DJ Mel (Photo By Felicia Graham)
NASTY BOYS
Austin's hip-hop community has made great strides in catching up to the rest of the music scene in recent years, but even a decade ago, only
KAZI and
KVRX would even touch it. Heads were forced to seek refuge at DJ-driven nights like Monday at
Nasty's, which continues to this day. "When it first started, I think it was such a novelty for something to really jump off like it did," says
DJ Mel, who began the night in October 1996. Over the years, as hip-hop's local profile gradually increased, Nasty's devotees likewise spread the word far and wide. "A lot of people I see in other cities where there's a high concentration of people who used to go to UT, Nasty's was like a rite of passage for them," says Mel, who also DJs this weekend's
Stitch fashion show at the
Austin Music Hall. Mel reports he's even heard Brooklyn's award-winning
Rub parties, where he guest DJed last summer, referred to as "like Nasty's in New York." Nasty's core audience has become heavier on townies than students, adds Mel, but the night has always been a social hub. "I have close friends who met their girlfriend that they've dated for years there, or their wife," he says. And although hip-hop may be much more prevalent around town these days, Mondays at Nasty's are as unique as ever. "We're not standing behind a laptop, waiting for the song to fade out and play another one," Mel says. "We're actually still mixing it in a creative way."