Nestled among the barrios and government housing projects of the impoverished Rio Grande Valley is a majestic vision: a vibrant, underground music movement unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed before.
In an area known mostly for anencephalic babies, rampant immigration problems and spiraling drug epidemic, at least two young men have found music as a form of escapism.
DJ Teenage Wolf
DJ Teenage Wolf, aka Alex Moreno and DJ Spin Laden, aka Jose Acosta have been the focal point of an emerging set of artists dedicated to bringing the bass from South Texas.
“We use to be neighbors growing up — we became best friends playing basketball on my court,” Wolf said. “Our parents made us stop hanging out due to religious differences. We later rekindled our friendship when Spin Laden got turntables — the rest is history.”
It wasn’t long until the two young men began voraciously consuming music, a difficult feat in the music-starved Valley.
“It was strange growing up here,” Wolf said. “There is what seems to be this unknown DIY scene, lots of kids making punk rock and 8-bit jams. That definitely has an influence on the music I make and play now.”
Spin, Wolf and their friend, who goes by the alias DJ Mario Barrio, then started the Culnsweet collective — a team of likeminded artists feeding off each other’s talents, and then launched Tejano Bounce, a popular blog where listeners can download their most recent mixes, though Wolf said there are plans to make Tejano Bounce a full-on digital label.
At a time when the mainstream is just happening to come around to electronic-infused jams — the burgeoning movements of dubstep and fidget, for instance — Spin and Wolf have been doing this for years but are no less humble because of it. They’re in it for the excitement of the game.
“The wildest party I’ve ever spun at was Halloween in Monterrey last year with our friends the Miau Collective. The stage was actually a huge drained pool, with hundreds of kids with paint and costumes,” Wolf said. “DJ Mehdi came to the show and totally blew me away with his set — and two of our very good friends got into what you could mildly describe as ‘mature exploits’ with DJ Mehdi after the show.”
So what can you expect at this weekend’s Supertuff show with Spin and Wolf on the decks? Think bombastic bass, infectious world rhythms and nonstop dancing.
“It’s hard to say what I’ll be playing because it’s always changing as I hear new sounds, but at the moment, I tend to find myself playing more far-out minimal, tribal beats,” Wolf said.
Wolf was recently the subject of much attention after one of his mixes was posted to the Mad Decent record label blog — the same label home to artists such as Diplo, Blaqstarr and Crookers. The mix, entitled Vicious Popcast #9 - Baile Tech Mix, was re-posted across the Internet, making Wolf the focal point for the “baile tech” movement.
“But I wouldn’t really call baile tech a new movement — it lots of other names: tribal, Zulu, tech house, etc.,” Wolf said. “But I would consider myself a pioneer, among a few others, that play these records locally in Texas.”
DJ Spin Laden
“To tell you the truth,” said DJ Spin Laden, “most of the stuff that comes out nowadays is boring.”
At first thought, this seems like the musing of a jaded artist — but don’t be fooled. Spin is one of a few DJs in Texas bringing together the freshest, unlikeliest sounds in music today.
“The past few months, I’ve been listening to way more music from around the world —rhythms coming from Angola, Brazil, South America — and I can find most of that stuff only on Youtube!” Spin said. “Most of the time, they aren’t even ‘artists’ — just people banging on drums on the street, kids chanting along to them. For me, it’s important to keep growing as a house DJ and incorporate music from whatever genre into my sets.”
Like Wolf, Spin has seen his fair share of debauchery in his time as a DJ.
“The best party I have played at, hands down, would have to be the New Years 2008 party at the beach in Puerto Escondido, Mexico,” Spin said. “I played on top of a rock in an outdoor club filled with palm trees, girls in bikinis drinking out of coconuts — everybody stayed there dancing till 12 the next morning!”
What: Supertuff w/ Prepmode, DJ Teenage Wolf and DJ Spin Laden
When: Saturday, 10 p.m.
Where: Barcelona, 209 E. Sixth St.
Tickets: $5 donation
at the door
