Teflon Dons is one of those groups whose name has great resonance in house music despite a relatively small output that mostly came out over twenty years ago. Their tracks were largely unobtanium until a few recent reissues made a portion of their catalog widely available, especially the double pack on Must Have Records (which made my year end list here in 2016). I’ve been lucky enough to come up on some of those old records on their own Worldship Music label, and I spent a few hours listening to everything I have by them in one sitting. Despite coming from LA, the grimy lo-fi aesthetic of their music was perfect for grey fall Pittsburgh afternoons as well.
Jams like “L-O-V-E” are not overly complex especially compared to the types of productions that are common today, but they excel in terms of groove and texture in a way that almost no modern producers are coming close to. The overall mood of Teflon Dons’ music sits somewhere between Wu-Tang’s grit, Theo Parrish’s abstraction, and the bump of NJ garage dubs.
There is also a nice helping of electro roots in a number of their tracks, something that definitely isn’t always common in house music. As good as these sound on their own, when you immerse yourself in that world it all sounds like it couldn’t have been any other way.
Having known these jams, it was really cool to holler at Mr. Aaron Paar, one of the two Teflon Dons, to play at our DEMF weekend party The Summit earlier this year (his set smashed, of course). While Jay, James, Jwan, and myself are all fine individuals (lol), it is rare when a person can just jump right in with the crew and hang on all levels from food to record obsession. And Aaron did exactly that. I knew I had to do a 10 Qs with him, so here it is….
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1: How did you get into music and what age did that occur?
Music has been a part of my family since I can remember. My Grandmother used to belt out standards while playing the Piano when I was in the UK as an infant. My Mother was a huge Beatles, Zeppelin and Neil Young fan so there was a lot of classic Rock in the Household also.
Later when I emigrated to the LA my folks used to be involved in the Nightlife scene in Los Angeles booking acts various Bars and Clubs and acting as a DJ at times. I was able to get a small look into this world and used to pilfer through my Dad’s promos and grab stuff I liked. I was around 8 and my music tastes then was mostly Motown/Soul, Popular R&B and Hard Rock/Metal acts.
When I turned 10 in 1984 I fell in Love with the Hip Hop Sound. Specifically The Electro and Breakbeat sounds at first then Run DMC and the other associated acts in NY at that time. Jam Master Jay was the the first DJ I saw and said to myself “I want to do that” after seeing him in the “Rock Box” video. From then on I became somewhat of a record junkie and with whatever I could save would buy records and start a little record collection.
2: What was the trigger for you to love house/garage music specifically and decide to pursue making and djing it?
I was getting heavily into buying “Club’ type 12”s around 86 & 87 and was starting to get a feel for what type of sound I liked. Plus I was still into Hip Hop and a lot of Rap coming out at the time. I was finishing High School up in the UK in 88 and over there was where I discovered “House Music” out of the Midwest cities of Chicago and Detroit. Freestyle and club classics were coming out of NY also but really the UK pushed Chicago stuff hard and that’s when I first really recognized House music and started buying a few things I’d see at London record shops. Also the Hip House movement was huge for me too because I found an identity with it I could relate to.
When i came back to LA full time again after two and a half years I fell immediately into the underground culture and at the time it was the burgeoning LA Rave Scene which would be a major influence to all the Raves to follow in cities across the US. These types of events eventually became my launch pad to play at underground parties after mainly being in my bedroom and friends houses for a couple of years I got to warm up or play a “Funk” side room because cats knew me for playing funk and hip hop also at the time.
After joining up to do the “Shaolin Temple” loft parties it got me out there more playing the underground cuts of the time from about 91-94. The lightbulb Aha! moment was at the 1993 New Music Seminar in NY where I met and saw a lot of heavy cats that really influenced me in years to come. The defining moment was dancing for 6 hours straight to Frankie Knuckles at the Sound Factory Bar and hearing “Where Love Lives” at 6am. It was somewhat of a spiritual revelation.
3: How did Teflon Dons and Worldship Music come to begin?
There was this record store in LA that was really big for the underground culture in LA at the time called Street Sounds Records on Melrose Avenue. It was a small little spot that was upstairs but would always carry the latest heat from underground obscure Chicago, Detroit, Jersey and NY labels as well as more popular dance music releases. After awhile you’d see the same faces every Tuesday hustling for promos and new releases.
There was this cat named Marcus B who was making noise in the local LA dance music party scene at the time (89, 90) and was throwing his own nights as well as playing at artists lofts and small bars in Downtown Los Angeles . One day we struck up a convo about acid house and the whole “Madchester” scene and hit it off. He invited me to come and check him and his boy “Create” out at a weekly Rave type party at legit club called Blak and Bloo that had Doc Martin and Mark Lewis in the main room and Marcus B & Create in the “Funk Room”. When I walked in to the Funk Room I immediately heard “T Plays It Cool” and was like “Hell Yeah” then cut after cut it was like hearing shit from my own crates along with rare shit I’d never heard before. Create was a cat from Las Vegas who was known for his deep funk and hip hop sets but also rocked house and club stuff. After hearing his set Marcus made the introduction “This is Dave Fogg known as Create from Vegas”.
After shooting the shit and hearing Marcus drop Acid house bombs and deep Burrell cuts I was like damn these muthafuckas are cool as fuck. I think we all ended up hanging out at Marcus’s apt playing records till 5am when they asked me if I wanted to be down with Shaolin. After knocking out some really special one off nights utilizing the talents of local now legendary guests like Marques Wyatt and Steve Loria as well as other unsung LA cats we made a name for ourslves as been dope DJ’s and party organizers.
After awhile I started messing around with some drum machines and keyboards making beats and finding sounds. Had borrowed an MPC 60 briefly and started sampling a lot of stuff. But that machine got taken back and had to figure out a way to get a sampler. Eventually after a year or so I purchased an SP1200 and found my true electronic soul mate.
From there after the burning embers of the then defunct Shaolin Temple the Worldship concept and sound was born as I started writing tracks that would eventually be on the Planet Eater EP. Dave was digging the raw beats and had a connect to a guy that could help mixdown my tracks. That ended up being Greg “Ski” Royal whom became an important cog in the worldship sound wheel. Dave contributed the Michael Watford vocal sample in Lockjaws Lament and also had some production background with iconic LA Hip Hop group the Freestyle Fellowship so It was only natural after years of DJing together that we should make music also. that’s how the Teflon dons came about. Marcus B being more a side figure eventually he left the group after the 2nd release, the Rudiments EP.
4: What non-musical influences can you hear in your own music?
Martial Arts Kung Fu Movies, Hong Kong Heroic Bloodshed Films, Conan and the whole Robert E Howard Hyborian Mythology, Monty Python, and of course the Jack Kirby/Marvel Comics universes.
5: What was the best set you heard over DEMF weekend in Detroit?
Real talk the sets at the Summit were my favorites. I was able to hear most DJs from start to finish and all the sets were dope. All the other sets I heard were bits and pieces from different parties but were all solid. The Derrick May and Kai Alce sets at Deep Detroit I’ll never forget. The J Shaw in store set at Detroit Threads record store was an incredible all wax mix of hardcore electro and Detroit techno classics. The sets from Benji B and J Rocc at the Do Over were super dope as well as the Marcellus Pittman set at Excursions. All top quality.
6: Where is your favorite place to go digging for records?
In LA there’s some really good shops we have for used records. Places like Record Jungle, Rockaway and Freak Beat to name a few are solid. Sadly for current dance music releases there aren’t really stores like that anymore. So for that it’s mostly online digging. Plus we have a glut of record shows out here and lots of pop ups from various sellers with mad heat.
7: What is the LA scene like and how do you view your place in it, both historically and currently?
Its been an interesting ride in LA for me. There were times in the early 90’s I was up and coming a prominent. Around 95 I started the label and found myself at a full time job to live and find a way to fund my own releases. The LA House scene was and still to some degree is very Clique-ish and we never really fit in with anyone. We did our own thing.
Historically I made a mark but really in the last 10 years my DJing has had a resurgence and being known as a multi genre selector has got me involved with all kinds of different movements. The live Nu Soul shows I did under the Strictly Social banner, the Afro Beat yearly I do called Jump N Funk with Rich Medina, a few Rock nights and lots of hip hop, funk, soul and reggae with my Umoja Hi-Fi crew has only reinforced my love for music and being able to play it for various audiences.
8: What are your top 3 movies of all time?
I’m a total film buff and like all kinds of stuff and genres so this is tough to name only 3 but here are three that I never tire of watching and are total classics to me.
1. The Wild Bunch – A seminal western by maverick director Sam Peckinpah
2. Night Of The Hunter – Starring one of my favorite actors, Robert Mitchum
3. Enter The Dragon – Bruce Lee! This and the soundtrack still today the greatest martial arts film Hollywood ever produced.
9: Where is the best place to get food in LA?
Another one where there are so many options due to the ethnic diversity of Los Angeles. Here’s a few go to’s I recommend if you’re in LA.
Thai – Sanamluang
Peruvian – Inti
Tacos – Guisados
Steakhouse – Musso & Franks (Classic Hollywood Blvd joint since the 20’s)
Cuban – El Conchinito
Burgers – cmon man … In N Out!
Middle Eastern – Al Wazir
10: What musical projects are you currently working on?
Right now I’m working on a EP and a few upcoming projects for a Worldship Relaunch. Vinyl only at 1st then digital. A few remixes here and there but the main focus is stacking at least 3 wax projects for 2019.
I also co-head an imprint called Ximeno Records. We put out ten 7 inch releases over the last 5 years and are now focusing on a private press record club.
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You can find Aaron online here: