A Philadelphia native steeped in hip-hop – he once toured with DJ Jazzy Jeff – DJ Ferno discovered house music on a visit to Chicago several years ago when he experienced the long-running Chosen Few Picnic in the genre’s spiritual home.
“It was my first time seeing 20,000 people dance to house music and I was like, ‘What is this?’,” he tells Inflyte+ on a video call from his home in Texas. “Growing up in Philly, it wasn’t like that. So that’s when the bug got into me.”
It wasn’t until moving to Austin, Texas at the height of the pandemic, though, that the experienced DJ and producer became fully immersed in the world of house and techno. Just six years later, he’s still completely enamoured with it, having found his tribe in a new city and founded his own label, Baraza Musiq.
This is DJ Ferno’s guide to the Austin scene…
Favourite club
Coming to Austin, there was this underground spot, which is still here but at a new location, called Kingdom. That was my first time experimenting within the rave culture and in a dark club, immersed, as a fan of the music. And it got into me! It completely changed my life.
The new location has a really dope sound system and one of my favourite booths in the city. They go until 4am – there’s not a lot of after-hours spots here in regards to big clubs – and they programme everything from your house, your techno, they’ll do some bass music. That holds 650 people, I believe, and it’s a solid room, great time.
And then there’s another spot called Toats, which opened up more recently. It has a similar vibe, but just a smaller package downtown – 300 or 400 capacity.
Favourite festival
Seismic Dance Event at The Concourse Project, which they do twice a year, in spring and winter. Three-day event, multiple stages, and I had the pleasure of playing it last year.
The headliner was Carl Cox; Black Coffee played, Disclosure, I think Tiësto, Joris Voorn.
They have a huge warehouse that holds 4,000 people where they have the main stage, and then right outside they have what’s called the patio area, where you can probably fit like another 100, 150 people. And then they put a huge stage out in a massive field as well.
The production is phenomenal, the sound system is incredible, and the community there is dope too.
When I played last year they also had a shipping container as a secret stage, and that’s where I played. That holds maybe 50 people but then people crowd outside of it and it’s a nice vibe.
Favourite DJ
My favourite DJ in this city is Brett Johnson – he’s an OG in the house community. He’s been putting out records forever. Think classic house, a little bit Detroit-style, soulful. He’s been on the scene forever – probably since the 90s. Him and JT Donaldson are the two, for sure.
And he throws these events here called Might Be Magic, him and his Mrs, and they’re undefeated. I don’t have to know who’s playing, I don’t have to know anything – I can pull up, have a great time. I got the chance to play with them as well. Beautiful people, really inclusive community, which is super sweet.
They give a lot of people opportunities. They’re historians. Their dance floors and their parties are, in an interesting way, like a proving ground. If you can rock that crowd, you’re doing what you need to do. Dance circles, battles, voguing, everything. It’s a vibe, bro.
Favourite restaurant
This was a tough one because food is one of the things Austin is known for, but this is a spot that I take friends, family – if you were to come in town, this is the first spot we’re stopping. It’s called Loro and it’s an Asian smokehouse.
The top barbecue cat that lives here and the top sushi chef that lives here came together and made this restaurant, and it’s phenomenal. You can sit on the patio, you can sit inside, great drinks. I’m also a vegan, so I can get down with the tofu and my wife can get down on the brisket or whatever.
Unsung hero
This is a gentleman that I met stumbling into a club once, a spot here called Cheer Up Charlie’s, which is a really dope, inclusive space. He was throwing down and I had to go up to him. I was like, ‘Yo, man, you’re amazing, what is this?’. And his name is DJ Q.
He goes back maybe to the 80s doing this. I’m talking like lives, breathes it. He plays vinyl. He’s an historian, you know what I mean? I can chop it up with him and he’ll tell me about all kinds of people. He vibes with everyone from the Kerri Chandlers to the Louie Vegas and all that kind of stuff. I would put him in that same space to highlight him.
He’s from Chicago or Detroit – it slips my mind right now – but he lives here and he’s in it. He throws his own nights and he’s a DJ’s DJ – that’s the best way to put it.
Biggest tune
We have a big Burning Man community here, a burner community. So I would say, as wild as it sounds, Innerbloom from Rüfüs du Sol. Whenever that song comes on, it says Austin to me. And there’s variances of it and remixes and all that kind of stuff but it’s undefeated, you know what I mean?
Before I moved here, Austin introduced me to Rüfüs du Sol, and it’s a little bit popular, so to speak, but then throughout COVID, we all hunkered down and we watched Live from Joshua Tree. They have this incredible performance and it’s the soundtrack of like three years here. One of their songs is actually my wife and I’s first dance – Next To Me. So Rüfüs has a special place in everyone’s heart.
Favourite record shop
My favourite spot is Breakaway Records. It’s off the beaten path a bit. Not a huge space, I would say it’s a mid-size record shop. The owners, from my knowledge, are vinyl enthusiasts.
They have records, they have hi-fi equipment, everyone there is knowledgeable about it and the organisation is second to none. You can get everything from a 45 to a nice house selection, which is rare. JT Donaldson actually used to curate the collection a little while ago.
They also opened this spot called Equipment Room, a hi-fi listening spot here which is fire. And only Breakaway employees and DJs are the ones that play there, so it’s highly curated. You can get a great cocktail and they even have headphones up there where you can listen.
You walk into this space, they hand out these little cards with what’s playing. Really exquisite. Full service – buy the records and then you can go to the bar and listen to it.
Favourite hangout spot
This spot called Cosmic Coffee. Dope playlist, obviously, they have live shows there at times. On the weekends they’ll do a pop-up with DJs, so you’ll have, like, 150 people outside, raging. Great patio to hang out on.
Then as a second one, it’s the house parties here. That’s where I’ve built a lot of the community that I’m a part of. Just in the house, we vibing, we set up some simple decks, grooving and hanging out.