Kenny Lucas aka R.A. Four has been spinning vinyl for a little over a year now, starting only last March. The electro, ambient DJ got his start at Murray Street Coffee Shop, when owner Doug Davis sent out a Tweet looking for a sub-DJ for a Wednesday night. One of Lucas' friends volunteered him, and a year later R.A. Four is still spinning, but on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays. R.A. Four puts on a pretty imperturbable set with electronic infused, ambient tunes, and his techniques are old school as he uses nothing more than a couple of turntables, a mixer, and of course, his record collection.
You can catch him every Tuesday night from 7:30-10pm, spinning vinyl at Murray Street Coffee Shop. In the meantime, check out his exclusive Dc9er mix after the jump.
DC9ER-Q&A
How long have you been DJing for?
It has been one year as of this March.
What was your first gig like?
A bit nerve racking, but after the third beer all those uneasy feelings dissipated.
Who/what are some of your biggest influences musical or otherwise?
A combination of things happened that reshaped my taste in music. At the end of the 90s I had completely fallen out of love with anything Rock-N-Roll related. I started looking in different IRC channels for music and ended up downloading a horrible quality MP3 of Squarepusher's "A Journey to Reedham (7am mix. And I started going to club One with my friends.
Which DJ's do you follow? Do you have a favorite?
None specifically, I have spent a lot of time in the Expo area and have been fortunate enough to hear just about every new DJ coming up in the past six years at either the Monkey Bar, Minc or Fallout. I do try to support the people I know personally.
What's your favorite genre of music, both to play and to listen to?
Most flavors of "electronic dance music", jazz, soul, funk; what I listen to and what I play out are pretty seamless.
How do you decide what songs you're going to play?
Whatever I have purchased or rediscovered in the past week; but, most of the time before I leave the house, a record will catch my eye and I'll end up repacking my record box with something completely different than I had originally selected.
How much preparation goes into putting a set together?
I have a vague structure I tend to stick to: Start with ambient atmospherics, switch to four-on-the-floor and finish up with totally random shit.
What are your main objectives when it comes to playing music? (Are you looking to entertain the crowd, educate them, or something different altogether?)
Playing the music I like and that I think an audience of strangers will tolerate.
What can someone expect when they come to see/hear you play?
Hearing something that didn't know they liked or hearing something they might have forgotten they loved.
What kind of equipment do you use?
Two turntables, a mixer and a box or two of records.
Requests. Love em or hate em?
Have yet to get one.
If you could play a gig anywhere, with any other DJ/music act, whom would you play with and where would it be?
Sunrise in a park, playing a House version of "Product Placement". Stringing together four bars of every decent track that has sampled "Strings of Life" or "Mentasm"; something like that just for fun.
What sets you apart from other DJs in Dallas/Denton/Fort Worth?
The most obvious is that I play vinyl; which I didn't realize was such an oddity until I was asked, "Can I look through your CDs?" and "What software do you use?" And an every changing mix of genres and styles. I am always digging for records that connect with me on either an emotional level or an sonic level. I don't know what it is going to be a week or a month from now, but I am pretty confident it will be fresh.
When/where will you be playing next?
Tuesdays, 7:30 to 10:00, at the Murray Street Coffee Shop.
What can Dallas expect to see from you in 2010?
I'll continue to be at Murray Street. I'd like play out somewhere with a dance floor, that would be fun challenge. Make more mixes, compulsively buy more records, and continue to work on the technical side of DJing.
DC9er, Vol. 6 Tracklist:
Speedy J - Grogono
Bop - Ataraxia
H Foundation - Doo Ya!
Lee Curtis - And Counting
Martinez - Soul Glow
Danny Howells - In Black
Compuphonic & Kolombo - Passing Light
Flairs - Truckers Delight
Helsinki 78-82 - Cruising
Cassian - Final Round
Adele - Hometown Glory (High Contrast Remix)
