DJ Atlas

Keith's parents surrounded him with a wide variety of music ranging from disco, funk, jazz, and rock at an early age. There was always something playing on the old console stereo. With his interest peaked, he began collecting music at the age of 7. Around 1978 He and his friends would ride their BMX bikes along the bayous of northwest Houston to collect returnable bottles for cash. Then spend the money at the local record shop buying 45’s.

Once in high school music took a new and exciting turn, it was the birth of hip hop. Due to the popularity of this new music style Keith took up break dancing with his pals around the school lunchroom. After accomplishing his skills he and his “crew” decided to enter a contest at a local teen club. They perfected a routine over the course of a few weeks and won the top prize of an early Numark DJ mixer, the year was 1986.

Upon receiving their first DJ mixer Keith and his crew gathered every speaker and turntable they could find, as well as their parents precious vinyl records and created the first mobile DJ rig the area had ever seen. Once the parents got wind of this needless to say they were not happy to find out that they began “scratching” their records. Those days soon passed and in 1989 Keith got his first gig at Numbers Nightclub in Houston, running the light show on Wednesday nights with DJ Curtis. Two years later he moved to Austin and began working the back rooms of clubs like Basics, Back Street, Ohms and Proteus with a multimedia set up that incorporated DJ music, visuals and video clips. It was one of the first of it's kind in Austin.

After honing his multimedia skills he joined forces with a couple of friends and formed Dreamscope which utilized video projection, slide projection, color wheels and film loops all displayed onto a 30 ft. x 70 ft. canvas wagon cover which they had custom made in Fort Worth Texas. Dreamscope had a knack for effectively applying art and images that reflected the theme or attitude of the event they were hired to accompany. After bringing the show to some of the first raves in Austin the word got out and they soon began doing events throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana for the likes of Disco Donnie Presents and other major event promoters of the day.

As the electronic dance music scene expanded so did the services Dreamscope provided. With an investment in a sound system they began supporting the side room attractions at events. Their favorite one was the ambient or chill room. But these chill rooms were often the opposite since they had to compete with the massive concert sound that was in the main hall. It became apparent that to truly create an ambient audio visual experience a separate event would be better suited. So Dreamscope and Kathy Russell began holding these events at the LCRA campgrounds around the Austin area. In 1995 the Ambient Camping movement was born, and still continues to this day.

In 1996 Keith started an outdoor electronic dance music festival. He wanted to take the party out of the dusty old warehouses and create an outdoor all-ages event, fashioned after Willie Nelsons 4th of July picnics. Once the Texas Electronica Festival began the event continued for 3 years and you can learn more about TXFEST here.

By the late 90's the early dance music scene hit a few roadblocks as the events became more widespread and frequent. Eventually city officials had enough of this unwieldy movement and put a stop to such events at many of the local venues. Facing this obstacle Dreamscope disbanded and the Texas Electronica Festival had a hard time finding a location. So Keith gained a DJ residency in the historical entertainment district known as 6th street, a full time position five nights a week. Although the DJ format of the Sixth St. venues was more mainstream, Keith's passion for music gave him the ability to find success. Whether it was the after work crowd early in the night, or the college students later in the night, Keith used skills to drive sales and keep a crowd within the venue he was playing. During this same time Keith began designing sound systems and light shows. To this date Keith has built over 15 sound and lighting systems in venues all around Austin.

In 1999 Keith and Spiro's Nightclub were awarded best New Bar and Best New Dance Club by the Austin Nightclub and Bar Association.

In 2012 he and Roial nightclub @ 102 W. 5th Street won Mega-Club of the Year awarded by Nightclub and Bar Magazine, a nationally recognized periodical.

In addition to always being a DJ, Keith is currently operating his own audio & video installation company for commercial and residential spaces.