Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Lopez.
Hi Ray, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been in Austin since 1988. My love for hiphop started in 89 when I heard NWA’s straight outta Compton. I started making regular visits to Sound Warehouse, Tower on the drag and Camelot music buying tapes and reading The Source. Used to listen to KVRX radio a lot in the mid to late 90s, recording shows on tape. Bought my turntables in 2000 and started buying vinyl like a devilish fiend. I started producing beats and making loops off dusty records scored at various thrifts, released an album alongside DJ Hannibal called ‘Earful of Wax’ in 2004 that was covered in the Chronicle and given much praise. Also, around that same time, I had one of my poems published in the Chronicle as well. I used to write occasionally at the time and the Chronicle would feature a poem every week. I submit my poem and it was published. I didn’t expect that but it was pretty cool.
Anyhow, when Soundcloud became popular around 2010 that became the place to upload music and remixes. I gained some recognition on that platform and was pleased to discover that DJs overseas and around the US were playing my tracks out at their Dj gigs and on their mixtapes. I was invited out San Francisco to play at a Latin night, sweaty bar jam-packed. As a Dj, playing out of state is a big deal, so I was glad to be able to make that happen.
Started up Vinyl Groove at The Golden Goose on South Lamar in 2017. An all-vinyl night where a bunch of DJs get together and play records. Very few DJs play wax, so I feel like people like to see a real Dj that’s not staring at some laptop all night. Plus, the people appreciate the effort involved in finding records and exposing them to records no one else is playing out. I’ll bring out my box of 45s and play nothing but 45s for an hour. It’s not easy. Fun, though.
More recently, I’ve been getting into photography. I find I get the same satisfaction from taking a great photo as I would from making a funky lil beat or playing a set that fills the dancefloor and has people sweating all night. It’s these simple pleasures that keep us motivated to practice and improve our respective crafts and hobbies.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is always rife with potholes and hairpin turns. It’s a beautiful struggle that makes you question your motivation for making music or Djing or writing or whatever. You have to realize you’re doing it because you love the feeling of finishing something, bringing it into existence, squeezing the creative juices out of your body.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love digging for records taking them home, listening and finding that sample or loop that no ones used before. It’s an art form. Taking a vocal snippet, a piano loop, a horn, guitar, whatever and creating a new song from that piece, finding inspiration in the discarded wax of yesteryear. You get to a point where you recognize musicians, labels and know when you’ve found something good, sometimes the cover art can be lame, but you see the studio session players and buy it based on that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Not sure if I’ve been lucky or just things happened for a reason. Finding a great record that had a killer sample on it could be called luck but it’s the dedication and passion that put me in the right place at the right time to find it. Or maybe I just got lucky, who knows.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @the-twelve-inch-kid
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/dj-avatar
