The president is speaking.
Not the current commander in chief; it's the voice of JFK. Every word is coated in his Boston accent and it reels out like a voice from a loudspeaker. And underneath, there's a bit of bass. Well, that's an understatement. Underneath the voice of JFK there's a trembling bass beat.
The blend is not an accidental collision, it's the product of local group Bound by Breaks, or B3. The crew of DJs spins records Valleywide, mixing genres and pulling in other elements to make what they hope is a new sound.
"I spin everything, but I like to think that I'm mostly a funky house DJ," says Dave Strickler, also known as d'strick. "I find myself dipping into all the different genres."
The group consists of DJs hoping to offer listeners music beyond the Top 40.
Founding member Ryan, Tik:Tok, says the group members ran into each other at clubs and private parties. They realized they were focused on the same goal of breaking new music with a different kind of style.
"We decided to market ourselves all together; strength in numbers," Tik:Tok says. "People associate us and they'll hire another one of us or two of us together. We'll go out and support each other."
What started as a group of three has grown seven deep to include Tik:Tok, d'strict, DJs ebk*, DJ Psyclone, Miss Jag, Eric King, and ill-legal?. Only Tik:Tok and Miss Jag hail from Arizona, and the somewhat blank canvas of the music scene drew them into Phoenix, Tik:Tok says.
They began spinning at different times and for different reasons: DJ Psyclone has 15 years under his belt, d'strict started off as a drummer, and DJ ebk* played in bands before she started spinning records.
The group has been booked at a range of places, from a fundraising event at Papago Park to DJ competitions like the recent New Times Ultra DJ Spin Off. Tik:Tok says much of this is an attempt to bring in a more diverse audience.
"I try to stick in a song you might know, something you've heard before with something you haven't," Tik:Tok says. "I do that so it appeals to a wide variety of people as opposed to a niche group."
The group says it keeps things original by constantly updating their music collections, picking over records at local shops like London West and Eastside and ordering others online.
d'strict says his collection of mp3s grows "almost daily," and says he has "shelves and shelves" of vinyl. Tik:Tok calculates his music collection consists of about 800 records, 100 gigs of music, 500 CDs and 500 cassette tapes — although the tapes don't come to much use on the floor.
"It's hard to find old records … it's a rare breed," Tik:Tok says, although his hundreds of records are proof that they can be found. "I have everything from Richard Simmons on vinyl back when he was teaching exercise classes to the 'Smurfs,' 'Gremlins,' 'He-Man.' Right away I can tell whether or not I can use it."
Flaunting their massive collections is not, however, the point.
d'strict says he wants the music to go below the surface and get people moving.
"I want people to feel like the DJ was right there with them on the dance floor, feeling what they were feeling and giving them what they want," d'strict says.
Tik:Tok feels much the same way, but wants listeners to come away with a different appreciation.
"I want someone to walk away having heard something they haven't heard," Tik:Tok says. "Introduce some new element, some new style, some new genre and have them realize they like it. If I keep doing that I think I'll be happy."
Reach the reporter at: rebecca.washington@asu.edu.
