Tyrel Williams: Dropping The Needle On The Vinyl at Housepitality – Interview By Nolan Haener

Tyrel Williams at Housepitality
Tyrel Williams at Housepitality

our invite on FB – Tyrel Williams at Housepitality

This is the last Housepitality of 2011 so we expect to go out big this week!!! To celebrate, we welcome SF’s newest Chicago transplant and Housepitality resident dj Tyrel Williams. It is an incredible pleasure to have Tyrel as the newest resident to our crew. Back in Chicago Tyrel brings years of floor banging experience to San Francisco where he is one of the most sought out djs on a weekly basis. Tyrel headed the acclaimed Acid Test night at Smart Bar in Chicago f0r the past three years up until moving here.  Like many other big Chicago djs before him, he spent almost a decade working at Grammaphone Records, dedicating himself to the the craft of being a true vinyl disc jock during a time when mostly everyone else went digital. Tyrel continues his jedi dj journey here in San Francisco where he has already rocked some of the best parties in our scene, like AYLI and Sunset Campout. We are fortunate to have him as our new resident dj at Housepitality and will deliver that sweet vinyl quality dj sound that is rarely heard these days at the club.

Lance Desardi our own San Francisco superstar of Bang The Box will be opening for Tyrel. They have been very good friends for a long time through the music.  Tyrel hosted Lance in Chicago as his headliner for Acid Test so these two have a lot of good music juju to pour on the dancefloor. Our own resident Victor Vega, another person I know who gets vinyl in the mail will be opening up the evening to set the pulse.

Errol and Casey Valentino in the Slow Groove Lounge. Art by Artease SF.

This is the last Housepitality of 2011 so come ready to boogie hard.

Now peep this great interview between Tyrel and our friend, past Housepitality guest Nolan. Great words!

TYREL WILLIAMS:  Interview by Nolan Haener

Nolan: Besides your lovely lady, what were some additional driving forces to make you want to move out to San Francisco this year?

Tyrel: My first visit to San Francisco was back in 2000 right after High School and I fell in love with the city instantly. It was the combination of nature meets city that was so appealing to me. I absolutely love Chicago, but the cold winters were starting to eat me up. I came back to SF in 2006 to play a loft party with Miles Maeda and that’s when I started to think a little deeper about moving here. When Shauna and I started dating I knew it was the Universe telling me that it was time to make the move. I absolutely love it here and everyone that I have met.

Nolan: Were you born and raised in Chicago, and what were the main leading factors that drove you into this addiction of playing music?

Tyrel: I was born in St. Charles, which is an hour west of Chicago.  As soon as I was old enough I started making my way to the city to go to raves. As a kid I was always searching for an instrument to play. I started with guitar, than I moved to the trombone. None of those seem to work, so when I discovered the turntable it was like I had found what I was looking for the whole time. My older sisters boyfriend just so happen to have two Gemini’s and a Numark mixer for sale, so my mom bought them for me as an early birthday present and that was the end of seeing me outside my room for a year or so. I was glued to those tables. I than meet Miles Maeda and went deeper into the art of DJing and learning how to combine active meditation into performance.

Nolan: You told me that you were doing a monthly back in Chicago called Acid Test for around 3 years over at Smart Bar.  Tell us a little about the concept and why it was important for you to maintain an all vinyl night.

Tyrel: We started Acid Test during a weird time for DJ’s and dance music. DJ’s were selling all their wax, Record Stores were shutting down because of low sales, and club attendance was really low in Chicago. I knew it was important for me to stay true to the art of the DJ and myself, so I decided to make our night an all vinyl night. At that time it was the only all vinyl night in Chicago. It soon got the attention of heads like Mazi, Justin Long, Traxx, Tevo Howard, Steven Tang, and Nathan Drew Larsen. Even the Chicago Tribune did a nice write up and the way vinyl sounds compared to digital. DJing is my outlet of creative expression and playing vinyl allows me to be the most creative.

Nolan: You worked closely as an assistant for Jeff Mills for two years.  What would you consider to be the most valuable lesson to take out of that experience, considering he’s a legend in the realm of techno?

Tyrel: I learned what it takes to be as successful as he is in probably one of the toughest industries and I also learned that you shouldn’t make music just to make music, but that you should make music based on something that inspires you.

Nolan: What’s a record that you’ve been searching long and hard for and can’t seem to find anywhere?  Is there one or did your 8 years at Gramaphone handle that angle?

Tyrel: There are a few I’m always on the look out for. One being an edit of Sleazy D’s “I’m Losing Control” Unknown Artist released on a black label and another one is Tuff Jam “Tuff Jams Vol. 1” on New York Soundclash Records. I definitely found lots of jams at Gramaphone, but I’m a wax addict and once I find these I will move onto other ones.

Nolan: Are we to expect a world of production coming from you in the near future, and will this maintain an analogue only presence?

Tyrel: I will use mostly analog sources for my sounds, especially the low frequency sounds, but it will be a combination of some digital sounds too. The sequencing will also be done digitally. I eventually want to start my own label and those releases will be all vinyl.

Latest tracks by tyrel williams

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Once again! the official DEETS!

Facebook Invite link: http://www.facebook.com/events/217927738285862/

Description

Michael Tello and Miguel Solari invite you to
[ [ [ [ [ [ [ H O U S E P I T A L I T Y ] ] ] ] ] ] ] – Hosted by YOU ALL

Feat. TYREL WILLIAMS (Acid Test, Chicago to SF)

:::

Help us welcome our newest housepitality resident, Tyrel Williams, a Chicago transplant and Acid Test Smart Bar resident. Tyrel is major back in Chicago, lets give him a warm welcome to Housepitality and to San Francisco, his new home….

FREE champagne from 9pm-10pm
Art show by Arttease SF
FREE before 11pm with RSVP at www.housepitalitysf.com/rsvp
otherwise $5 before 11pm, $10 After (thanks for the support)

Main Room Support:

> > Lance DeSardi (Bang The Box, SF)

> > Victor Vega (Housepitality)

Slow Groove Lounge:

>> Errol & Casey Valentino (HELP!, Beauty Bar)

Mixologist – KIRA BUCK – handmade pisco, tequila and bourbon cocktails.

Tyrel Williams’ Biography:

Tyrel has been a mainstay of Chicago’s underground House scene for years. He began mixing records in 1999. Soon later he landed a job at Gramaphone Records where he spent the last decade building a mighty collection of 12” dance records. He spent 2009-2011 building his Acid Test residency at Smart Bar, which is an ongoing all vinyl House / Techno weekly dedicated to the true art form of DJing. Guests have included Miles Maeda, IZ and DIZ, Derrick Carter, Tevo Howard, Traxx, and Justin Long. Tyrel has recently moved to San Francisco to take his DJing and Production to the next level.

www.tyrelwilliams.net

www.facebook.com/djtyrelwilliams

www.facebook.com/acidtestisallvinyl

www.soundcloud.com/tyrelwilliams

We don’t stop.. We got you.. over and over and over again.

World class acts, world class music. We got you! see you on the dancefloor!

Located at Icon Ultra Lounge
1192 Folsom St. at 8th St., SF

9pm-2am | 21+ | 3 Rooms