Donald Ray Johnson Jr.
Donald "DJ" Johnson Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | DJ |
| Born | January 24, 1984 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Khruangbin, Leon Bridges, Paul McCartney, Jay Electronica |
Donald "DJ" Johnson Jr., also known as DJ Johnson, is an American musician and producer, best known as the drummer for the musical trio Khruangbin. He is often praised for his precision on their recordings and at live shows.[1][2]
Biography
Johnson was born and raised in Houston, Texas.[3] He began playing drums at age 3 and performing in church by age 10.[4] DJ met his future bandmate Mark Speer in 2004 while playing in the St. John's Methodist Church gospel band in Houston. The church employed Speer as the guitarist and Johnson as the organist.[5]
In Khruangbin, Johnson plays drums, keyboard and sings. The band record all of their albums in a barn in Burton, Texas, which was chosen due to its isolated location and lack of Wi-Fi.[6] Unlike most current drummers, Johnson does not record with a click track, preferring to record in an "old school" way.[7][2] The band members also record all their parts individually, before meeting up to share their compositions.[8]
DJ, credited as Donald Johnson, produced and played piano on the Mac Miller track "I'll Be There" (featuring Phonte)" from Miller's 5th mixtape, "Best Day Ever."
Johnson has recorded three studio albums with Khruangbin: The Universe Smiles Upon You (2015), Con Todo el Mundo (2018), Mordechai (2020) and five EPs, two of which are with Leon Bridges: Texas Sun (2021) and Texas Moon (2022). In 2018, Khruangbin supported Bridges on tour and the acts connected instantly, bonding over their shared love of music and the state of Texas.[9]
Johnson is half of the duo Beans N Kornbread.[10] a songwriting and production team formed with childhood friend Kenneth Roy.[11]
Equipment
- Gretsch Catalina 18" kick drum, 14" floor tom
- Meinl 18" dark crash cymbal
- Zildjian 14" thin crash on top, and a Sabian regular hi hat top cymbal on the bottom
- Pearl 13" steel piccolo snare[12]
References
- ↑ Murphy, Bill. "Khruangbin: Chasing the Eternal Sunrise". Relix. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Donald "DJ" Johnson - Metronome Madness!!, 2021-03-28, retrieved 2022-09-07
- ↑ Scarpelli, Leah. "In 2021, Khruangbin Took Flight". Texas Standard. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ↑ MONROY YGLESIAS, ANA. "Leon Bridges & Khruangbin's DJ Johnson Talk Magic Of New EP 'Texas Moon,' Bringing The Church & Houston Hip-Hop Into Their Music". Grammy.com. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ↑ Khruangbin: How A Houston Trio Brought Thai Funk To The Masses. Soulr. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Kobylensky, Paul. "Khruangbin's Mark Speer: Addicted to Reverb". Premier Guitar. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ↑ Seamus, Evely. "Donald 'DJ' Johnson: Metronome Madness!". Drumeo.com.
- ↑ Micallef, Ken. "Feature: Khruangbin's DJ Johnson". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2022.CS1 maint: Unfit url (link)
- ↑ MUNSON, MARQUIS. "Record of the Week: Khruangbin & Leon Bridges' 'Texas Moon' EP". WNXP.com. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
- ↑ "Beanz & Kornbread". Discogs.com. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ↑ Sorcinelli, Gino. "'More Like Brothers': Kornbread Explains The Musical Bond of Beanz N Kornbread". Medium.com.
- ↑ "Setup info for Donald D.J. Johnson". drumforum.org. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
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