Today we’d like to introduce you to Enrique Gonzalez.
Enrique, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story as a DJ doesn’t actually start with me on turntables. I was born and raised in the South Texas border town of Laredo. We didn’t have much to do out there so as early as 8th grade I got into music production and songwriting with a couple of friends. It took a few years until I got noticed and eventually backed by a local radio station and we quickly built a really good buzz in the local and area Hip Hop scene. It was a crazy ride! We were performing across Texas and Mexico opening shows for major acts. That helped develop my stage presence so I took my confidence and vocal ability to the nightclubs across the border in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. It was there where I began my journey as an emcee training under the mentorship of local DJ and radio personality Jerry “Uncle Hurrikane” Hernandez. We’re actually business partners now. That experience exposed me to the nightclub scene as an entertainer and I fell in love! I was already partying in Mexico often and had many friends, but being on the other side of the DJ booth was a whole other experience and it helped me get started as a nightlife figure locally and across the border even if it was a little short-lived.
Since then, I was regularly rubbing shoulders with several of the area’s top DJs and became selected as a member of one of the city’s premier collectives composed of awesome DJs and MCs. Most times we’d party and I would dabble with a little DJ’ing myself for fun; just messing around. Some of the veteran guys, namely Luis “Kickback” Quiroz and DJ “Dat Guy Julio” Castro, took notice and offered to help me get started and provide some resources if I was going to take this serious. I am forever grateful for that. I am still good friends with most of those guys to this day. I took my emcee experience paired with my musical knowledge and set out to become a DJ himself. The timing was perfect because I came across an opportunity from a local club owner who was looking to rebrand his venue. I was already MC’ing for him and a couple of other bars so it was an easy transition. I almost immediately impacted the scene and became a staple name in the city. I made it on the newspaper again, this time as a DJ, and it felt so much more rewarding. I completely reinvented myself, and it was paying off. The work kept flowing, too. I held DJ residencies at several establishments.
Shortly after I found myself wanting more, so I decided to take a big leap and made the move to the Dallas-Fort Worth Area in 2012. It was a bit of a culture shock for me at first, and I still have yet to explore most of the DFW, but my fiancé (now wife) was born in Garland so that is where we settled. It was a no-brainer. I loved Garland and being so close to Dallas, but I found myself going back home on some weekends just so I could keep working and stay active. It was a rough first year of little-to-no work. I almost gave up and packed up for good, but I began networking and it finally started coming together. Shout out to Camilo Espinoza, Circa75, Mr. T, and Danny One. These guys were instrumental in helping me get started out here by giving me my first couple of gigs. They helped me get a feel of the scene out here. That set off the spark to start making moves on my own to push my career in the right direction and I landed my first residency at Wizards Sports Cafe in Richardson. I’m still there weekly, actually! I’ve been consistently working in the DFW ever since. You name it, I’ve probably done it.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think any successful business or career will always have some bumps on the road. It’s an integral part of growth and success. My early emcee career was cut short due to the increasing dangers of cartel violence across the border. When it finally hit close to home (two employees were murdered) the venue I was frequently working at was forced to shut down as the rest of the nightlife scene eventually slowed down also. I had no option but to stay in the U.S. or move on.
One of the biggest issues for me on the U.S. side, now as a DJ, was trying to be different in a small town. Especially in a city known for its heavy cultural influence from across the border and set in its mostly Hispanic traditions and customs. I was always trying to keep up with the trends in the big cities and incorporating them my way in my sets. That was always my goal and it wasn’t always met with positivity or an open mind at first. However, it set me apart. The city has grown so much since then and I love to see it, but that also played a major factor in my decision to leave and eventually and try my luck in the DFW.
My biggest issue here? The number of DJs I was competing against back home was nearly a fraction of what I am up against here so I had to rebrand myself and essentially start over by adjusting on the fly every time I picked up a gig. I’m also a family man and work full-time with ESL students for Dallas ISD during the school year. My schedule can be extremely hectic and this can make networking much more difficult to do often! It’s also very cliquey out here, like most major cities, I suppose, but I’ve managed to stay neutral and have made many friends and contacts over the years. I’ve even mentored a few DJs myself and developed my own team. I might keep a smaller circle than most, buts its solid. No doubt.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a people person; that’s skill in itself. I befriend anybody I meet. It’s just who I am. Down to earth and down to work. Always. Most people shy away from being social, even if ironically being in an industry where connecting with your audience is key. I don’t get it. DJ’s “let the music do the talking”, and I’m for it, but if you are not fully engaging your crowd you are not reaching the maximum impact your performance can have. This is why I always incorporate my emcee experience. I don’t show up to make you party, I’m here to party with you. I pride myself on this and just being myself. I’ve never been afraid to take risks. You have to be different, try new things. It’s always set me apart. Most of my library is composed of music videos. If a venue is equipped with the right AV setup, I can mix visuals aside from just music. It’s a pretty awesome presentation and it really grabs the viewers’ attention; especially nostalgic videos they likely haven’t seen in years. I do all kinds of events, too. I rarely turn away gigs. This is just what I love to do, and I’ve never grown any kind of ego. I adapt to any scenario, any music format, apply myself, and push to give my best performance whether it be for 5 or 5,000 people in attendance! I’m not quite at the 50,000-capacity level yet, Ha!
As an artist, I was able to open for several acts such as Flo-Rida, Akon, T.I. and international acts including a then up-and-coming Pitbull, Don Omar, and Nicky Jam to a name a few. I was pretty young, too. I’m talking about 10-15 years ago! Good times, but as a DJ I feel like I accomplished more, and a lot quicker, especially being here in the DFW! I was blessed to be able to work with much more bigger acts over the years. Opening for Lil Jon was nerve-wracking! Him dapping me up and showing approval of my set right before he took the stage to close the night will be forever be etched in my mind. It was the first time I actually got to meet an artist in years; the first being Pitbull. Most times I never get to even come across the artists I was opening for. He is cool as hell, by the way, and I used my past concert experience to keep my cool and stay professional in the biggest of events. I’ve done SXSW, I’ve done Spring Break at South Padre Island, and I’ve had to DJ impromptu performances with the likes of Naughty by Nature (who I also opened for during their tour stop in The Colony with SWV and Salt-N-Pepa previously). They showed so much love. These were people I grew up listening to so it was an amazing experience!
Another achievement I’m most proud of is getting into radio myself! I partnered with two of my oldest friends back home (one being my mentor) and we launched our own online radio station: Gateway City Radio. The response was great! The overwhelming support made it capable for us to expand into a full-on FM station and we quickly started building from there. I hosted a successful daily mix show for quite some time up until a few months during the COVID-19 shutdown. Unfortunately, the situation cost us a lot sponsors, funds, and eventually, we lost our office space and most of our team. We are back to an online format and still producing content. Check us out sometime online. You can even download our mobile app. It’s free, and super dope. I’m currently in talks to get back on FM radio. Stay tuned!
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Social media is my go-to! I try to be online as much as I can to promote myself and connect with my followers, friends, and family daily. I don’t read much, not books at least, but I do keep up with the news, trends, and I love learning about different cultures as well as more of my own through online resources. It helps me stay well-rounded, informed, and open-minded when booking events and discovering new music of all genres for me to add to my ever-growing library.
Being involved with the school district has also been a great platform. I’ve met so many people and it has brought me several opportunities for growth. I’m always learning and networking.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.gatewaycityradio.co
- Instagram: instagram.com/kiks956
- Facebook: facebook.com/kiks956
- Twitter: twitter.com/kiks956
- Other: mixcloud.com/KIKS956
Image Credits
Monson.photography.com
Legend Media Producers
Juan Rodriguez Photography
George Pecoraro
ShoScene Fotografia
