Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1420844
214.520.8300 ERINHOME.COM ERIN @ ERINHOME.COM THE RESIDENT EXPERT OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. pm, recently I've had a few chances to see him behind the turntables. He's practically the house DJ at Neiman Marcus, often feeding the fashion-y crowd tunes that keep an ever-so- chic vibe going. For those in the mood to venture out and dance the night away, he shares that two parties are on the horizon: "On November 26, I'll be hosting another Wes Anderson party at The Adolphus, and on December 11, DJ Sober and I have a Smiths vs. Cure party at Strangeways called Cry Now, Cry Later." You can find tickets for both and other events at discotx.com. In the meantime, we requested that DJ Blake W conjure up a PaperCity playlist for our lovely readers to enjoy. And, what did the witty mixmaster name the playlist that you can find on Spotify? "Songs that I would put in a playlist for a magazine because I'm a DJ." It includes an upbeat mash-up of songs such as India Jordan's "And Groove" and Dance System's "All I Wanna Do." linktr. ee/djblakew. Billy Fong DISCO DIRECTOR I f you mention DJ Blake Ward to denizens of Dallas' nightclub scene, their response will likely be: "He throws the best parties." He's known for themed events (under the moniker of Disco, TX) that generally begin after the bedtime of anyone older than the millennial age bracket. Since I fall in that older demographic, I have only been to a few of his late-night evenings — most notably, one in the penthouse suite of The Stoneleigh hotel that was an homage to all things Wes Anderson. I was in heaven, as I continually found myself in a Margot Tenenbaum-esque mosh pit with the secret smoker's uniform of fur coat, Lacoste polo dress, and penny loafers spotted as far as the eye could see, along with quite a few boys in knitted red beanies phoning it in as part of the Steve Zissou crew. Back to the beginning for a moment. Being the beloved nightlife impresario didn't come easily for Ward. He started out at Oklahoma University, where he says he didn't fit in at all in his skinny jeans (yes, the OU crowd must never have gotten the memo on the metrosexual trend). He found some friends, however, and they launched a series of parties that caught on with the growing hipster crowd in Norman. Eventually he made his way back to Dallas and secured gigs spinning records at places like the iconic Beauty Bar (now sadly closed). He kept a day job until 2015, when he was finally able to devote himself fully to life behind the turntables. For someone incredibly creative who thrives on a crowd, the orders to shelter in place were devastating. It seems almost painful to ask the inevitable question: How did he spend the majority of 2020? Well, he had a lot of quality time with his girlfriend and chickens. Yes, chickens. If you follow him like I do and spent way too much time during lockdown on Instagram, you saw him tending to his backyard flock. He also worked on making sure his recently launched DJ business, Four Four Agency, would be ready to kick back into high gear when COVID eventually disappeared in our collective rearview mirror. Even though I rarely start my night after 9 DJ Blake Ward 30