These Artists Are Shedding Light On Tarrant County Underground House Scene
Tarrant County and Fort Worth in particular are more known for classical music than underground dance music, but local DJs are trying to change that. Meet some of the artists working to expand the world of dance music.
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Skyler Salinas, aka Cowboy, grew up listening to house music. His mother played Dallas clubs and his uncle played drums and bass. He was introduced to popular 90s house music through his mother, and this early exposure to house music turned into a collection of house records by the time he was 14 years old.
His sound is rooted in Detroit house and techno. He prefers to use analog devices for his devices rather than digital devices. He was also involved with the Meet Me Underground Parole Ones curators early on in the project, helping them set up the lights and sound for the warehouse party.
According to him, Salinas would like to see more variety of house music in the local scene. He also wants DJs to expand their clubs or warehouses and focus on alternative venues and places where people don't normally go to dance, like tunnels and alleyways.
The Tarrant County DJ community is thriving, and Salinas says he wants to introduce more people to the world of dance.
"But the whole dance scene was in Dallas until recently, like in the '90s, and now that Fort Worth has been blown up, Fort Worth has been at the forefront of the house and techno (scene)."
dj ace
Asa Aziz, better known as DJ Ace, worked as a DJ for six years before becoming a full-time artist. She shares her time as a respiratory therapist. He often works as a weekend DJ from the hospital, but the pandemic has changed his attitude towards working in the industry.
“Only spiritually, I don’t like going there,” Aziz said. “The energy in the hospital is not good. I want to treat people, but I don't want to treat them. That's why I stayed away from her."
A full-time hobbyist, he discovered sound therapy, a form of therapy that uses aspects of music to improve a person's physical and emotional health. The set was heavily influenced by the music of Afrobeat and Soca.
According to him, his set takes listeners to another time and another part of the world because he doesn't like to play familiar sounds, as one would expect in a nightclub. He learned musical approaches while traveling the world.
“That [voice] you feel more because it comes from her soul and it’s more spiritual,” he said.
Aziz is currently working on his Love is Real collective which aims to encourage creativity in the community. Under Love is Real, he organizes events and connects companies with other artists.
“My goal is to create activities and services that promote personal development and self-discovery,” he says. "Striving for the development of a sustainable community where creativity is encouraged and encouraged."
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Tad Ezell and Garrett Leech or DJ Behave and Chemdawg, who asked not to be identified by their real names, became known as Frontale Club. They were both born and raised in Fort Worth and have known each other since high school. The couple used to go to a place called 1919 Hemphil to watch some hardcore punk rock shows. The duo's sound is associated with industrial music, a mixture of rough and aggressive rock and electronic music, but they also love hip-hop.
They started making industrial music in 2018 before starting their DJing career with several DFW themed shows.
“I think it was our love for music that brought us together,” Chemdaug said.
The pair are obsessed with the subculture and try to incorporate it into their sound and performances, Behave said. They tried to capture the punk trappings that could be associated with warehouse shows and impromptu noises. Bands play in clubs, but the members don't get the full experience.
“I feel like the show we have sometimes gets out of hand. So I think it can be scary in a lot of places,” Beehave said.
The Frontale club said they would continue to bring the sounds of raw techno music to Tarrant County.
“We are both quite obsessed with subcultures in general. And I think it plays a part in what we do, just another subculture,” Beehave said.
Jake Gatewood
Jake Gatewood has been DJing since the age of 16 when he performed with hip-hop artists Playboy Carti and XXXTentacion. Now 23, she is returning to house music and hosting the popular monthly show Take a Break.
Her show begins with a YouTube video of her performing in unusual places like open houses or restaurant kitchens. As Take a Break grew and developed from its YouTube roots, he said, Gatewood wanted to find other ways to bring the video series to life.
“I have grown too much, but I have achieved a lot and still strive for a star. I like it in me. But I want to sit back and be more than just a student,” he said.
He gets more input from older and more experienced DJs in the community as well as newer DJs. Gatewood wants to host events at the Fort Worth Zoo, the Museum of Modern Art and a water park, he said, but doesn't know how to do it with the city.
“I wish I could work with the city to do weirder things,” says Gatewood.
Cowboys of Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills Cowboy is a techno act made up of three DJs who grew up in different parts of the metroplex. Founded by Jesus Frick, it includes Maya Loft and Luna, who together have six years of professional experience.
It was originally planned that the team would start DJing in 2020, but the pandemic pushed it back to 2021. These evenings help the collective to meet other artists so that they meet their second resident of the loft and attract the attention of the local population.
“The community is growing and developing every day. It's really inspiring," Frank said. "Ultimately, this is what we all want as a community for the scene to continue to grow."
Although the three are just starting out, they are constantly surrounded by and influenced by all styles of music, from ghetto house, a sub-genre of house music that originated in Chicago and includes at least 808 and 909 percussion, to groovy techno.
“I like to go experimental and explore different types of sounds. I don't like being limited to certain voices," Loft said.
Luna says the Tarrant County DJ community is very close-knit. That was the main thing he admired in this scene.
"The same people who inspire me are now my friends and I'm so grateful to be a part of it all," Luna said.
Juan Salinas II, reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at juan.salinas@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter .
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