The times and styles change so much that you usually have to change with them. I started spinning in 1988 so the music back then was very different than it is now. I played all kind of house, new wave, old hip-hop, and even industrial. As the styles changed and the rave culture really took over, I expanded into hardcore and early jungle as well as some house, progressive house and breaks. This is all before 1994. I used to buy everything that came out that seemed decent. Now, I am very picky about what I buy. I have a certain sound that I want to be known for. It's actually really hard to maintain because the music with the style I want is hard to find these days. Everything seems so angry and dark. Songs seem to sound aggressive and evil that the fun seems to have been sucked right out dance music. It's hard to find my sound in the genre I spin but I manage. As far as the music I produce now, I have come a long way but I still have a certain style that people have come to know me for. That's exactly what I want. In a way, I feel l am sort of out in left field in the Dallas dance community because of the music I play and produce. I definitely have my own vibe and I know I don't sound like a clone of other DJs in the city or in the nation. Where it feels like curse locally, abroad it's a blessing. Every time I leave the state I get crazy turnouts with mad fans. It makes it all worth it. Nothing beats a crowded room of kids dancing, smiling, and sweating to your music offerings or signing autographs on your records that kids actually went out and bought.

Funk. Plain and simple. I am strictly about fun and funky music. I'm a big hip-hop head so my music sort of extends from that love. Really heavy beats and breaks, phat bass lines, clever samples…nice groovy stuff that when you hear it, you immediately start moving. I always scratch during my sets and in my productions, which also stems from my hip hop background. Now when I say hip-hop, I mean real hip hop. Gang Starr, De La Soul, ATCQ, The Roots, Jedi Mind Tricks, Outerspace, just to mention a few. Not the bling-bling, 22 inch rim, platinum fronts, and hizzoes crap that the radio force-feeds everyone. That stuff is pathetic and is ruining the genre.

Basically, I'm known as a breakbeat dj, even though I don't like titles because titles end up categorizing things and when that happens, they get separated. My sound is very "hip-hop, housed up, breakbeat, looped and scratched for your dancing pleasure". I DJ for one reason and that is to make people dance.

DJ Premier and Pete Rock, two of my favorite hip-hop producers, inspire me the most from my beats to my bass lines. If you ever listen to anything DJ Premier does, you can hear the raw grittiness of realness. The beats are so thick and heavy. His clever use of samples and bass lines make him easily the best hip hop producer of all time in my book. Pete Rock's steez is almost a bit more musical and on a smoother tip. The best thing about both of these guys; they still scratch. What happened to the REAL DJs of hip hop? It's all just some kid with a drum machine and a keyboard and about 50 carbon copy MCs. Premier and Pete Rock along with the respective MCs or counterparts keep the real hip hop vibe alive along with many others.

Well, I dig quite a few bands. I'm a big fan of The Dandy Warhols, Blur, Weezer, Fountains of Wayne, Celeibrity, The Foo Fighters, STP, Rooney. I like older bands like the original Big Audio Dynamite, New Order, The Specials and reggae which influences my series of "Fire" tracks which I produce periodically. I don't know if hip hop counts as non-electronic but, I listen to Talib Kweli, Gang Starr, De La Soul, Jedi Mind Tricks, Louis Logic, Mos Def.

Two records that I can't wait to drop each weekend are "Both Knees" by an Irish group called Splitloop and the Stanton Warriors remix of "Dude Descending a Staircase" by Apollo 440. Both slamming tracks with a lot of power and groove.

Djing and producing actually help me find myself as a person over the years. I am a totally different person now than I was several years ago because of it. One thing I love about DJing is the ability to convey a message through the records I play and my actions on the tables with total freedom. Not everyone has the opportunity to show their art and get instant positive feedback. I pick specific records to play because I am sending a specific message. When I get the reply back from the crowd that I'm working for, the feeling is like nothing else. Knowing you have the power to make people smile and dance and just generally feel good because of what you are offering is quite a natural high. It's especially uplifting when I play my own records from my label, and I get the hands in the air and hear the yells and screams and the acknowledgment that they are aware that it's my work of art. It's an amazing thing.

Locally, I know Core, Bill's, and ATPT carry my records. However, you can find them on several online stores such as Release Records in Toronto, Vinyl Addiction, HTFR, and Juno Records in the UK, DJ Culture(Simply Jeff's record store in LA and whom is a big supporter of Stellar Music), Satellite Records in New York, Planet X records in Florida and many more.

One of my recent events thrown by Breakfest in Toronto back in September was probably my favorite gigs. I headlined on Labor Day weekend and the party was actually called "Labour of Love". Gotta love that. When I got to the gig, one of the locals, Big League Chu, was on the decks. The crowd was going off. From the front of the stage to the back of the club. And this was for their local DJ. When I touched the decks, the love I received from the crowd was overwhelming. I played records that spanned from early 80's to current and the crowd ate it up. When I got off, the next local went on and the crowd didn't budge. That's what I wish I could see here in Dallas.

Besides my weekly Saturday spot in the video bar at The Lizard Lounge, I'm doing Pittsburg in February. I'm in talks right now for a small tour of Korea and Japan and I will be doing a mini-tour in Canada thanks to Pure Phunk records for which I did a remix for new artist Dislexik. It will be released in early 2004. I just got back from London and was approached to do a gig over there as well.

I don't know what to think of the Dallas scene. I don't think I understand it anymore. I barely feel like I'm part of it. I rarely DJ at huge local events and when I do, I'm usually on REALLY early like I'm some newbie when my style of music is really party music. This seems to be the curse of being a "funky breaks" DJ. I read the boards and I see people complaining about there not being enough of this type of music or events. I wish I could understand what everyone really wants. For example, I see posts about people wanting to hear a specific kind of music such as breakbeat. None of these people ever come out to weekly gigs but, if a big name rolls into town, all of a sudden they show all kinds of support to that one person on that one night. They act like this person is the reason why a genre exists when there were local DJs spinning the stuff years before.

The respect seems to have escaped us as a city. With the times being hard and the economy slumped, the attitudes have lowered as well. The scene is what everyone makes it. There needs to be value brought back to the electronic scene. People only seem to see value in a big name or whomever "they" say is popular. What people need to understand is popularity does not equal quality. There are DJs in this town that can blow the roofs off of clubs. I personally know local DJs that can spin circles around some of the biggest names in the industry. But, it seems to me that it's not worth it to support DJs locally. Most kids talk about hating this club or this type of music. One of the most ridiculous things I've heard was someone saying they hate breaks but loved garage/2-step. Another example was someone who hated house but loved hard house. It's just ridiculous the thinking of today. Everything is so separated and segregated and that is why the scene doesn't seem to stand on its own.

As cheesy as this sounds, there needs to be a new unity. The Dallas Dance scene needs a nice clean slate and a new attitude. People need to step back and think, "What do I really want?" and then try to seek it out without the influence of "he said/she said". So many people base their likes and dislikes on hearsay. There is a lot of music out there, lots of good DJs, and a lot of places to enjoy it. The scene can only thrive if the true love and respect is there. Until people understand that, they'll never get what they want. It's the same in life.

One thing I can't stand is when DJs "fake the funk". I've seen "big name" DJs, who should know better, fake tweaking the knobs on the mixer to make an unknowing crowd think that it's them tweaking the 303 line that is actually on the record playing. I've seen DJs act like they're scratching when the scratch is actually on the record they're playing. I can't stand people who yell and scream obscenities on a microphone to cover up their bad mixing or music selection and even more annoying is when uneducated people actually think it's amazing and scream for it. Those aren't DJ skills. Those are gimmicks. Also, I'm sick of bootlegs. DJs that steal other people's dance music or hit music and re-release it with a new beat or somewhat re-worked music only to reap the benefits of someone else's work. It's sad and cowardly and what's worse, the songs are usually barely a month old.

I'm probably going to forget people so I'll try to remember those whom I've stayed in communication with or heard from recently. Locally: My original crew The Pozitribe(DJ Krispe, DJ Diverse, and Cody Bates, OKC), Michelle Mueller, The Lizard Lounge, DJ Midway, Will, Kelly Reverb, Merritt, K2, Lou, Diverse Soulz, 4-Peace, Reggie Zeno, Manndogg & Stacia, Funk W, Jeff K, Clynt B, Phooka, Lacy & Squirt at Illmatic, Bill's, Core Records, Johnny Funk and ATPT, all the people who come out to the Lizard Lounge every weekend and show their support and I know I'm leaving people out but, there's no less love.

Abroad: Simply Jeff, Uberzone, Krafty Kuts(UK), Sweewiff(UK), Nukie, The Breakfest crew(Toronto), D-Tribe(DC), Ali B and Fabric & Air Recordings(UK), Dan and Pure Phunk Records(Toronto), Wes and Womped Records(Toronto). Malente and Unique Records(Dusseldorf), Watts Music in New York, Unique Distributing (UK), XLR8R Magazine, Rinse Magazine, URB Magazine, Dotmusic.com, Resident Advisor, Vinyl Addiction and Release Records.

I'd like to invite everyone who likes to dance out to the Lizard Lounge on Saturday nights in the video bar. Come out and have some fun. Also, several DJ Love remixes and releases coming out soon. First up, the sixth release from Stellar Music, "Contact: The Remixes", a double pack featuring remixes from UK producers Scissorkicks and Stabilizer, finished copies in promo stage now. Recently released, DJ Love remix of "Original Styles" by The Electrician out on Womped Records. Also released earlier in the year, remix of "Til I Die" by German artist, Malente on Unique Records Dusseldorf. Coming up, remix of "Fine Ladies Only" by Kelly Reverb on Lone Star Records due out in early 2004. Remix of "An Air of Dawn" by Dislexik on Pure Phunk records due out in early 2004. The seventh release from Stellar Music, "Flowin'" featuring another remix from Stabilizer completely finished and waiting for manufacturing. A downtempo b-boy breaks EP featuring several artists including Big League Chu and Stabilizer in production now. Some new hip hop singles featuring local MC Leon The Professional on Nova Lab Records, a division of Stellar Music. Visit www.stellarmusic.com for music downloads and news.