DJ Johnson (musician)
Donald Ray "DJ" Johnson Jr. is an American musician, songwriter, and music producer, as well as the drummer for Khruangbin, an instrumental trio from Houston, Texas.[1]
DJ Johnson | |
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Background information | |
Born | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 2004–present |
Labels | |
Member of | Khruangbin |
Background
Johnson grew up playing drums, moving to keyboard organ in his late teens.[2][3] He has remarked on the cultural diversity of growing up in Houston, with people from all over the world living in the region and playing their music, as influencing his sound.[4][5]
Johnson studied at Houston's Summer Jazz Workshop, learning under Houston drummer Bubbha Thomas and Kashmere High School band leader Conrad O. Johnson.[6][7][8][9] He is an alumnus of Texas All-State Jazz Ensembles and studied orchestral percussion with instructor Jim Whitfield.[10]
Johnson met guitarist and future Khruangbin bandmate Mark Speer in 2004 at the Red Cat Jazz Cafe in Houston. The two later worked together as hired players in Pastor Rudy Rasmus' St. John's United Methodist Church gospel band in the city, where Johnson played organ and Speer played guitar.[11]
Production
Johnson is also one-half of the music production duo Beanz n Kornbread, who have produced recordings of Houston rappers such as Slim Thug, Kirko Bangz, Z-Ro, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall.[10][14]
References
- Limited, Bangkok Post Public Company. "Out of the shadows" – via www.bangkokpost.com.
- Beta, Andy (July 2, 2020). "How an Instrumental Trio Became One of Houston's Most Popular Rock Bands". Texas Monthly.
- "Leon Bridges & Khruangbin's DJ Johnson Talk Magic Of New EP 'Texas Moon,' Bringing The Church & Houston Hip-Hop Into Their Music | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com.
- Id.
- The Modern Drummer Podcast. Oct 8, 2020. Episode 2: Khruangbin's DJ Johnson, Evans UV Series Drumheads, and More.
- "Legendary Houston musician Bubbha Thomas dies".
- McCurdy, Brian (August 4, 2022). "Hidden Gems of the NLS Collection: The Music of Khruangbin | NLS Music Notes". The Library of Congress.
- "Bubbha Thomas". July 22, 2023 – via Wikipedia.
- Houston Chronicle. After a year of international acclaim, Khruangbin brings its global pop home to Houston.
- "Khruangbin's DJ Johnson - Modern Drummer Magazine". July 25, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-07-25.
- Gregor, Róbert (June 29, 2020). "MORDERCHAI AND THE MYSTERIOUS WORLD OF KHRUANGBIN".
- "From Church Organ to World Stage: Houston's Hot Khruangbin Trio Hits the Road - Houston CityBook". www.houstoncitybook.com.
- Mellon, Eileen (May 2, 2022). "Funk Sway". richmondmagazine.com.
- Torres, Marco. "Beanz N Kornbread Cook Up Good Weather Muzik". Houston Press.
- "Khruangbin: Con Todo El Mundo | SpellbindingMusic". May 14, 2018.
- "In Conversation with Khruangbin". The Line of Best Fit.