Dallas Observer Mixtape with Kerim Bey: British Murder Boys, Oscar Mulero & More

Kerim Bey is part of a techno subculture that has been re-emerging in Dallas over the past year. He brings a depth of knowledge about this legacy genre that has not been seen in this region in more than a decade. Bey mostly operates in the darker post-industrial side of techno, sometimes more akin to the heavy grind of metal than the soulful bump of house, but still very dance floor friendly. He’s also launched his own imprint called Temporal Loop,  focused on Texas techno producers. For this week’s mixtape, Bey takes us on a tour of the outer fringes of modern experimental techno and all of its bass thumping glory.


Dallas Observer: How did you get started deejaying?
Kerim Bey: Back when I was a drummer I had a room full of other instruments: guitars, keyboards, tons of effects — all low-grade mind you. The one thing that was lacking was turntables, so I grabbed two old Gemini vinyl turntables to have fun with, just mainly thinking turntablism stuff, just effects and additions to my band’s tracks. I had no idea at the time that it would become my favorite. I didn’t think anything could get between me and drumming.

How was this mix made? Is there a particular theme for the track selection?
I made this mix with two Reloop RMP-3 Alpha CDJs, an Audio Technica LP120 vinyl turntable and a Behringer Nox606 mixer, which is pretty much a clone of the Xone92. The theme for this mix was to stay heavy, raw, obscure, dark and relatively fast. Mainly that’s just what I am into coming from a metal background. All the tracks are relatively new.

What is your relationship with Dallas DJ culture?
At the moment I do not see myself as a big player. This year I plan to change that. I have been taking time to observe the beauty of it all, like who are the main players, who are the tastemakers and what’s the heartbeat of the Dallas techno scene. So for the past year I have been a big fan and supporter while focusing on my production skills and launching my own techno label Temporal Loop.

Do you still buy vinyl?
For sure. I stopped spinning vinyl for several years and sold my old decks but recently started back up and felt so stupid for stopping. Everything about vinyl I love. The feel of the record, the digging for choice tracks and building a collection. It’s a definite game changer in my eyes. If you’re a DJ and do not have a vinyl collection, you should. It teaches more appreciation for each track in my opinion.

Where do you like to dig for tracks?
I use Beatport, Bandcamp, Hardwax, Juno, Amoeba Music, Discogs, Redeye Records, local shops, really anywhere and everywhere I can find quality techno, industrial, noise and dark ambient tracks. I listen to different podcasts daily and keep a notebook of all my favorite labels and artists and check weekly for new releases.

What new producers have been getting you excited?
Without a doubt my labelmate Jerry Davalos aka Yin Yang Audio from Houston excites me every time he sends me new productions to listen to for release on the label. Also Tommyfourseven, Ansome and Scalameriya, to name a few.

What is the story behind your label Temporal Loop?
Temporal Loop is in its infancy still. I have kept it a Bandcamp-only label for the time being.
I wanted a [way] to mesh all the outlier sounds in the techno realm. Initially it was going to be a Dallas-only label, then Yin Yang Audio from Houston got wind thanks to M. Parks and it quickly became a statewide label. I am looking to put out harder styles of techno, broken beat techno, noise, industrial and dark ambient. I guess you could say I am not looking for a particular genre but more of a particular attitude or mood that surrounds the artist and music.

What other genres of music do you frequently listen to, outside of dance music?
I still will listen to metal from time to time but more often if I am not listening to techno it's gonna be dark, ambient stuff. I like to just lay on the floor and let those tracks take me away to a place where reality doesn’t exist. I have gotten to the point where I do not care for lyrics so much. I am also building a nice classical vinyl collection, so I enjoy hearing a good score from time to time.

What gigs do you have coming up?
At this time I have nothing set in concrete. I know I will be playing with the Cross Border Warrior crew in the coming months. I really plan to hit the ground running in 2017 with gigs. I’ve spent so much time focusing on production techniques and launching my label, I have not really pursued trying to play out to much. What I am really wanting to do is set up a night of full throttle techno with some like-minded artists. I see more and more fans are getting interested in the underground sounds. Now would be a perfect time to set something up like that.

Tracklist:
British Murder Boys — "Hate is Such a Strong Word [Counterbalance]"
Brett Relish — "Pip Pip (Flug Remix) [Eternal Drive Recordings]"
Frederik Hatsav & Measure Divide — "Coil 1 (Original Mix) [Nachtstrom Schallplatten]"
DJ Emerson — "Anonymous (Original Mix) [CLR]"
CTRLS — "Charge (Original Mix) [TOKEN]"
Reeko — "Dead Animal (Original Mix) [POLEGROUP]"
Michel Lauriola — "Never Happen (Original Mix) [Animal Farm Records]"
Axkan — "Abnormal (DOUBT Remix) [SecreTechno]"
Xhin — "Blade Moth (Original Mix) [Stroboscoipc Artefacts]"
Fusky — "Impractical Scenario (Original Mix) [Brood Audio]"
Dubit — "Encelado (Alhek's Elliptical Orbit) [Par Recordings]"
Farceb — "Hyperion (Original Mix) [MindTrip]"
Flug — "X28 (Original Mix) [Format Records]"
Jose Pouj — "Mycobacterium (NX1 Remix) [Injected Poison Records]"
Farceb — "Phase Modulation (Original Mix) [Arts]"
Bas Mooy — "Owl In Daylight (Original Mix) [Mord]"
Israel Toledo — "Antibiotik (Luis Flores Remix) [Strawberry Digital Made Recordings]"
Lewis Fautzi — "Binary (Oscar Mulero Remix) [Soma Records]"

To learn more about Bey, visit his Facebook, SoundCloud or Twitter.