SFist Interviews: In the Life and Style of DJ Ts

Published Feb. 15, 2010 at 11:00 p.m.

Roots run deep in San Francisco's musical family tree and it's nice to see that bay area's native son, Tony Sison or DJ Ts, has not fallen far from his passion for helping people get down on the dance floor...It all started with Omar Perez, Aaron Axelson and Eric Shea's "Popscene" at the Cats Alley in the mid to late 90's where a soiree of music motley's spawned to create their own scenes around the bay area...I had met Tony, T-Love at the time, who was spinning with Tristram "Tee" Gaze, a driven underground club pioneer, who started Darling at the Purple Onion, July 4th's Indie-Pendence Day at 1015, and cleaned out Li Po's basement in China Town to conceive "Fan Club"..."Fan Club" also launched Ritchie Panic, who brought you "Frisco Disco" and now "Boner Party".

With all that said Ts has come a long way in his own right, DJing dance parties "Plastique" and "Musiq" at Lazlo...In Los Angeles, he teamed up with Tita Poe to launch "Space Camp" at the Gold Room and then "Buttons" at Broadway Bar...More recently he has made the Mission District his home with Beauty Bar's "Errrly" Friday happy hour and "Life/Style" with Raul Sanchez every Thursday night...Life/Style was voted best bar/lounge in 2009 in San Francisco's Bay Guardian, and I'm excited to hear what TS has in store for us in 2010...For those of you that are curious, Life/Style's first anniversary is this Thursday the 18th, you'll be drinking champagne under the balloon drop and moving your body to Holy Ghost!, Teenage Fanclub, Rapture, Daft Punk, Girls, Danzig, The Chameleons, Suede, Justice and Sexual Harassment just to name some tracks...Yes...the music motley lives on...

Micke Tong: I have a strange suspicion that you will be playing vinyl for the rest of your life...Could I be wrong? Will you ever embrace technology?

Ts: Well, I’ve been collecting vinyl for most of my life and have never sold a single record although I have destroyed quite a few - most notoriously at one of Fallout’s Halloween parties at the Rickshaw Stop a few years ago...I will never stop playing vinyl...It is my passion...I’ll cut dub plates if I have to...That said, if more opportunities to DJ in NYC, LA and abroad arise I will consider a Serato laptop rig...When your checked in luggage is all records, it is no fun.

MT: One of things I love most is your all 45's set...Are there any particular places you want to divulge to our readers as to where you get your music? and what is your most coveted piece of vinyl?

Ts: 45’s are so difficult to DJ just because the size of a 45 is hard to manipulate...So many things can go wrong...Locally, Joe Quixx has been one of the best at spinning 45’s and has been an inspiration to me...Aside from spending hours at Amoeba, I try to hit up Rooky Ricardo’s and Groove Merchant as much as possible...Most of my treasured 45’s have come from estate sales though so I make sure to read Craigslist to make sure I know when those happen...My most coveted piece of vinyl is something that a lot of people covet - The Beatles ‘Yesterday and Today’ with the butcher cover...I stole it from my dad’s record collection.

MT: Describe your first DJ gig?

Ts: My first gig was in 1998 at Cat’s Alley for a birthday party...I spun mostly old soul, hard 70’s funk and Italian soundtracks...It was nerve-wracking, and exhilarating...I didn’t know what I was doing, but I loved it...I’ve been DJing regularly ever since.

MT: Growing up in San Francisco, you have seen it change over the years...How do you like what you see today...What are some of your favorite local hangouts?

Ts: San Francisco is a more homogenous place than it’s ever been - less diverse in terms of ethnicity and economic class...This is not a good thing...One change I do like is the fact that SF has become one of the best food cities in the world - good food here ranges from high to low end across most all styles of cuisine...

I hang out at the Knockout a lot...It feels like my second home...For my coffee, I’m usually at Dynamo Donuts or Vega...Those places are just fantastic...For my drinks, I like go occasionally to Nihon or Rye but am usually at a place like LiPo Lounge or Latin American Club...Nothing beats a Gibson though at Tadich Grill...Oh, and I like to go to most DJ nights that Paul Paul or Sweaterfunk put on.

MT: Life/Style has often been a family affair...I mean your not looking to get the hottest DJ's to host, but rather friends of yours that have great music taste...Not only that, but Life/Style also gives recognition to Beauty Bar's bartenders and manicurist as well, which I'm starting to see others do now...Any particular reason you go this route?

Ts: I moved back to San Francisco in 2008 after many years away...I was very reluctant to start DJing again here, but my friends really encouraged me to get back to it...I wanted to translate their positive enthusiasm for what I do into a creative outlet for them...Most of them had never considered ever DJing before, and I just knew their perspective on music would be super interesting and would bring an eclectic, unique flavor to what I do...As far as recognition for the Beauty Bar’s bartenders and manicurist, I never gave it a second thought...Lee, David, and Candice are an integral part of what I do and without them being as awesome as they are, LIFE/STYLE would not be what it is today...We’re all in this together, and I want to keep it that way.

MT: You've been DJing for some time now and with lots of people here and abroad...Do you have any interesting stories to share? I mean, you are in the business of "night life" and things can get wild when the lights go down.

Ts: For some reason, a couple of times women have approached the DJ booth and stripped in front of me all the while surrounded by a crowded dance floor...This happened once in SF at Fanclub and once in Rome at an indie club I guest DJed...In Tokyo, some black suited Yakuza attended a gig of mine and decided to take me out to their favorite ramen joint...I couldn’t say ‘No’, could I?! It was fun, but I also felt like shit could go down at any moment.

MT: You could have said, "No", but that's only if you dislike your hands.

MT: On a lighter note, I think Beauty Bar should name a drink after you and Raul, maybe we'll call it..."Sisanchez" ('s_ 'san' sh_)...LOL. What would it contain?

Ts: Ha! I think it would be a variation on a Dark ‘N’ Stormy...Like a Makers with splash of Fernet mixed with ginger beer served over ice...

MT: Like the DJ's of Brass Tax, they have a new generation of kids who are now throwing dance parties...Do you think you'll ever find a protégé to keep on with your passion for spinning music? What does the future hold? maybe your own bar?

Ts: I don’t know if I’d ever have a protégé or if I even would want one...The Selecter DJ Kirk of In’N’Out, Concrete Jungle, and Sweaterfunk taught me, and I’d be willingly ready to share what I learned, too...I do have dreams of managing a group of very talented women DJ's. Night life here needs more women DJ's...As far as the future is concerned, I could see myself running some kind of business, maybe even a bar, in a place like Rimini, Italy, which is a place I love to visit.

MT: Since Music is a universal language, where would you like to have a weekly? Any where in the world.

Ts: My friends in New York have been bugging me to do one there for years, so maybe there...But really, I would love to do one in Madrid...I think it’s a totally underrated city...Everyone talks about Barcelona which of course is rad...Madrid though has shown itself to be a fantastic place to be...And I find myself thinking of it often - the friends I’ve made there and the food!

MT: Will we be expecting a Life/Style mix soon on either CD or download?

Ts: It’s taken a year for me to figure out what the LIFE/STYLE sound is...I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to express it in words, but I will express it soon via a CD I’m working on, which if all goes to plan will be out just before summer...It will be beach and party ready...I’m assembling the tracks now...Maybe I’ll call it ‘Sockless’.

Life/Style never has a cover charge and takes place at Beauty Bar, 2299 Mission Street at 19th, every Thursday night from 10pm-2am. Errrly's happy hour is every last Friday of the month from 6pm-10pm...You can follow TS and his daily blog.

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