Wanz Dover Prides Himself on Playing Rare Tracks From His 6,000 Vinyl Collection

Wanz Dover is a name that most North Texas music lovers will recognize, simply because it seems to pop up everywhere. Whether it was with one of many bands he played in over the last couple of decades, the music he’s produced, the local spots he DJed, or through his writing (The Observer is one of many publications in which he’s been published over the years), Dover seems to have had his finger in every aspect of music. However, due to his demand as a DJ and the various residencies he has held since the early 2000s, his name is forever linked to the North Texas DJ scene.  

Although he gained credibility as a member of the 1990s-era Denton space rock band Mazinga Phaser, Dover was also known among his circle of friends for having an extensive vinyl collection.  In a pre-streaming era, it was all about knowing that one “music” guy, and Dover was it. He explains, “In the ’90s, my pad always had friends coming over to listen to music in my collection. Back then, it was Krautrock, shoegaze, punk, garage rock, Blue Note bebop, fusion, Steve Reich, Japanese psyche and a myriad of other genres.” 

Dover claims this sparked his foray into DJing. “I was asked to DJ a New Year’s Eve party in Denton. I moved to Dallas a few months later and was offered more DJ gigs as a selector. I did not know how to mix at all.”  He adds, “I was always into electronic music, but more as a weird music curiosity. By 2002, I had started DJing techno-related genres and it snowballed from there.”

His taste for all types of music may have helped him book a variety of gigs over the years, but Dover does have a preferred set. He says, “Dub techno is probably my first choice, but I prefer sets where I can play a mix of techno, broken beat, leftfield and electro.” He feels like this mix of music gives listeners an experience that’s “deep, polyrhythmic and cerebral over a relentless BANG, BANG, BANG!”

As with any true music connoisseur, Dover has found new genres that grab his attention. “I somehow veered toward house music in the past decade. I was not always a house fan, but after travelling to festivals outside Texas, I figured out I just had not heard the house music that spoke to me.” He adds, “My main gigs were playing ’60s and ’70s funk and soul 45s for a very long time. House music is kind of the halfway point between techno and classic funk and soul, so I found my voice there very organically.”

Though his DJ career blossomed in Denton and Dallas, Dover still remembers seeing his first DJ while growing up in Wichita Falls. “The first DJ I saw was Robert Taylor in my hometown at a local club. I was 17 years old and I distinctly remember hearing Human Resource’s ‘Dominator’ and becoming instantly curious and fascinated. Robert left Wichita Falls and went on to become quite the Dallas legend as part of the Hazy Daze Collective – arguably one of the most influential crews involved in the Dallas rave of the ’90s.”

For Dover, it’s more than just pummeling a room full of people with pounding bass dripping with electro-melodies. He prides himself on playing forgotten tracks so rare they aren’t even Shazam-able. He makes an annual mecca up north, where much of his favorite music was born. He says, “Detroit has always been a constant source of inspiration. Starting with Motown when I was a little kid, with MC5 and The Stooges as a young punk, Funkadelic when my funk curiosity was raised, garage rock, J-Dilla; but, most importantly, it is the birthplace of techno and a specific variety of house music that appeals to me.”

Knowing the best places to find rare tracks, he shares, “At one point, Detroit was producing more vinyl than New York or Los Angeles. The population has dramatically shrunk since the ’60s, leaving massive amounts of vinyl in circulation throughout the city. Detroit is kind of a crate-digger’s paradise, unlike any other place in the country. Many of the dance 12-inch records I find there don’t even have streaming releases, which makes crates full of music not being played by other DJs here.”

So, what’s a decades-long hunt for rare tracks look like when shelved in a DJ’s collection? For Dover, he estimates, “I have roughly around 4,000 12” records and approximately 2,000 7″ records. Almost every genre you can think of is represented in my collection, from metal to Motown to techno to Krautrock to ’60s and ’70s country 45s to jazz to punk and beyond.”

Though he admits that most of his heroes are Detroit DJs, he definitely has some local favorites. Dover says, “Local techno phenoms Convextion and ill76 are my favs for techno in town. Willie Dutch is my favorite disco DJ, and it’s not even close. Orbis9 and IAMKRT are two younger DJs who have really caught my ear. I would choose these local artists over most touring acts coming through.”

Dover has slowed down his gigging over the last few years, choosing quality over quantity.  He explains, “I have two residencies, one at LadyLove and another at Charlie’s Star Lounge. I occasionally pick up extra guest slot gigs, but not often. Before the pandemic, I was DJing 10 to 12 nights a month and I was definitely hitting burnout. I’m much happier with my current pace.”

For more DJ features, read about DJ Spinderella and her daughter Christy Ray, DJ Sober, Willie Dutch and Kate Siamro.