Welcome to our 2011 Dallas Observer Music
Awards breakdown, wherein we'll use the weeks leading up to the DOMA
showcases on Saturday, October 15 (which is also when voting ends), to
explain the nominees in each category Today, we look at the nominees in
the Best New Act, Best DJ, and Best Rap/Hip-Hop Act categories and see how each of
these nominees got to this point. Read up on them, follow the links to
hear their music and, if you're impressed, shoot the band some support
in the first of a text vote sent to 61721 (see codes for each band below
their names).
Best New Act
Datahowler
Text Your Vote: DAL25
Why He's Here: Ross Edman used to do mashups under his Objektiv One moniker. Now, as Datahowler, he does futuristic jazz, fused with hip-hop and electronica. Recently, he's added drums and guitar to his live set-up.
Preteen Zenith
Text Your Vote: DAL26
Why He's Here: The latest project from the wonderful mind of Tim DeLaughter (Tripping Daisy, The Polyphonic Spree), this collaborative effort with the Secret Machines' Phil Karnats combines TD's rock with the Spree's bombast. The band made its debut back at the Gorilla Vs. Bear Fest in July. Now, his band's web site ominously points to 11/11/11 for their next reveal.
The Nighty Nite
Text Your Vote: DAL27
Why He's Here: John Congleton's latest outfit isn't all that different from his previous one, The Paper Chase. If anything, it's a little darker, maybe a little heavier. Considering how dark and heavy The Paper Chase was, you know that means it's intense.
Sealion
Text Your Vote: DAL28
Why He's Here: Surf-punk shouldn't make sense in Dallas, but this upstart outfit, featuring former members of Hats & Statues, somehow makes it work.
Soviet
Text Your Vote: DAL29
Why He's Here: Soviet burst onto the scene back in January with the release of their Forever Today EP. The band's evolved since then, taking their once Japanther-influenced sound in a new Weezer-influenced direction. Still rocks, though.
Two Knights
Text Your Vote: DAL30
Why He's Here: Just a couple of young dudes who play surprisingly tight math rock, is all. Also: They're pretty funny. The dudes named their debut album Quilt Chamberlain, instantly endearing themselves to area basketball fans..
Best DJ
Fishr PryceText Your Vote: DAL109
Why They're Here: Fishr mostly spins hip-hop, but he's been known to switch things up from time to time, dropping a Metallica sample behind a Dorrough beat, or to even try things out on an electro-house level. Point is: Dude is versatile. No wonder he's headed to the national finals of the Red Bull Thr3estyle DJ Competition next month.
DJ G
Text Your Vote: DAL110
Why They're Here: DJ G will and forever should be hailed as the person behind launching the very popular '80s Night parties up in Denton. But don't discount G's efforts on other fronts he's no nostalgia whore. G specializes in underground synth-heavy sounds.
Sober
Text Your Vote: DAL111
Why They're Here: Since being an integral member of The Party, which helped revitalize DJ culture in Dallas in the mid-'00s, Sober has branched out on his own, and quite successfully. At gigs -- and especially his popular Big Bang1 night every Thursday at Beauty Bar -- he and can will spin everything, so long as it keeps the party energy high.
Tony Schwa
Text Your Vote: DAL112
Why They're Here: Schwa's had an interesting year, with his popular Monday night moving from the Cavern to Bar Celine and, finally, to Beauty Bar. But the nu-disco vibe of the night has never changed.
Wanz Dover
Text Your Vote: DAL113
Why They're Here: Wanz Dover may have the most expansive vinyl collection of any DJ nominated for this award this year. He's got it all, but he also knows his strengths: Dover's best DJs set offerings touch on everything from classic to downright forgotten soul, garageand punk.
Yeahdef
Text Your Vote: DAL114
Why They're Here: What DJ G was to Denton in the mid-'00s, yeahdef has become for the college town in the late-'00s and '10s. Before the '90s became a popular feeding ground for the indie rockers of the day, Yeahdef had the foresight to start a weekly '90s Night at Hailey's. Almost instantly, it became the most popular DJ night in Denton.
Best Rap/Hip-Hop Act
A.Dd+
Text Your Vote: DAL97
Why They're Here: Paris Pershun and Slim Gravy burst onto the scene with the release of their When Pigs Fly free download back in the spring, and they haven't looked back since. taking elements of Southern hip-hop and turning them on their head with smart indie-electro samples, A.Dd+ are just now starting to get the national attention they so rightly deserve.
Damaged Good$
Text Your Vote: DAL98
Why They're Here: Kind of a quiet year for Theodore Beard and Coool Bully, but their reputation for incendiary live performances lives on. Quietly, the duo released a new mixtape this summer. The very, very, very dark Kickin Teef EP is certainly an interesting change of past in this post-swag hip-hop world we live in.
galleryCat
Text Your Vote: DAL99
Why They're Here: Endlessly creative and fun, Angelo Gonzales and his backing band do a great job of combining rock and hip-hop into their live show. This isn't rap-rock; it's rap beefed up with guitar riffs, live drums, some serious bass grooves and live sample triggers.
The Mohicans
Text Your Vote: DAL100
Why They're Here: The Mohicans have yet to release a formal mixtape, but the few free songs the band has released onto the Internet have clearly made an impression, and none more so than "Fa Shiggadow," the duo's post-D-Town Boogie rallying cry.
Sore Losers
Text Your Vote: DAL101
Why They're Here: After some drama early in the summer leading to the departure of producer Brandon Blue, Vincent Brown and the remaining members of his impressive, funked-up live outfit have taken a step back to work on new material and tighten up their live show. We'll be waiting anxiously: Sore Losers has been a big part of the Dallas underground hip-hop scene and its rise in recent years.
Treal Lee & Prince Rick
Text Your Vote: DAL102
Why They're Here: Few local rappers ever get one national hit, let alone two in one year. But that's just what Treal Lee & Prince Rick have done in 2011, thanks to their Boogie smash "Mr. Hit Dat Hoe" and their angry club anthem "Throwed Off." After Dorrough, they may be the scene's most prominent national stars.
