MeanLittleBumbleBee

Profiling people that are working/living/breathing the music scene in Chicago, today we’re talking to DJ Tony Cano who comes to us from Hollywood Park via Uptown.

DJ Tony Cano

Here’s my chat Tony:

So let’s get started…how did you get into DJ’ing? How long have you been doing it?
Playing music is part of my DNA. My father was a record collector. He liked to invite people to our house during holidays, birthday parties, or simply to play cards. By the end of the night my father had his records out on display and had everyone listening to his collection. My father got my brother and I started [on] collecting records and we progressed into playing after watching the older kids in the neighborhood play. Growing up, we lived in a rough area. My mom didn’t have a problem buying us equipment and listening to loud music as long as it kept us at home and out of trouble. I’ve been collecting music and playing out for 30 years.

At work

What equipment do you use? What’s your favorite piece of gear?
I’m sort of the techie nerd type. I enjoy any piece of gear as long as it has a play, stop, pause buttons, and pitch control to adjust the speed. I have played using a cassette deck, reel to reel, turntable, CD player, computer, etc. No lie, it’s really sad. Currently I enjoy playing from my laptop on a program called Traktor. I have a controller that allows me to manipulate the music as if I were playing on turntables. Playing from the computer allows me to carry an infinite amount of music on my hard drive which other wise I would break my back carrying all these records.

Top 5 guaranteed songs to get the party jumping – get people dancing?
I love to play for the crowd. If I were playing for a classics crowd, my top five would be:

- There But For The Grace Of God – Machine
- You Used To Hold Me – Ralphie Rosario featuring Xavier Gold
- Unexpected Lovers – Lime
- Hypnotic Tango – My Mine
- Disco Circus – Martin Circus

Favorite gigs/places to play?
My favorite spot to play is on my “Groove Temple Radio Show” which airs every Saturday Night from 11:30pm until 3:00am on WLUW 88.7 fm and WLUW.net on the internet. The show features cutting edge underground house music with Afro, Latin, Jazzy, Vocal, Tech House, Gospel, Soulful influences. Basically, I play music that touches your soul.

What are you currently listening to (bands, artists, other djs, etc).

I listen to a variety of dance music. I love the classics. Growing up I listened to 70’s, 80’s 90’s and the music of today. One of the biggest misconceptions people have is they think disco died in the 70’s. However, disco turned into House in the 80’s. House music is alive and well in the underground. I love to listen to Elements Of Life, Los Amigos Invisibles, Dennis Ferrer, Osunlade, and Kerri Chandler to name a few. 

I’ve put together a mix for your readers to listen to – HERE.

I can be reached via email: canobros@gmail.com 

Thanks for the opportunity to share the music with your readers.

Thanks Tony! We look forward to listening on Saturday and check back from time to time to see what DJ Tony Cano is up to.