How to Build Your Vinyl Collection, According to DJ Sober

When it comes to North Texas DJ culture, one name seems to stand out immediately. DJ Sober, born Will Rhoten, has been making crowds move and groove for the last several decades, and it’s earned him a spot on DFW’s nighttime scene Mount Rushmore.

He's spun at just about every hot club around, opened for big concerts, headlined special events and even played a Dallas Mavericks halftime show to a packed arena.

Sober has done it all, and his love of music hit him at an early age.

“I remember going over to my friend’s house after school to hang out and jump on his trampoline," he says. "He played the Beastie Boys’ License To Ill tape on his boombox and that was it. I knew I wanted more of what I was hearing. He dubbed me a copy that day and I was hooked.”

It didn’t take long for him to fall in love with vinyl and the art of DJing.

“When I saw someone actually DJing live at a house party, I knew deep down that I had to learn," he says. "It’s all I thought of after that day.”

He eventually got his hands on some equipment and practiced in his room, and later took his talents into the public eye.

“I originally just wanted to do it for myself," he says. "It was a passion from day one. Now it’s a passion that turned into a career.”

He’s come a long way from spinning in his bedroom. He now owns Oak Cliff burger joint Herby's, named after his dog, which naturally has the greatest jukebox selection in town. And he’s been at the center of some pretty great parties.

“The Mavs halftime show I did two months ago is definitely up there," he says. "Such a surreal experience.”

But he’s also performed all over the country and across the globe.

“I’ve DJed in Australia, Italy and Berlin," he says. However, he says traveling for parties isn’t necessary.

“Sometimes the most intimate parties in your own backyard are the most special,” he adds.

Sober has been deep in the vinyl game since his earliest days. He’s watched his record collection grow and shrink, then increase again.

“My collection is currently sitting at about 2,200 records," he says. "I’m about to sell some and slim things down a bit. I do this every several years. It’s nice to reassess and look at what you actually play.”

He views that ebb and flow as part of the collecting process.

“I used to have double what I have now," he says. "When I sold half my collection, it made buying more fun again.”

Unlike some DJs, Sober’s collection is nearly pristine and it’s gorgeously organized and stored with respect. But he affirms that it’s no museum archive.

“I am pretty particular, but I still play my records and use them," he says. "I don’t want to have a record that I don’t play. I just treat them with care.”

As far as building a vinyl collection is concerned, Sober offers some great advice.

“Go record shopping/digging with veteran DJs and music heads," he says. "Knowledge is power and people that have been doing this for ages will put you up on so much heat. When I got into buying records, I’d go on missions with older DJs and they would pass me tons of records, because they already had them. It was constantly [saying], ‘You have this? You need this!’ No matter how deep in the game you are, you can never know it all. That’s the joy of music, It’s so vast and endless. There’s always new things to discover.”

Sober still brings his records with him to some of his gigs.

“I think people are enthralled when someone plays records, because you don’t see it as often as digital,” he says.

He also offers a pretty simple plan for anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps.

“Practice! Just lock yourself in your room and get creative," he says. "If you think you’ve got a transition down, do it 10 more times. Perfect your craft, educate yourself on different types of music, and take chances. Be yourself and you will carve your own lane.”