🎼 VIRGINIA: HOODIE GOODIES PRESENTS- INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST- DJ TONY B 🎼

Written by Zach Champ

WHO IS DJ TONY B? 

DJ Tony B is a native Virginian artist and performer who has toured internationally, been involved with numerous radio stations, and who even had a Billboard #1 single at one point in time. Nowadays residing in Fredericksburg, DJ Tony B spends his time producing House music and working on his side projects. DJ Tony B is a locally respected entertainer who helped build the hit radio station 99.3 VIBE that was extremely popular in Fredericksburg for several years before rebranding under the ownership of a new company.

Hoodie Goodies contacted DJ Tony B to ask him about House music, the creative scene in Fredericksburg, and his plans for 2019. 

Check out our sister article for this interview, WHO IS DJ TONY B? located on our DMV Music and Art blog!

HOODIE GOODIES & DJ TONY B INTERVIEW: 

Hoodie Goodies: Who are you and what do you do?

DJ Tony B: My name is DJ Tony B and I’m originally from Culpeper Virginia. That’s where I was born and when I was a kid, my family and I moved to Alexandria. As a young adult, I moved to Los Angeles, where I ended up working in the radio business and electronic dance music scene for over 20 years. I have close to 150 different releases on vinyl and have practically played on every radio station in Los Angeles. I actually have a Billboard #1 ranking hit single which is a remix of the group Crystal Water’s “Relax”. Due to life circumstances, I found myself moving back to Virginia and settling here in Fredericksburg.

DJ Tony B: When I moved to Fredericksburg it wasn’t long before I was able to get on some radio gigs. Eventually, I ended up helping create the first Top 40’s format radio station here in Fredericksburg which was 93 VIBE. This was a very popular and successful station for many years here in the area. Eventually, the radio station was bought by a new company and they wanted to do things with the station I wasn’t interested in. So, I left the radio and decided to focus more on getting back to my roots with music production and DJing. I eventually met up with another local DJ and producer named Tre Justice. Also, my best friend DJ Chub we both do events here in Fredericksburg and Richmond.

Hoodie Goodies: Where in the DMV are you from? How does this influence your music?

DJ Tony B: So, I am originally from Culpeper, that’s where I was born, and then I moved to Alexandria. I went to Los Angeles for 20 years or so before coming back to my home state and now I am here in Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg is wonderful, the talent here is impressive in this little city and it takes in so many influences!

Hoodie Goodies: Why is House music important?

DJ Tony B: Oh man! House music is the constant, it’s like… House music is why EDM is here. It’s the foundation. I’ve always been drawn to house music you know, since my early days playing on the radio in LA. For a long time, I’ve made house records and worked with labels… but House music is so important to me and others because it’s a potent genre. House music keeps reinventing itself, you end up with all these different subgenres like electro house, deep house, I don’t care what you call it, it is all house music to me! Mainly I just love how it brings different people together to create beautiful music. House music gave me a career!

Hoodie Goodies: How is House music relevant to the DMV?

DJ Tony B: House music is extremely relevant to the DMV. You see it represents the DMV because House music is international and the DMV IS international. Washington D.C is a city connected to the world, we have embassies and the government and all these important people and as a result, this region is connected and associated with all of that. The DMV is so global, we have people from all backgrounds and walks of life here, people from all over the world. House music and EDM are like the mainstream in Europe and other countries, so it leaks through Washington D.C into the surrounding region. It’s culturally imported! Not only that, we have great talent from all across the globe that perform here and the House music in DC is incredible!

Hoodie Goodies: Where do you think House music is going as a genre? What about EDM as a whole and as a scene?

DJ Tony B: House will always be a staple genre in EDM, it is essentially the roots and classics of the electronic dance scene. I mean before dubstep before trap and all of that there was HOUSE MUSIC.  I don’t want the new bucks and young jacks to bow down to us old cats, but I do want them to show respect to the tradition and pay homage to the pioneering artists and DJ’s who set the foundation during the 80’s 90s and so on.  

Hoodie Goodies: What is the Fredericksburg music scene like? Are there other EDM artist in FXBG? What is the creative energy like right now in the City?

DJ Tony B: There are several amazing artists in Fredericksburg right now that are helping push and develop the scene. That includes my friend and colleague DJ Chub, and together he and I have a duo act called NOISENINJAS that’s pretty rad. There’s also Tre Justice and the Basement, he’s just this very talented young guy and he produces and DJ’s and throws these killer shows. Different cultures interacting is what makes good music, and Fredericksburg has a lot of diversity and unique history and culture. The scene here is thriving and very energetic, and is surely growing!  

Hoodie Goodies: What are some of the most popular venues in Fredericksburg? Do you see more growth in Fredericksburg as far as live music events and nightclubs go?

DJ Tony B: We mostly play our own EDM gigs. My favorite venue, and perhaps the best by far in the area is Hard Time Café at Four Mile Fork. They have everything from incredible lights to an incredible stage, and an incredible sound system… it’s just a great venue for the area and very popular here locally!  There’s a lot of other great bars and restaurants downtown, including Central Station, Jay’s Nightclub, Brocks Riverside Bar and Grill, and many others! We’d love to do a lot more, but we have to be selective with our events, we can’t really promote a huge scene like we want to. Many venue owners are not into raves and underground music scenes. There’s still a lot of the old school traditional good ol’ boys club active here in the city and they really hold back a lot of the creative growth here. I don’t think the local politics here is ready for a nightclub scene. Lately, Downtown FXBG had had a lot of development and new construction going on, it’s starting to become a little more gentrified with nice hundred-thousand-dollar townhomes and luxury apartments. The city is definitely growing, but I don’t know if we will see a true nightclub scene emerge here, at least not within the next 5 years.

Hoodie Goodies: Who are your top 3 influences in your music production?

DJ Tony B: Yeah, I got several! There’s Carl Cox, Bad Boy Bill, Frankie Bones, Armand van Helden, and Louie Vega… they are all great influences on my work as a DJ and producer.

Hoodie Goodies: What can we expect from you in 2019?

DJ Tony B: 2019 will be awesome! Everyone can expect more great music and more great shows! I have a lot of collaboration projects in the works. One big event we have planned down the road will be the April 13^th Party with the LITLORDS (Trap Bass Act) Downtown. That will be such an exciting and hype event were organizing there, you guys need to check that out. You know I’m just an old school DJ, I just love to show people great music and get the party going!

HEAR MORE OF TONY'S MUSIC AND STAY UP TO DATE ON SHOWS AND EVENTS! 

DJ Tony B is making moves out here in Virginia. If you loved this interview and want to check more of his hit music out feel free to check out their website and social media links below.

Website: http://thedjtonyb.weebly.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/thedjtonyb
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedjtonyb
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedjtonyb/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thedjtonyb

Tell us what you thought about the interview and who we should interview next in the comments below!