Dallas Observer Mixtape with Brent Nuro: Kate Simko, Nick Hoppner and More

Brent Nuro transplanted to Dallas after cutting his teeth in the Kansas City scene. Nuro can now be found playing at the Nothing But Techno residency at Crown & Harp. For this week's mixtape, he drops deep into the vortex of techno vibes more common at Berlin's Panorama Bar than at the average Dallas bar affair. Given how many Techno DJs have been rearing their heads in Dallas it seems there is a bonafide electronic renaissance giving vets like Nuro a voice.
Dallas Observer: How did you get started DJing? How long have you been at it?

Brent Nuro: I grew up in the suburbs of Kansas City and when I was 18 a good friend of mine moved into the city and got an apartment that was walking distance from the local record store. So naturally this was our hang out spot on Friday and Saturday nights. He ended up getting a pair of turntables and a mixer and we just started mixing music in his living room. This was in the fall of 2000, so I have been playing records for about 15 years.

Is there a particular theme for the track selection?

I recently got back from a three-week holiday traveling from Germany to Italy. This mix was recorded a few days after being back home in Dallas and thinking about the train rides we took through the mountains from Austria into Italy.

Where do you dig for tracks for your sets?

I, fortunately, have a great tribe of friends from back home who are always sending music back and forth. I am always learning about new stuff from them. I also dig for items on Discogs, Juno, Soundcloud and of course Beatport.

What is your take on the Berlin club experience versus here?

It has been said before but it's still very true: Berlin is a lot like Detroit. For me the experience was raw and inviting. The event-goers seemed more open to listen and participate with the music, and thus the DJs and artists took more chances. There was less emphasis placed on one’s self and more placed on the party as a whole. You might see a few people on their phones but only briefly. Most people were engaging with other patrons either around the bar or on the dance floor.

What DJs and producers have had a significant impact on you as an artist?

I take a lot of my inspiration from the people I play with. I always like to hear what people around me are working on and listening to their thoughts on this type of music. As far as the big boys who have influenced me over the years: KiNK, Recondite, Mr. Scruff, Dimitri From Paris, Derrick Carter, Mr. Fingers, Hawtin, T.B. Author and Huerco S.

How did you get into production?

I have only really dabbled in production. It started out because I did a weekly Friday night gig for about three years and I wanted to have fresh material each week, so I would chop up little edits to play. This grew into doing some bootleg house music stuff around 2005; those can be found on my Soundcloud page. These days I still do some edits for my shows, but don’t really produce much. Every now and then I will start a new project but they rarely get fleshed out enough for public consumption. They find their way into my sets from time to time.

What other genres of music do you enjoy outside of dance music?

I grew up listening to punk rock and second and third wave ska. But now if I am not listening to techno, I am searching out disco, funk and R&B. I do have a special place in my heart for really bad, trashy hip-hop.

What gigs do you have coming up?
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Currently I am working with the kind folks from Proton doing a bi-monthly show at The Crown & Harp called Nothing But Techno. The residences are Bon Spengler, Shelby Boszor, Corey Spengler and myself. We focus more on the deeper, more dub side of the techno spectrum. The event takes place the second and last Thursdays of the month in the upstairs room. We have a Facebook page that people can check out to keep up to date and also catch podcast recordings of our nights.

Tracklist:
1. Bloody Mary - Arabesque (Jin Choi Remix)
2. Kate Simko - Zhivago
3. LA-4A - America Kid (Matrixxman Remix)
4. Nick Höppner - Relate (The Black Madonna Remix)
5. Huxley - Weapon
6. JPLS - Acid Resonator
7. Uun - DTA
8. Virulent - The Scarred Heart
9. Aaron Litschke - Side Step (Justin Kase Remix)
10. MM:MS - Gamma
11. LA-4A - Sweat
12. SERi (JP) - Acid Room 3