Today we’d like to introduce you to Victor Gomez.
Victor, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, I had cousins who used to break dance and do graffiti. I was always around hip hop. When we were younger, we would watch BOTY (battle of the year) videos, and I would always be amazed by the DJ.
The track selections, the scratching, and energy that he would bring to the breakdance battles. I sort of gravitated to anything that had to do with music or djing. I went from being a B-boy to rap battles in the cafeteria at school. (i wasn’t good at all)
All my life I grew up around music. However, I didn’t have the equipment to play music or scratch on. Of course, coming from a traditional Hispanic household. My parents thought I was crazy for asking for a complete DJ set up… until my 17th birthday. My childhood friend gave me my very first set up. His dad had bought him some old $30 turntables from the pawnshop, and they were just collecting dust in his room. I would come over and play with them every day in the summer until eventually, he said: “Dawg, you can keep them.”
So fast forward from all my bedroom sessions and bad, corny gigs. I met DJ Klinch from The Almight Krackernuttz; he would invite me to his gigs, at the time, I would say circa 2011-2013 was the “Golden years” for the DJ scene in Houston. A lot of new genres were being introduced to the dance floors. Washington St was super poppin at the time. I then knew I wanted to be part of this “party rocking” scene. I never wanted to be a battle DJ. I wanted to make people dance. I hated playing the radio crap, so I kept it original and started googling music blogs for remixes. I wanted to play some crazy stuff…
I always wanted to stand out from the regular club DJ’s. No offense to any of my DJ peers, but I always thought the marketing was always hella corny… until I discovered early SoundCloud and IG. I started following the DJs that I was interested in and the guys who always had dope content. I took notes and started my own parties.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has definitely been the bumpiest road.
Not having the proper music for certain gigs.
relationships that went sour due to lack of communication,
My biggest challenge was to play the top 40/mainstream hip hop scene; I take pride in breaking records. I would notice my friends wanted me to play their favorite songs when they come to visit me at bars. I didn’t wanna “sell out” and play Drake all night. But throughout the years, I learned how to incorporate my style into my sets when I play these mainstream clubs.
After so many empty dancefloors you tend to get with the program!!!
What should our readers walk away with? What should they know about you and what sets you apart from others?
My name is VIC G, Houston born and raised. Founder of Smooth&Faded collective.
Resident parties:
Booty Call W/ Vic G and Friends
Down For Whatever: Houston’s Premier all dance series
What can I say??? Its all a vibe to me. When you come to my parties, whether it being at #BootyCall or #DownForWhatever. It’s definitely all about the music. Playing unknown genres, making crowds sing along to timeless records, slammin’ tunes that make you feel good.
What sets you apart from others? My style. My music selection. I got flavor.
What are you most proud of as a company? Taking the Booty Call series to Spire. Which is the biggest night club here in Houston. The fact that they reached out to bring the series into the club was huge to me. I worked extremely hard and wanted the party to reach the next level, and the timing was perfect. The vibes were on point.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Traveling and playing music across the country. The workload is going to be 5x harder than it is now. But I definitely see myself living the lifestyle I want to live 100%. I definitely want to be playing the music that I want to. I’m transitioning into making my own edits and club remixes so my plan is to take that next step and see how far it can take me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @djvicg
- Other: https://soundcloud.com/djvicghtx
Image Credit:
Fredis Benitez
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