Today we’d like to introduce you to Wes Garratt.
Wes, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started DJ, when I was about 15 or 16 years old on an Old Realistic Radio shack mixer along with two separate tape decks. I was basically making mix tapes for friends. I think I was about 18 years old when I bought a pair of brand new Black technic 1200’s and a Numark mixer from Spinmaster’s. My record collection was small, but it allowed me to practice and learn to beat match and try to scratch. I was really into House Music at the time. I would hit up the local record stores every week and buy a couple of new records. I hung out at IGS records on Exposition almost every other day, listening to some amazing house music and hanging out with Hazy Daze Collectif Family. Those guys knew how to throw some awesome parties, and the vibe was always amazing. I got to do little one-off gigs here and there from 19 years old to 21. Nothing that paid, but it was a blast to throw down with friends.
A funny story during that time I was in a punk rock band called the Antiques. I was the DJ in the band, and we had a few gigs. At the time, My mom and I lived in Deep Ellum and had a huge warehouse, and we practiced out of the garage. We also would put on shows out of the garage for all the underage puck rockers that could not go to clubs. I called it the Holy Banana.
When I turned 21, that was a game-changer, it opened doors for me to play in the bars and clubs. I also had a job working at CD World on Greenville Ave. That was awesome because Mike Schoder, the new owner of The Granada, put me in charge of buying all the dance and electronic music. I met a ton of people in the industry working at CD World. I even got to open up for Tripping Daisy at the Ardvark in Fort Worth thanks to Chris Penn who I also worked with at CD World who now owns Good Records. After that, I ended up working in the mailroom at BMG in Dallas, and it was awesome. It was my dream job working in the music industry. Got to do FMR work on the side . It was a 9 to 5 job in the office and then at night we did listening parties, meet and greets, went to shows, and lived it up! I did that for a couple of years later. I ended up working for a magazine and working in bars after that. That is also when I got back into DJ but I was playing metal and hard rock. That’s when I became Dj Wes Metal. That was a lot of fun, and it was crazy. I played gigs all over with that. That lasted for a while, and during that time, I also met my amazing wife, and we have our awesome son that’s 11 years old now.
So in the last ten years, I have gotten dialed back into House music and have pushed my mixing skills with turntables. I have also fallen in love with mixing Hip Hop. I changed my name to Dj DAPOW (Dance Off Pants Off Wes), and this year, I am celebrating my ten year anniversary as the resident DJ at One Eyed Penguin. I do a lot of work with Agency 12 as well and this year will be my 3rd year playing the Agency’s Sun and Moon Festival in San Pedro Belize. I have had the pleasure of opening up for many greats in the industry, such as Perry Ferrell, DJ Hurricane from the Beastie Boys, Derrick Carter, Dimitri from DeLite, Ghostland Observitory, Scotty Boy and Hell Yeah just to name a few. I have been extremely lucky and honored to be able to be a part of this scene.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not! Of course there has been struggles, trials and tribulations along with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. I put in a ton of hard work with sometimes no pay. It’s all about getting your name and face out there to be seen and heard. Being a DJ is not cheap and the struggle is real. Trying to balance family life and nightlife can be tough.
Please tell us about your music.
I just started Dapow Entertainment, which allows me to be able to branch out into larger avenues and handle my DJ career in a more professional manner. I consider myself an open format club DJ, which allows me to dial into any environment or genre of music. I specialize in mostly House, Old School Hip Hop, MoTown Sound with a taste of rock. My style is to keep people guessing and to spin several different genres of music to create something new that no one has ever heard before and kept the vibe fresh.
I am most proud of being successful as a DJ because I get to do what I love and I am able to support my family doing what I love. It’s an absolutely wonderful feeling to get paid for your passion.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I plan to do more production. I would like to get some of my tracks on the dance charts, and I would like to help my company grow by bringing on more DJs/producers by helping them get off the ground because I know it’s not easy. I also am looking forward to booking myself more gigs out of state and overseas.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2147109425
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @djdapow
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/djdapow
- Other: www.soundcloud.com/djwesmetal
Image Credit:
Clinton Bales
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
