by Jenny Stark
I sat in the back bar staring off into the smoke stacks, Situation shots and the lingering stench of last night’s regrets spewed so classily into the ladies bathroom sink, when something hit me. No, not the spins, but a spin-me-right-round kind of sound. A cornucopia of crated classic hip hop complete with hard hitting high hats, breathy basslines, heart stopping instrumental flow, and a dash of the footcrab. From cutting up closeted 45s and B-sides to blending meaningful lyrics with housemade beats, these disk-slingers were bringing a lost legacy of vinyl literacy to the turntables. A music mainliner myself that enjoys anything but the mainstream, I stumbled into a love affair that night with Dusty Groove’s mixed, mashed, and completely ass-backwards sound.
Regardless of whether you’re a hip hopper, panty dropping pop locker, pill popping house head, bass-case or instrumentalist, Austin-based podcast Dusty Groove Radio has the fine tunes tailored to suit your fancy. Blending the art of turntablism with local production, and designed with the community in mind, the podcast acts as a byway featuring the eclectic sounds from the city’s featured favorites. Anything but lost upon the shelf, Dusty Groove resurrects radio with in-depth interviews, connecting the avid music fanatic to a selection of erection-inspiring tunes, while keeping us bar-o-holics informed on all the weekly and monthly local to-dos.
Birthed from the combined forces of three local DJs, Dusty Groove continues to demand attention with every episode released. Casey “Cuts” Curtis fathered Dusty Groove to promote the talent hidden deep beneath the shot bars and Top 40 charts of the downtown scene. When he is not behind the mic, this musical mess sergeant trims the grit from the gristle and serves it up well done. Whether cutting it up with Table Manners Crew or giving us something to talk about with the Feedback Alliance, his bold blending ability sears the competition. He is joined by co-host Tony Huynh, aka DJ Charlie, who’s made his moniker a household name in the underground beat scene. From mastering mixtapes and creating masterpieces for local friendlies LNS Crew, to spinning alongside the Zulu Nation family, he spreads his knowledge of fine tunes and classic grooves like seed. Rounding out the team is Jessie Ma, aka DJ Jeska, who may be recently inducted into the scene but spins the lust back into luster and is never lacking. Her fast-paced progression and fine tune selection make this firecracker a force to be reckoned with. A patron saint of Royal Highness, she knows how to keep a full house. Together, they form a tulip tickling trio that is hard to shake a stick at.
Determined to provide diversity on the decks, the curators behind Dusty Groove break free from the norm by uncovering indigenous gems lying beneath the filth, exposing the best of the talent Austin has to offer, raw and uncut. The podcast showcases powerhouses from collectives such as Soulection, Red Bull Music Academy, Sole Glow Collective, Applied Pressure, Dub Academy and TMC to name a few, introducing listeners to housemade synth smiths, master mixers and bedroom producers.
Now with an impressive span of over thirty-five episodes and having just celebrated their first birthday, the Dusty Groove family can be found mixing it up weekly and getting the low-down live on Soundcloud, serving it up with Table Manners Crew every first Saturday at Plush, giving it back with Feedback Alliance every second Wednesday at Plush, and making ‘em sweat with HOTT bookings every fourth Saturday at Plush. No commercials. No interruptions. No bullshit.
Dusty Groove Radio’s next event is October 8th at Plush at 10 pm, with Feedback Alliance, there is no cover.