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Enter The Lab

Brandon or also known as Don B behind his pioneer Sr2. First meeting Don B or rather experiencing his work was at The Lab which is located at (classified location). An event was held there with artists from himself, to Isaiah Flowers @isaiahflowers99, Isa Lux @isa_lux, Johnny Blaine @itsjohnnyblaine, and Strghtfwrd @strghtfwrdmusic. Introducing me to a different scene that involves DJs. The sound they are able to recreate. Seeing Don B and Strghtfwrd music work that night and slowly learning on how they have to keep up with so much to keep everything flowing along with the crowd fully invested. Watching them work I can tell every DJ has their own style and choices in what they do. This week's feature is Brandon, @brandonsalinas.



Before we continue Brandon shares with us what he has been enjoying as of recently "recently I've been enjoying skating a lot again. Also just the process of being healthy mentally and physically so like just working out and meditation and stuff like that. Aside from that I enjoy all the stuff I usually do everyday like designing, all things music, creating stuff and all that." I do agree that keeping your healthy, but most importantly healthy MENTALLY is very important! Anyway to keep yourself rested and at peace with yourself especially. I've always wanted to learn how to skate, but for now I'll just keep playing skate 3. He continues by bringing up a couple of local creatives along with what's in the valley "Isa lux, johnny blaine, isaiah flowers, planetgrim, a lot more that i can't think of right now but there's so much great stuff coming out from here i really love to see it. Businesses as well. There's so much growth happening all around I can't wait to see where it's all going in the

next decade." There really is a lot happening and popping up that it is hard to keep track of actually and is that a good thing? That's up for you to decided and more for me to showcase! Just recently I learned about this new taqueria called @analiz_taqueria which also carry their own molino which means all the tortillas are made by hand!



When it comes to DJs I always wonder is it DJ? Performer? Artist? There's many labels that even when it comes to interviewing musicians I usually if they could LABEL THEMSELVES what would their genre be so I ask Brandon what would be as he says " DJ, entrepreneur, artist,designer, doer of stuff, scientist, creator of things." I can agree on the DJ, he is an artist as he works on his craft! Being a designer as you can go check out @SensationalCo, but overall he is having fun and doing what he enjoys!



What got Brandon interested in being a DJ? As we all have our beginnings he says "It started off back in like 5th grade when my love for dance music began. I was just listening to alot of electronic music and getting into edm and stuff and as i dug into it DJing became more of a thing i was being drawn to." When I was a kid I wasn't drawn in to a lot of music or had an understanding of what to like. My parents kept me away from a lot "bad music" until I was able to purchase my own CDs. It's nice to know that Brandon had the liberty to explore his interests at a young age and seeing where it has lead him today.



From the numerous of shows/events Brandon takes a part of with others how was the first DJ set he took a part of? How was that and what has he learned from that? As he explains "hmm , i actually don't only because when i first started i was djing anywhere i could so it was very hectic time i cant really pinpoint the first time. But i do remember my first like official tour show. i had got on to dj with levi carter on jazz cartiers texas leg of his tour and the first stop was in Austin in front of a huge crowd and i had to open the whole thing. It was amazing and was my first real taste of concert djing and i learned a lot from it especially the first show because being in front of such a big crowd and going crazy on the mic was definitely something I had to adjust to but after like 15 mins and a couple of drinks everything was fine. I also learned the difference between these dj environments like, there's party sets, club sets, and then of course the concert opening sets. All kind of the same but just a bit different." From playing a night gig at a bar to opening up in Austin is progression and we love to see that! Putting yourself out there getting booked outside to help yourself grow is just how it has to be! As Brandon mentions "party sets, club sets, and concert openings" from what I've experienced at the club, the lab, and other situations there is certainly a DJ set for the occasion.



Coming back to the recent question on Brandon's most recent sets/performances he's been a part of, how has he grown or adapted? As he explains "The growth has been super crazy not going to lie. My music taste and library has just evolved

and grown so much and so has my skill. I think streaming on twitch for hours and hours djing during the peak of the pandemic really made me open up my library to more kinds of music and it just made my taste more well rounded. I'm always trying to grow though, that's something i will never stop doing. I just love learning new things." Being able to expand yourself and experiment is very important to an artists craft! Being only centered to one thing can really limit you. I remember at Los Sonidos Del Valle Brandon mixed All Star by Smash Mouth with another song and I was surprised because 1. That went hard and 2. It was just so unexpected! Keep working on your crafts and experimenting. You never know what you just mind stumble into.



Does Brandon have a favorite type of music he likes working with and if so, why?

"I really don’t, I actually love incorporating all kinds of music into everything i do because i just feel like sticking to one genre limits you so much. There is so much amazing music out there and i really love it all." This come back to what was previously mentioned which is not to limit yourself. There's garage bands that have been posting about wanting to incorporate or make Spanish music, but conjunto type of music. Which is very interesting to hear and to break a barrier as well of what we have become used to as well. With ideas like these it makes me curious on what's to come and as Brandon mentions "I feel like sticking yourself to one genre limits you so much."



How does Brandon put himself in the moment in front of a crowd and get the crowd to go along with his chemistry behind the board? As he says "I really go off of vibes and the type of crowd that i see out there and how they're reacting. If they're not reacting to one thing ill switch it up till i find that thing that theyre loving. Really its also just curating the vibes and hopefully they're down to go on that journey with you. I also love being on the mic sometimes and just getting that connection with them." The communication that I saw at the lab as he says "I love being on the mic sometimes and just getting the connection" as he was able to get everyone to raise their drinks for one massive chug! Not the just the music, but being a part of it. Being in his environment and knowing the "vibe" and playing exactly what the crowd enjoyed. There truly goes a lot into DJing that I'm learning about along with witnessing more DJ sets as well.


an example of the events at The Lab, 1 year Anniversary


How does Brandon wish to grow with his work?

"In terms of DJing i just really hope to continue doing things/events that i love. also ill be putting out some music soon. also I'm going to do concerts and all that kind of stuff. Id really like to do a festival thing here in the valley soon. So yeah there's lots of plans to grow all of this but also lots of patience. I think there's so much room for growth here in the valley and I'm excited for it. I also have lots of side projects that should be coming to light very soon and I'm excited to share it with everyone." Woah a festival!? I can only imagine how that would be! I know Brownsville has that big space at the park and I think the stage where artists perform? It's what they use at Charro Days. There is certainly a lot of room for growth! We never stop growing and learning from what we do as long as keep ourselves on that mission! I look forward to Brandon's plans and upcoming ideas! To see his growth and how he plans to incorporate the valley.



How did Brandon come up with The Lab? How long has he been working in The Lab?

"The lab came out from just not having any more space at the crib for everything i was doing and now its more of like my headquarters so to say haha. Ive been here for about a year already and its just given me way more space to create and do everything i want and also a space for others to be creative aswell. Ive let people do music videos here, rehearsals, concerts, photoshoots, everything and its just a space for everyone to come together and create at the end of the day. This is also the place where i keep all my inventory for the other businesses i have and stuff like sensational and some other things. So yeah basically a headquarters for all

things!" From a headquarters to place for the community to come together when something is planned. From many uses and my experience there it is certainly something I will remember!



What could Brandon tell us about sensationalco? When did it start and how do you wish he wish to grow it? As he explains "Sensational is my personal baby and i started it back in high school at a small level just selling to people i knew and just doing it cause i had all these ideas and by chance people liked it and supported me. A few years ago i started taking it seriously and made a website and started releasing skateboards and stuff. Its just a company for me to release things i love and want to share with others whether it be clothes or skateboards or any accessories. I just want to keep releasing stuff that i love and hopefully people love too, this is more of my passion project as i have other brands that im currently working on for other purposes. But of course i want to grow this as big as i can and hopefully with that be able to sponsor skaters from the valley and get a team from the RGV going because i know there's a lot of sick skaters here." Looking at the website Brandon just went off! Looking at the tote back and especially that "Don't want to be like you" T-shirt is super nice! I dig it for sure. As he mentions "hopefully with that be able to sponsor skaters from the valley" that sounds pretty cool especially with skateboarding now being in the Olympics and with the numerous amount of youth/adults interested in the sport that it would be interesting to see. Also take a look with the link provided! https://www.sensationalco.com/products Keep an eye out for what comes out next!



What can Brandon say would be the most important part about DJing/performing a set? "I would say standing out from other djs with your selections and bringing a good new vibe to the audience. Its so easy to play the same stuff everyone’s playing and i just really think that theres this cool medium where you can introduce the audience to new sounds and expand their music horizon and also quench that taste for things they already feel safe with. But yeah I would say just bringing a good time to the people because at the end of the day dancing and the love of music is why everyone’s there." As Brandon mentions "you can introduce the audience to new sounds and expand their music horizon" I've seen that. At the untamed tongues event there was a DJ set and someone was like "Yo what is this song? I gotta shazam this!" Like it certainly does introduce new music and it's great. I'm certainly learning as well.



Would he say that there is an art behind DJing? As he shares his thoughts on this

"Theres definitely an art. Theres the art of music selection, theres the art of mixing,

theres the art of turntablism and scratching, there’s so many lanes of it when you really look at it. But bringing it all together to make one grand masterpiece when playing is really the beautiful thing, because someone can just play a Spotify playlist anywhere but when you have a dj thats interacting with the crowd, mixing masterfully, and just showing the crowd how cool djing can be and setting the

vibe right song to song, that’s really the art of djing. I hope every new dj can dive into all these lanes and learn about it and fuse them together to make their own painting in a way rather than just playing what everyone plays and pressing a button. But i would say, that might be an art aswell." There certainly is a difference from just playing a spotify playlist to having a DJ take these songs from the playlist and just mix em and do what they do haha with them y'know. They can set the mood to the environment and take control which is crazy to think about.


Brandon ends us off by sharing his thoughts on the local valley scene,

"I think it has some growing to do but i do love the way its heading. Ive been discovering so many new artists here and its a beautiful thing to witness."

He continues with one final comment,

"shout out to all my valley artists, never stop chasing your dreams!"



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