers + Shakers
The Backroom + The Mink
3718 Main Street
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