Hailing from Austin, TX—Houston nightlife has had custody of DJ Nimbus since the late 80's and isn't giving up rights to him anytime soon. Nimbus is a versatile DJ, perhaps most saliently known for his dreamesque house sets. His hip-hop sets are also a joy to listen to, as the catalogues of the genre are continuously unearthed and hidden gems fill the dance floor. For a dreamy, soulful good time—check out DJ Nimbus!

How did you get your name?
One, it's a powerful name that if someone hears the name—they don't forget it. Two, being that I'm a black male, the nimbus cloud is a black cloud. Also, it's kind of floating above the rest and being of a higher standard. Thunderstorms are also powerful, yet relaxing. Everyday the weather is different, which is my take on DJ'ing. You should be able to come listen to me and hear something different each time.

Describe your style of DJin'g.
"There's hip-hop that had a sound I liked instrumentation-wise that was very related to the same types of sound that I liked in deep house and soulful house music. I started focusing on buying music that had certain sounds, certain elements ... that if they had to exemplify me—you could paint a picture of me with these sounds. It's always been a dark, kind of dreamesque sound to it or it'd be very hypnotic.

HNL: What's the strangest request you've had while DJ'ing?
This young doctor comes up the other night to my For the Love of House night. She was blonde, blue eyes, petite—in her scrubs. She comes up and asks, "what's next?" I simply said, "that song." Pointed at the Serato. Then she says, "do you have anything ghetto?"

What's your drink?
Tito's and Redbull or Tito's and cranberry.

What's your shot?
Generally I do a vodka shot or a tequila shot, Cazadores or Don Julio.

What's the first record you ever owned?
I used to call into the radio to request. I asked for Doug Lazy. One day I finally got mad, I called and said, "I call here everyday and ya'll never play my song!" The guy felt bad. He told me to come up to the station, "I'll give you a CD." He gave me my first CD, the Doug Lazy I'd been requesting and some house records.



What was your first DJ gig?
Ironically, it was in the Montrose area, a place called the House. I was not hell bent on being a house DJ back then. I was doing a little bit of everything.

Your hip-hop sets are markedly different from other DJs in town. Can you talk about that a little?
Let's put it this way, when I play an Ice Cube song, it's not always going to be the one that 97.9 the Box played.

What are your favorite DJs locally?
DJ Drew, now owner of Fox Hollow. Esteban Torres, plays a lot of good soulful stuff, Luis with Soul Channel and Larry Murphy goes by Elbow.

What is your favorite venue to DJ?
Belvedere.

Is there a venue you haven't played that you'd like to?
Mona Lisa in the Hotel Sorrella.

What are your favorite hangouts?

Zimm's, Za Za, Mona Lisa, RDG, Bar Annie, the Flat.

Do you have a favorite quote?
I have a lot of them. "Your ears my canvas and the music is my paintbrush" is something I came up with. 2pac had one, "If you can't find something to live for, you need to find something to die for." Another one that I came up with the other day, "Unity begins with you, Y-O-U."

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
Teleportation, so I could travel everywhere and listen to cool music everywhere.

Favorite App?
Shazam.

If there was a movie about your life, what would it be called?
Rise of the Nimbus

What do wear on your feet when you DJ?
Puma's, sometimes Adidas. Sometimes, Aldo's casual shoes. It depends on how I'm dressed.

Any last words?
Explore the difference in Houston. Adopting grown and sexy and finding out what that really means.