Tacoma Pride Block Party At The Mix Is Saturday & Kendall Chats With DJ/Producer Chris Cox About The Party!

Derrick Barry and Coco Montrese perform with “Queens with Cox” at Tacoma Pride Street Party at The Mix on Saturday, July 14, 2018!

If you thought Pride was over, we have news for you – it’s NEVER OVER!  Our sisters in the South Sound will be celebrating Pride this coming weekend (Saturday, July 14) and you best believe, TACOMA WILL BE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF QUEERNESS!  …and there will be no hotter party than the Official Tacoma Pride Block Party at The Mix!  Those crafty kids at Kendall’s DJ & Event have partnered up with The Mix once again and have carefully crafted a fantastic and diverse line up of entertainment to keep those Tacoma queers HIGHLY entertained.  

The party features and indoor stage with air conditioning, resident DJ EssBee and all kinds of drink specials, as well as an outdoor stage that has Ruth Soto, Cheer Tacoma, Glitterati Inc., DJ’s LA Kendall, Toya B and Joy, along with hostess Sylvia O’Stayformore.  The headliners, QUEENS WITH COX (featuring Grammy nominated DJ Chris Cox, Derrick Barry, Coco Montrese and Judas Joe Manson. It’s gonna get WILD GIRL. WILD. Make sure you plan for your designated driver, Uber, Lift, etc – because we can pretty much guarantee you will leave this party blissed out, and gaysted.  

I had a chance to rap DJ to DJ with Chris Cox in advance of Saturday’s show – take a minute to READ ALL ABOUT IT.  Then get up off your duff and grab those advance tickets NOW. We hear the advance inventory is selling out fast. You will be able to purchase at the door, but get up on it and save that money honey!  

Grammy Award nominated producer/DJ Chris Cox

LAK: You were an Electronic DJ/Remixer/Producer well before EDM became a commercial success, which is amazing.  As a musician, what drew you to dance music specifically?

CC: When I was really young I constantly listened to the radio and was drawn to anything related to music. Growing up in a small town in a pre-internet age meant that you didn’t have a lot of options of what   was culturally fed to you. I was mostly hearing rock and standard Top 40 stuff. When the synthesizer started getting featured on more music it just blew me away! It sounded like the future and it   completely captivated me.

Flash forward to going to school dances and eventually clubs (on a fake ID). The minute I was in a dark room with flashing lights and really loud music I was hooked! There is something so magical about being “inside” of music and just letting go. Dance music, and the environment it is created for, is such an escape and so much fun. 

LAK:  The list of artists that you have remixed and worked with is absolutely mind blowing. Like, WOW.  Any favorites or stand outs over the years?

CC: It’s been amazing getting a chance to meet and work with so many of my musical loves, and I’ve never stopped being a fan! One of the biggest highlights for me was finally getting to meet and work with Madonna. She had always meant so much to me as an artist, and when I was first starting my career,  she was absolutely the biggest in the world. Getting to work on a Madonna record felt like I had “arrived.”

My time touring and becoming friends with Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction singer and Lollapalooza founder) was really fun! I’ve had so many wonderful encounters with artists I’ve loved, and it’s been really cool. Chatting with Cher backstage at Aerosmith, meeting a shy 19 year old Christina Aguilera in the studio, and the multiple times I got to talk with Donna Summer. Actually, a very surreal moment was when I was DJing Giorgio Moroder’s 70th birthday at Spago in Beverly Hills. The entire place was full of stars, (Daft Punk, Wolfgang Puck, Jerry Bruckheimer, Harold Faltermeyer, RuPaul), and in the middle of it all Donna Summer comes over to me and asks if I can play “Sunset People.” I said “hey lady, no requests!” and gave her a smile and played it in a room filled my friends and heroes.

LAK: As a DJ myself, I own many pieces of vinyl that feature your remixes – many of them Billboard Dance Chart #1’s.  I was talking about this with another friend of mine (also a DJ), and he told me that you had over 50 Billboard Dance Chart #1’s.  First of all, is that correct?  And second, that’s an amazing achievement.  What do you think the secret to your success has been?

CC: I believe the count is now at 55 or 56. Thanks, it is kind of wild. I think one of the main things that has kept me going in the fact that I am perpetually curious. I love learning things! This translates into studio techniques, trends, instruments, and technology. Every time I jump into a project I try to make something great. It doesn’t always happen, but I definitely try. I can’t just “phone it in.”

I also try to respect the artist and song. I believe that remixing is an art form when it’s done well. It’s possible to bring out another viewpoint or emotional arc to a performance when translating it to another style. I like the challenge of finding another way to musically re-frame something.

LAK: On top of all of this, you were also nominated for a Grammy, right?  What project was that attached to?

CC: It was for Cher’s song “Love One Another” from her Living Proof album. Also, my record label, Interhit Records, won the first-ever Grammy for Best Dance Recording for Donna Summer’s “Carry On.”  Donna and Giorgio got the statues, but I signed the record, A&R’ed it, remixed it, and even did the packaging! Lol!

LAK: How did “Queens With Cox” come to be?

CC: Queens With Cox was born out of a couple of shows that I did with Derrick Barry. As you know, Derrick is the most amazing Britney Spears impersonator, and I DJed a couple of shows that (s)he performed on. Derrick would perform the mixes that I produced for Britney and her label. My longtime friend and   booking agent is Michael Benedetti, whose company, The Benedetti Group, represents several other fantastic drag queens that do perfect celebrity pop star drag. I pitched him the idea of getting a few of  these other girls together and presenting a show that combines the visual of drag along with the   soundtrack and energy of a nightclub DJ performance. 

LAK:  If you were to give folks planning on attending the Official Tacoma Pride Block Party at The Mix some advice on how to prepare for, or what to expect from “Queens With Cox”, what would that be?

CC: There will be great performances, awesome music, and and tons of energy. Bring a positive attitude and be prepared to have fun!

LAK: I just realized that your birthday is the day after you perform at Tacoma Pride. We are both rocking that  Cancer vibe (mine is the 21st)!  What can we have handy for you that’ll make your birthday special?!

CC: Well, Happy Birthday to you too, fellow sensitive Cancer! What could you have handy??…..

hmmmmmm… Do I really want to put that in print??  😉

LAK: Ooh – challenge accepted!

Facebook event with full schedule: https://www.facebook.com/events/171735340175698/

Purchase tickets at: http://www.themixtacoma.com/pride-2018.html