Dallas Observer Mixtape with Jon Wang: Photek, AFX & More

Joe Walker has about two and half decades behind the decks and he's still very much a devotee of the art of mixing vinyl. His knowledge of club music is encyclopedic, backed up by his own mammoth-sized vinyl collection. For this week's mixtape, Walker is performing under his Jon Wang alias. He has delivered a blistering mix of dark and dirty drum and bass. This mix is far from your standard fare. It's a perfect soundtrack for a furiously upbeat dance floor, a moshpit or fist fight. Get your aggression out with DJ Jon Wang.


What is new in your DJ journey?
OK, to start with I’ve added quite a few more records to the still growing collection. Not that I’m a hoarder … I just gotta keep whittling down the wish list that’s still 950 or so deep right now. I’ve also been invited to play out quite a bit more at different events this past year and I’m in negotiations with two different spots for possible residencies in 2017. So the journey continues and the future looks bright as ever.

How was this mix made? Is there a particular theme for the track selection?
This mix was made on my Vestax turntables/mixer and is 100 percent vinyl. As for the track selection I was going for a dark terrorcore style of mix and the order I put them in is the one that made for the best flow in my opinion.

How often do you get to play drum and bass?
At the house or at friends' [houses] I get to play it all the time and I’ve actually been playing at the Wit’s End with the Two:Tone crew here more recently, thanks in part to their open turntable night and the invites to do guest spots with them. Great crew too, by the way.

Do you crate dig?
I’ve always been one to spend hours digging and hunting for that buried treasure I’ve been after for years sometimes, or those gems you didn’t know you needed until you stumbled upon them. Usually it’s a solitary affair because if others accompany you who [aren't] there for the dig they will grow bored quickly and want to go, leaving you a limited amount of time to get your dig on. Other times when you go with another DJ or a group of them you have to hustle to find what you can before all the good stuff is snatched up. The good thing about the guys I go shopping with though is that if we think that a tune is meant for someone else we will offer it up to them because they are meant to have the opportunity to say yes or no to it first.

What has been your top vinyl find in the past year?
Well let’s see ... I think that’d be a toss up between the new Avalanches album and the new Orb album. Both of them are exquisite and therefore tie for top vinyl acquisition.

What is going on with your production life?
I’ve been working on a few new tunes in the studio and saving up for the second release on my own imprint PressYur Trax 2 Vinyl Records which I hope to have out in the first quarter of 2017, if all goes according to plan.

What has been your most significant musical experience of the past year?
There have been a few actually. First was getting to see Kraftwerk for a second time at The Bomb Factory. Then there was the Exposure two-day outdoor field party that was thrown by the people of Love Rich, Soundslike and Our House which was a phenomenally good time, and most recently was the Hellraiser party thrown by the Disco Initiative which truly captured the old school warehouse rave parties of the early to mid '90s.

What gigs do you have in the near future?
I’m doing a party in Austin for New Year's Eve with my buddies DJ Nasty Nate and ChrisP of the Phunkin Good Times Crew and then after the first of the year I should be starting the two new residencies. I don’t wanna give too much away about them just yet, though, to keep from jinxing it.

Tracklist:
1. David Skiba – Fame And Glory
2. Rayner – Here I Come
3. Ray Keith – D4 Toxic Waste (E.O.N RMX)
4. Sree – The Intruder
5. UFO! – Hubcapp
6. Evol Intent - Street Knowledge
7. Freestylers Feat. Pendulum & Sirreal – Painkiller (Noisia Remix)
8. Kosheen – All In My Head (Technical Itch Remix)
9. Photek – Baltimore
10. Cold Fusion Mafia – Psychonomicon
11. Pish Posh – Corrupt Cops (Evol Intent Remix)
12. Loxy & Keaton – Haters (Hive Remix)
13. DJ Crystl – Warpdrive 2004
14. The Bug & Daddy Freddy – Run The Place Red (AFX Mix)