Needle Exchange, Out-of-Towner Edition: Dr. Troy (Seattle; Medical Records)

His go-to records, his craziest gig and the music you should never ask him to play.

IMAGE: Courtesy of Troy Wadsworth.
By Matthew Singer

Years DJing: I started mixing on big, clunky CD decks, turntables and iPods with a noisy Radio Shack mixer when I was in medical school, starting around 1999. I guess that makes it about 18 years.

Genres: I basically wear two DJ hats. The first hat is worn by a DJ who obsesses over obscure new wave, Italo and any other synth oddities that may cross his path. The other hat is worn by a DJ who only plays pummeling techno.

Where You Can Catch Me Regularly: In Seattle, Medical Records has a monthly party every fourth Thursday at Pony, where you will hear mutated disco, synthpop, wave and all the synthetic fingerlings that come from those genres. You may also hear Dr. Troy spinning techno at one-off parties here and there, as well as a new night called Transfusions at Kremwerk, which is also the namesake of the Medical Records sub-label.

Craziest Gig: I don't know how crazy, exactly, but definitely odd. I was once DJing at the Dallas Art Museum, playing some new wave, when a patron asked me if I would play his private house party. I obliged and was told the theme was "'80s". Well, I played my favorite '80s music, which turns out wasn't quite what they had in mind. Respectfully, they wrote me a nice check and sent me on my way after about 30 minutes.

My Go-To Records: For my Italo/wave DJ bag, you will commonly hear me playing the track "Catch" by Sun La Shan, as well as the Patrick Cowley edit of Tantra's "The Hills of Kathmandu." I also fancy Severed Heads and Human League, so odds are they will make an appearance. On the techno side of things, you are almost always going to hear a ø [Phase] track (perhaps "Dirtro II") or "Modular Framework" by CtrlS.

Don't Ever Ask Me to Play…: In the words of the great Bill Hicks, "Do I look like a jukebox?" No, seriously, it's fine, but odds are I won't have what you want to hear in my bag unless we happen to be on the same wavelength.

NEXT GIG: Dr. Troy spins at Killingsworth Dynasty, 832 N Killingsworth St., on Friday, June 23. 10 pm. 21+.

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