Seven Is the Magic Number for DJ Tone Hunts

There’s something special about spinning real vinyl in a sea of DJs using laptops and thumb drives. People notice. They’ll stop and stare, take pictures and video, and they’ll appreciate the skill required to keep the beat going without the aid of a sync button. 

Antonio Huntington, better known in the club world as Tone Hunts, knows this well. It’s challenging enough when he’s spinning 12-inch remixes with long intros, breaks and outros, but Huntington decided to step it up a notch, becoming one of the city’s premier 7-inch DJs.  

Despite the added skill level needed to keep a 7-inch party going (the songs are usually shorter with truncated intros and breaks, and there’s less surface area to control for cueing and scratching while the shallow, tight grooves accentuate any scratches or skips), Huntington was attracted to the unique nature of the format.

“I didn’t start playing 7-inch records until I joined Fresh45s crew four years ago,” Huntington tells us. “There’s a lot of great songs on 7-inch records. Sometimes the 7-inch version is different from the album version.”

Still, the format comes with its own added challenges of spinning — Huntington jokes that the lightweight nature of the smaller records actually makes it easier.

Starting ’em Young

Huntington first started buying vinyl during the golden age of hip-hop, saving up his lunch money and hitting up the local Sound Warehouse on the way home from high school. But he fell in love with records at an even earlier age.  

“Growing up watching my father buying records from the local record store, he taught me how to put a record on the turntable,” he says. “I was only 5 years old.”

Eventually, his collection grew big enough that he and his friends would get together to spin and swap records, playing the newest tracks every weekend. These get-togethers led him to transition from playing records at home to spinning in public. 

“I got into DJing when I saw a friend of mine had a setup at his house back in 1993,” he says. “It felt great to just learn those basics from him, applying those ideas that I learned from observing him play.”

After his friend helped him get started, Huntington eventually got his first gig.

“The hardest part when first starting out is learning how to transition from one genre to another,” Huntington says. “The first time I tried DJing, I was hella nervous.”

Now, with more than 30 years under his belt, Huntington has picked up a lot of tips to share with younger DJs. He even tutors a couple of aspiring DJs in his spare time between his regular gigs. When asked where to start, he says, “Make sure you find the genres that you’re into, set up a playlist and practice every day. Bring something that’s gonna get people dancing and have a night to remember.”

He also knows that each venue is different and has different needs, so it’s important to cover the essentials.

“Make sure you get there early for soundcheck,” he suggests. “Bring your own headphones and needles.”

Ear to the Streets

With North Texas having such a tight DJ community, Huntington easily names off local regulars like Luke Sardello, DJ Sober, Willie Dutch, Tony Schwa, DJ Dogstyle and Gabe Mendoza as some of his favorites to watch spin. But he admits that nearly any vinyl set can make for a euphonious experience.  

“People enjoy seeing that vinyl DJs still exist and are able to hold the party down with just playing vinyl,” Huntington says.

Despite dedicating himself to the cult of the 7-inch and even buying custom 7-inch Reloop turntables made specifically for spinning the smaller format, he still shows plenty of love to the bigger discs.

“I still play 12-inch records. … I play them both equally,” he says. 

Above all, he boils his philosophy down to the belief that it is ultimately not about the format or the equipment used, as long as the DJ can connect with the crowd. Huntington says the clubs have always put faith in him.

“They trusted me enough to know I’ll bring the vibes,” he says.