Today we’d like to introduce you to Dash Speer.
Dash, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been into music. It’s been my saving grace on so many occasions, and songs have a way of finding you when you need them most. I always knew I wanted to do something with music – because if it could change my life for the better it could do the same for others. I guess you can say my life purpose is to share that with the world around me.
Back in 2013, I headed to London with my band at that time, Crashing Colors. It was an indie-electronic project that I played drum-machines, synths, and beat-boxed for. It was a high energy fusion group – and playing with them are still some of my favorite memories.
Being in London… That’s when I started to get really into electronic music. My first ever rave was Half-Baked in London. For the record, raves over there are way different than from over here – people dress up all nice and dance to House and Techno all night… It’s like your “go to” social gathering.
At the time I was too young to see how big of an opportunity I had to plug-in to the scene.. but I still made some amazing friends and the journey really sculpted my ideas of what I wanted to create for myself and my city back home (Houston). Funny enough I got pulled into the Fashion world a bit too – and even ended up doing a Photoshoot for I-D Magazine. It was a phase of learning a lot about myself and a newfound passion for electronic music.
Flash forward a few years – Houston is very a much grind-and-dine city in the sense that a lot of people are stuck in their 9-5, suburban lifestyle. The scene here is growing, yet so many artists are spending all their energy on just making ends meet. Due to the massive space between venues and residential, bad public transport, and decade-long political scene-relationships it can be a really hard community to break into without the right finesse and resources.
The big promotion companies stick with their key players, and the up-and-comers have to show their face for years for their first big opportunities. It’s based a lot less on talent than you would hope. Ask pretty much any local artist and get their take on it, it’s probably the same. It’s a big reason a lot of bands and DJ’s are leaving Houston for bigger opportunities elsewhere.
It’s not much like London, but Houston has a sprawling creative hub of its own – it just needs a lot of TLC. Right now my sole (and soul) purpose is to dissolve some of these music scene roadblocks so our city can have a more thriving creative community, then we can give some of the raw talents that exist in the city a platform to really show what they’re made of.
I founded Silent Disco Vibe in January 2018 with the help of an old band-mate from Crashing Colors. Silent Disco is a wireless headphone party – where you as the listener have the power to choose between three different DJ’s or Performances & your headphones change colors depending on who you choose to listen to.
The results are phenomenal – a huge community of people that normally wouldn’t share space together, all vibing out and having a good time together. If that doesn’t kick the political scenester bullshit straight in the face – I don’t know what does.
People are out here having life-changing experiences at our Silent Discos – I know because they send me page long emails and messages about it, and will talk my ear off about how it’s changed their lives for the better. It’s these affirmations that keep me pushing forward full speed ahead.
Our lineups are always booked to bring together artists who you would NEVER see on a lineup together & right now we are really focused on a communal dance floor rather than separating our stages into different rooms. This keeps everybody nice and cozy, and although you might not be there for the same music – you have the power to choose what you want to listen to. It’s crazy watching people dance together who are listening to different music.
Socially, it’s an empowering environment to be in. If you’re an extrovert – you can easily have full-fledged, deep conversations with people without having to yell over any loud music. If you’re an introvert – you can exist in your own world by keeping the headphones all the way on and dancing until the night is over.
Our next step is to begin to move into multi-level structures and historical buildings. I also own a Lighting/AV company which gives us the ability to transform unconventional spaces into fully interactive environments. I like the idea of combining The Past, The Present, and The Future all in one space.
Being a Music Producer/Songwriter myself under “DASHR” – Silent Disco is actually one of my favorite ways for my music to be heard. First of all – you get an immediate reaction from the listeners as to what they like – because they’ll simply change channels if they’re not feeling it. I’ve talked to producers that absolutely HATE this! But I’m just the opposite – I like the challenge when I’m DJing and mixing my own tracks in there – and being able to visually see what works and what doesn’t without all the guesswork. It forces you to become a better artist.
All-in-all we’ve come a long way in the past few years & I’m always representing Urban Circus which is the Artist collective that kind of started this all into motion in the first place. There are some big creative collaborations in the works.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The hardest part has always been staying grounded & focused.
In any business, there’s a lot of distractions – but in the Music Industry we have these funny things called Rabbit Holes, you know like the ones in Allison Wonderland. Don’t go down the wrong Rabbit Hole or you may find yourself years down the line with nothing to show for it. It hasn’t happened to me but I’ve talked to plenty Thirty-somethings and Forty-somethings who wish they could start over.
It’s a scene with a lot of Alcohol, Drugs, Women & BS. It can be a lot to work past when you’re vision is the greater good for everybody around you, but some days you’re completely surrounded by ego – and have to rub shoulders. It’s an energetic thing, keeping yourself balanced. I hit the river a few times every month and do yoga every day just to recharge – no use grinding if you’re vision is clouded.
Things get a lot easier once you really discover what you’re searching for. Most people spend all their energy trying to decide what they want out of life – so they’re not ready to commit all their time and resources to something. It’s what separates those of us who do what we love and do what we feel like we have to. Once I found the power in myself to truly believe in my own vision & the ability to create my dreams into reality – it’s all been smooth sailing from there. There’s one thing that you can never let slow you down…
Failure – coming from a classical music background you’re always taught that it takes 10,000 hours to master an instrument. Yet people forget that it takes 10,000 hours to master anything! When things aren’t working out the way I imagined, it’s always humbling. & in those moments I always try to remind myself how long I’ve actually been doing something.
I’ll be honest with you – in the business world, 5 years ain’t shit. And if you run your mouth like you know all the answers – and there’s somebody in the room who’s been doing it for 20 years… well, guess what, you just missed a key opportunity to take what you’re growing to the next level. Run your mouth and they’ll sit back and listen. Chances are they won’t take the opportunity to teach you if you act like you have all the answers.
Stay observant, stay humble. Pay attention to the small details.. and when things don’t go according to plan – be grateful you’re learning valuable lessons, not distraught over things not happening exactly how you envisioned them. Don’t make the same mistakes twice. Learn from the success and mistakes of others… You’ll get where you’re going.
Silent Disco Vibe and Limitless Lights and Sound – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Well, we’ve touched a good bit on what we do at Silent Disco Vibe – we throw multi-genre shows with interactive visual environments & overall good vibes. We also rent out the wireless headphones to people around the country who want to throw their own Silent Disco’s.
My Lighting/AV company Limitless Lights and Sound are experiencing a lot of growth right now. I guess you could call it my 9-5, but when it really comes down to it I’m a full-time entrepreneur and make my own schedule. I’m also incredibly passionate about what we do with Limitless & we’ve been taking the services we offer to the next level.
I could list everything we do here, but it would honestly just look like a lot of cluttered words. In short, we do full-scale production… Everything from Concert and Event Lighting, to DJ Services, Audio Services, LED Walls, & pretty much anything else you can think of. We accept business from humble weddings all the way up to music festivals. If you want to learn more feel free to check us out at http://LimitlessLightsandSound.com.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is an internal thing. It’s what gets you out of bed in the morning. Success is watching your dreams manifest before your eyes, day in and day out. Success is like a Mantra – it’s a code by which you live and hold yourself too. It’s something you tell yourself day in and day out.
If you’re not acting with specific intentions, controlled by impulses, just making ends meet, doing things because they make you look good – you’re not successful. Stay humble and happy – then you’ll find the true meaning of success. It comes from the heart and not from the head.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://SilentDiscoVibe.com , http://LimitlessLightsandSound.com
- Phone: 2817879069
- Email: info@silentdiscovibe.com , limitlesslightsandsound@gmail.com
- Instagram: @silentdiscovibe
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilentDiscoVibe/
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