Dallas Observer Mixtape With B3: Mu, Funktionen & More

Bryan Gonzalez DJs under the moniker B3. B3 is part of a small number of musicians in the area who play in bands in addition to DJing. He plays in the Dallas-based and Dallas Observer Music Awards-nominated band Mayta. Gonzalez's DJ game is a whole other ball of wax. His mixes have the feel of a musical journeyman genre hopping effortlessly while maintaining a very persistent four-on-the-floor pulse with a polyrhythmic funk. This week's Mixtape finds Mu's "Paris Hilton," Delta Funktionen and even local hero Brett Johnson all sharing space on the track list to a bouncy floor filler.




Dallas Observer: How did you get started DJing?

B3: An uncle of mine is a DJ and he would practice at his house and I’d sit there and watch for hours on end. He would mix disco with music from Depeche Mode or OMD. I couldn’t believe it. It was my first music school. I got my first pair of tables when I was 12. I started playing lots of hip hop, Miami bass and early freestyle then slowly graduated to disco and house music.

How long have you been DJing?

I think the "serious" DJing has been going on for a little over 10 years.

How was this mix made?

This was a DJ set I did for my friend Dezi 5 at his party about a week ago. I try to record all my gigs. This was simply the most recent.

Is there a particular theme for the track selection?

Not really. Just my love for bass-heavy music. I try to mimic music that I love. I try to translate the things that I love in crazy rock music like the Mars Volta or the funky vibes from listening to Fania Records over to electronic music. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but that’s how I feel it.

What DJs have had a profound impact on you?

In the beginning for me it was Armand Van Helden and Danny Tenaglia. Sneaker Pimps' "Spin Spin Sugar (Armand Remix)" was one of the first vinyls I owned and it just blew my mind. It still does. But people like Chemical Brothers, Roni Size, Squarepusher and Aphex Twin changed my perspective. More recently, though, have been the locals. We’re lucky to live in Dallas. There are plenty of people doing really great DJ sets and making really good music — Left/Right, JWho, John Baugh, Redeye and Cygnus just to name a few. On the "other side" of music, my boys Faded Deejays always put up a great party!

What is your most memorable music moment of the past year as a DJ?

I can’t pinpoint a single moment, but whenever that one person takes the time out of their day to tell you they like your set. For me that’s pretty meaningful because not a lot of people do that.

Do you have a preference between DJing and playing live?

The age of digital set-ups have been great at making it easy for us to play. I really like that. I will always love and prefer the vinyl sound and feel. But I don’t miss hauling crates and turntables around much. I also play in a band and I love that I get to experiment live and of course… I get plenty of that physical work, haha!

What genres do you gravitate towards most?

I’m knee deep in all the bass-heavy house music coming out right now. But I’m also really interested in labels like Turbo, Detroit Underground, Ghostly and Ninja Tune. In my sets I tend to jump genres a little bit to keep myself interested.

Where do you like to dig for tracks? Any specific websites or stores?

I dig in all the big sites like a lot of people do. But I also enjoy services like Drip.fm where they bring you closer to the labels. But I think it’s really good to go straight to the artists and see what they do and what kind of people they roll with. I find things get really interesting.

What is in your near future as a DJ?

I’ve been involved in projects like Ghetto Gardens and Brainwave but I’m really working on solo material. I hope to get my hands really dirty with production work and play as much as possible.

Tracklist:
00: Do you wanna wake up?
01: Mu - Paris Hilton
02: Idiotproof - The Deacon (Duke Dumont Live from Brooklyn Remix)
03: Girl Unit - Wut (Claude VonStroke Undressed Remix)
04: Kill Frenzy - Answering Machine
05: Sharon Phillips - Want 2/Need 2 (Switch Remix)
06: Delta Funktionen - Reality Is Here
07: Justin Jay - Hit It
08: The Chemical Brothers - Go (Claude VonStroke Remix)
09: Sage Armstrong - What's Yo Tempetcha?
10: JETS - The Chants
11: Breach - Purple
12: Catz 'n Dogz - I Bought It All
13: Will Clarke - Hit Me
14: Justin Martin & Ardalan Ft. Party Patty - Function VIP
15: Felipe Kastegliano - After the After (Brett Johnson's After Infinity Mix)