DJ INDO, born Ricky Roe, grew up with music as an integral part of his life, and it was his love for music, alongside inspiration from his father and brother, that led him to DJ.
When he first got started, nearly four years ago, DJ INDO explored a wide variety of sounds: "I would try spinning all types of house, then breakbeat, then some drum and bass, then techno and so on. I spun with Genova during our weekly at the Cavern, where I was really influenced by his interest in B-more, Electro, and Nu disco."
And while INDO claims to "love it all," it wasn't until this year that he finally found a sound that suited him. And that sound? It's a mixture of funk, jackin, Chicago, and deep house--a sound, he says, has been "definitely influenced by soul, funk, R&B, jazz and hip-hop."
Curious to hear his unique style? You can check DJ INO out at "Groove Suite 2" at Fallout Lounge In Expo Park on Saturday, August 28. And, in the meantime, make sure to check out his exclusive DC9er mix and Q&A after the jump.
How long have you been DJing for?
About three and a half years.
How did you get your start DJing?
I remember my brother playing recorded cassette tapes of DJ Merritt's
"Edge Club" in the late '90s in his car and just being blown away. After
growing such a huge love for music since childhood, learning multiple
instruments and attending many shows, I naturally became curious as to
how or what DJing is. I did a little research, bought some gear, and
began to practice. I started by playing to a whopping audience of one: Myself. All and all, my dad, my brother, and DJ Merritt got me into
DJing though. Props to them!
What was your first gig like?
Very intimidating. I started playing at home as just a hobby, and
probably annoyed the hell out of the neighbors. That was until my friend
in Denton was having a house party for her birthday and invited me out
to play. I hadn't even been playing a year and I was going to be playing with
some other DJ who walked in with a huge crate of vinyl and had been at
it for 10 years! I was so anxious, my hands were soaked with sweat and
shaking franticly. It took about 5 or 6 tries to drop the needle right on
the lead in of the record. But after about 2 or 3 shots of Jack Daniels,
I got in the zone and people were dancing to the music. That moment, where I had the ability to get everyone dancing and alter
their moods from bored drunks to happy entertained drunks through music,
was so gratifying to me that I decided to keep at it. Keep learning.
Keep improving.
Who/what are some of your biggest influences musical or otherwise?
The most credit, I give to my father. We had a tradition every Sunday
morning where we would eat pancakes and my dad would pull a random
record from this huge custom-built wooden cabinet that housed his record
player, vinyl collection and other various collectables he liked to
keep. I became very interested in everything I heard, so I always looked
forward to Sunday. My friends used to give me a hard time because they
would be listening to music that was less than a year old, and here I am
listening to songs that were written before I was born. My brother, Ronny, was also huge influence on the development of my
musical tastes. He'd hook me up with the latest and greatest. When I
wanted a new musical fix, it seemed like my brother always picked gold.
There is not one thing my brother listens to that I dislike one bit. I'm a huge old school/underground hip-hop fan, A Tribe Called Quest being
my favorite. Q-Tip is always on point. Mos Def, Talib, Pharcyde, Pete
Rock, Beastie Boys, Blackalicious, Del, J5, People Under the Stairs,
Colossus, etc. As far as dance music goes, Armand Van Helden's 2 Future 4 U album
introduced me to house. "U Don't Know Me" is still one of my favorite
tracks of all time. The Chemical Brothers' Surrender blew my mind in
1999. Their sound pre- and post- that album was breakthrough. Keoki's
Disco Death Race ("Go Speed Go" makes me laugh every time) and All
Mixed Up mixtapes opened me up to the deep moody side of techno. Daft
Punk, Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method are all excellent, too.
Which DJ's do you follow? Do you have a favorite?
Oh, let's see. Mark Farina has got to be one of my all-time favorites.
Sonny Fodera, Soydan, Giano, Fabio Bacchini, DJ Sneak, Paul Johnson,
Stacy Kidd, Armand Van Helden to name a few. A-Trak, Craze, Mix Master
Mike and Q-Bert have to be some of my favorite turntablists.
What's your favorite genre of music, both to play and to listen to?
To play: Funk/jackin/deep house, downtempo, trip-hop and hip-hop. To listen: Ditto the above. Plus, I love me some Reggae. And whatever else I'm in the mood for. I'm really easy to please.
How do you decide what songs you're going to play?
I kind of have an idea of what to play by knowing the venue I am playing
at and reading responses from people. I am also super organized with
all of my tracks. I tag the tracks on my computer with descriptive
keywords so I can access them on the fly. This allows me to be versatile,
which is a DJ's best weapon.
How much preparation goes into putting a set together?
If I am playing for an hour, I'll spend about two hours sorting tracks
and cutting down to a list of about 30 to 40 tracks that I think will work
for my set. Then it's all mostly improvised from there. I'm all about
the peaks and troughs, too. Constant high or low energy is dull.
What are your main objectives when it comes to playing music? (Are you
looking to entertain the crowd, educate them, or something different
altogether?)
Entertain and educate. Many people don't understand house music around
here, and it's not their fault. It's obviously different from the Top 40
you hear on the radio, and it's unfortunate people expect to hear that
anywhere they go. I go out to clubs/bars to not hear the radio. My goal
is to get everyone intrigued by at least one track and hopefully hang on
to them the entire night by means of on point mixing.
What can someone expect when they come to see/hear you play?
Always expect to have a good time! If I see you smiling, I smile back
and the better I play. Also, expect familiar a cappellas thrown on top of
tracks. I love surprising people with vocals they didn't expect to hear
on a house track.
What kind of equipment do you use?
Two Stanton turntables, a Behringer mixer and a MacBook w/ Traktor vinyl emulation.
Requests. Love em or hate em?
Only if it's relevant and I'm within earshot, then I definitely love 'em.
Your crowd loves you even more because you listen to them.
If you could play a gig anywhere, with any other DJ/music act, whom would you play with and where would it be?
I'd play on the moon! Actually, I would love to play on a beach during
and after sunset with any one of those DJs I listed above. Insanely
dope.
What sets you apart from other DJs in Dallas/Denton/Fort Worth?
I'm extremely modest. Believe it or not, but I don't really care for the
spotlight. I'm not an attention whore. I really enjoy the more intimate
settings where I am spinning at the same level as the crowd. I also
really want people to focus on the music rather than me. I'm just an
afterthought, but I am truly flattered and appreciative when I do get
the attention. At my last gig, everybody started chanting "INDO! INDO!
INDO!," which was really amusing and put a smile on my face. I'm also
after music I feel has a long shelf-life. Nothing worse than buying up
tracks and getting bored of them the following week.
When/where will you be playing next?
Add me on Facebook or check out my SoundCloud to keep updated. But I do have to plug our Groove
Suite party. We will be having "Groove Suite 2" at Fallout on Saturday, August 28.
Last month, we had Dallas house legend, Brett Johnson. This month, we have
another Dallas great, DJ Preach. I think we are starting out the night
again with some superb BBQ and excellent drinks specials. I will be
supporting along with my good friend James Preston.
What can Dallas expect to see from you in 2010?
More Groove Suite parties, good vibes, and good times! Also, James
Preston and I are collaborating on releases we hope to have before the
end of the year.
DC9er tracklisting:
1. Bad Boy - Mousse T.
2. Job Satisfaction (Phil Weeks Remix) - Blakkat
3. Winners - Soydan
4. Chicago Theme - DJ Sneak
5. To Do (Derrick Carter's Farina Experiment) - Mark Farina
6. Ya Body Do (Tommy Largo Remix) -Luis Ramirez and J.A.M.O.N.
7. Funk Counter - Soydan
8. Jet Lag - Mr Patron
9. Face Reality - Jeff Dougler & Balu
10. Got to Get Down - Jackin' Box
11. My First Love - Joey Youngman
12. Don't Want You - Dimitri Max
13. Sing It Back (Boris Musical Mix) - Moloko
14. Pepper funk - Popoviciu Bliss And Toygun
15. Freaky - Steve Dare
16. Love Foolosophy (Knee Deep's Re-edit) - Jamiroquai
