Most DJs go through phases as their musical palette evolves, and Shawn Kasal’s DJ journey has brought him to his current alias, Mala Strana, under which he recently signed to local label Audiophile. It reflects the new, deep techno sound Kasal is channeling behind the decks and in his production…

Dallas native JT Donaldson has spent the past two decades making a name for himself as a top-notch house DJ and producer. After years of traveling, in 2011, he returned to Dallas, where he’s worked closely with Josey Records and started his own record label. New Math Records has house…

The legacy of house music in Dallas goes back decades, but part of what keeps it alive is the constant introduction of fresh, young talent. Tony Ellis, who performs under the alias Little Human, is a producer, DJ and artists and repertoire executive for Dallas-based house label Flunked Records, and he’s part…

House music still dominates electronic club music in Dallas, but bass music, techno and electro also made waves in 2017. BRØKEN, Temporal Loop, Texas Recording Underground, Dolfin records and New Math records all played key roles in growing regional electronic talent. Gavin Guthrie’s Texas Recording Underground continued making headway in the…

Last year, Dallas’ underground DJ culture burst at its seams. Audiophile is just one local label that continued to expand its empire through sublabels Audiophile Deep and Audiophile XXL, making its catalogue one of the largest and fasted growing in Dallas. While Audiophile represents producers from all over the world, it…

UK garage is a small niche of house music in the United States, but in the UK, the impact of the genre on pop culture is huge. It’s a more uptempo take on house music, with shuffling beats, and it’s a parent to dubstep. Its most mainstream appearances in the…

For the fourth year in a row, DJ Santa gifts us an Observer mixtape filled with his latest and greatest Christmas jams. In the offseason, Santa travels the world playing his unique brand of “elf house.” This year, he has been part of of the rising tide of Christmas electro…

Michael Todd is a seasoned DJ who has been on the frontline of dance music culture since the ’90s. In that early era, he helped launch the Groov-e Company crew with Britton Schweitzer, DJ Merritt of Edge Club fame and Rob Vaughn. The crew hosted a who’s who of ’90s Dallas…

Chris Houlihan has been working as a DJ in Dallas since the ’90s. House music is a staple of his sets, and he explores all of its many subgenres, from the techy side to more old-school sounds. Houlihan just wrapped up a successful run at the Ivy, where he hosted…

Justin Vaughan began deejaying in Dallas in the early aughts at Deep Ellum dance club Sandbar. These days, he’s active with the party promotion group House of Champagne, which throws a popular rooftop party every weekend at Nora on Lower Greenville. Justin brings the House of Champagne vibe to this…

Athena developed a passion for deejaying as a teenager and has been a mainstay in Dallas’ drum and bass scene ever since. You can find her serving drum and bass platters at Two Tone’s Thursday residency at Wit’s End in Deep Ellum. But her work and experience aren’t limited to…

Herman Glaspie has never chased the spotlight, but as DJ Junkyard he’s a constant presence in the Dallas DJ scene. He’s had his hands on the decks since he was a preteen in the ’80s, playing on his father’s rig. Glaspie often plays old-school, Detroit-influenced techno. For this week’s mixtape,…

Deep Ellum Art Co. has been focusing on low-key local shows since it opened two months ago, but it hosted one of its first touring shows, Lee “Scratch” Perry on Sunday night. Along with King Tubby, Perry pioneered the amorphous reggae subgenre, “dub,” which rose to prominence in Jamaica in…

Aaron Hensley got his start in the mid-’90s rave culture, and two decades later, he still has a special connection to the dance floor. Hensley’s deep roots in house music have informed his deejaying, which is always evolving. He recently branched into deep house and started learning to produce. For…

Unlike generations of DJs before him, Stonewall Klaxon has been glued to a laptop making tracks since he was 11 years old. He played in rock bands before developing an interest in electronic music and eventually finding his niche in trap music. Stonewall Klaxon deejays frequently, which gives him a…

The drum and bass scene in Dallas has a fire underneath it, and Jumbii Soul is just one example. Jumbii Soul is a collaboration between DJs and producers BigESoul and Jumbii. For this week’s Observer mixtape, they’re in full-blown drum and bass mode although their music backgrounds have led them to…

If you ever danced at the early ’90s hotspot S.O.A., you may remember Dee Empty; he’s been behind decks in Dallas for more than two decades. In recent years, Dee Empty has been a member of Tree House Collective, with which he spins bass-heavy house music. As a DJ, he…

Shams emerged as a new face in the Dallas DJ scene this year, regularly manning the decks on the rooftop of Lower Greenville’s Nora with his crew, House of Champagne. He also recently joined the Motif team. Like many of his techno and house peers, he has deep roots in…

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 play Trees Wednesday, Sept. 27. A show at Trees tonight provides an opportunity to get close to late afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti when his youngest son takes the stage. Seun Kuti stepped in as lead singer of Egypt 80 when Fela died in 1997. Seun’s says he…

Joe Castillo is a seasoned vet who cut his teeth when disco was a new thing and Radio Shack existed. Although Castillo is best known for house music, his knowledge reaches into a multitude of niche genres, from country to drum and bass. These days, he can be seen playing…

Yung Cloud is part of a new generation of DJs and promoters who have been making waves in Dallas. He’s affiliated with Prime, a local club promoter, and frequently appears at residencies showcasing local artists Sugar Free and Lolo. He’s an admitted bass music junkie always searching for the latest…