The Texas Bear Round-Up is underway and the bears, otters and cubs (and whatever other mammals) are running rampant through the city. Tonight, they convene at the Palladium Ballroom for the Big D Bear Dance with Chicago DJ Ted Eiel helming the turntables in his Dallas debut. Before he takes over the night, Eiel gave us some insider knowledge this afternoon into how this evening could play out.
Dallas Voice: What do you expect for your first time playing in Dallas? Ted Eiel: I’ve had friends in Dallas for years, so I expect to see a lot of the us “old guard” and fresh faces, both bear and circuit boys.
So your music is described as “muscle house.” Sounds hot but what is it? It’s a style of music that is sexy and dirty with a rhythm that makes you want to move. I like to say the bassline drives the song, not the drum line.
You also have a podcast called Chunkhouse. Love the name. It’s a brand I came up with describing my music: sexy , funky, chunky house music. You can download the podcast from my site or on itunes.
What’s a setlist like for dancing bears? Lots of high energy house tracks with huge buildups and catchy vocals. You’ll very rarely hear me do any circuit house or tribal because to me, it’s just not fun anymore. The music needs soul to move the beef.
Which is your go-to song if the dance floor is getting a little lag? Right now it’s Madonna’s “Revolver” (Paul Van Dyke mix). It’s heavy, sexy and familiar. You have to throw the boys a bone every once in a while!
OK, I love doing mixtapes so if I’m doing a bear themed one, what are some songs that should at least be on there? I’m not big on mainstream music, so everything is pretty underground. But all the tracks usually nod to a song from the 70’s or 80’s, a refresh so to speak. So I would put on “Sweet Dreams” (Electro Mix), “Hiding All The Stars” (Michael Woods Mix) by Chicane and “Bostich” (Cube Guys Mix) by Yello.
