Tony Foo Yong

He's hip. He's hot. And he'll be at The Drop this Saturday, March 28, at Tribeca. DJ Tony Foo Yong, 34, may be married to his music, but he's always ready to beat-match with just the right babe.

Tony Foo Yong, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it! Let's get right to it. You DJ to meet girls, right?
Not necessarily. The girls are job perks. I do it because, besides my family and friends, music is my first passion in life. I just like to share my love for music with people anywhere and any time that I can. Beautiful women are just a byproduct of that.

Do the byproducts totally fawn all over you when you're at the decks? They do, don't they?
Usually not. Usually anyone who sees me DJ can tell I'm very involved in what I'm doing. When I'm playing, I will not speak to you. It's like Picasso. If you see him painting, you don't go up and say, "Hey, I think you should put some blue right there."

Even if Carmen Electra came up and totally started flirting?
Carmen Electra, Miss America — no. No eye contact. I don't have time for anything else when I'm playing.

Well, where's the fun in that?
There's always women available afterward. After I finish my set, I like to be left alone for about 15 minutes. It's a high. If you're doing a great job, you're being very busy, playing on all the decks. I can't speak for about 10 minutes. But after that, yeah, I'm all ready.

What kind of gal are you looking for?
I don't like tattoos, and I won't date a girl with a country accent.

Any girl that would want to date me would have to be GORGEOUS and ready to travel at any given moment. And she must be spontaneous and ready to change any previous plans at the very last minute because I'm married to my music and DJ career already.

But you're open to, you know, affairs.
Oh yeah, totally.

How did you become a DJ?
I got tired of playing in bands. I played guitar and sang.

Which bands?
Room 27, Inflatable Dates, The Groans — local bands.

When you were in high school and college?
In high school and when I should have been in college.

What happened?
When you're in a band, you always have to rely on other people too much.

I didn't intentionally set out to be a DJ. I started going to parties and clubs in St. Louis and Carbondale, and I just and got into the music and slowly became a DJ.

How did you learn to do it?
We used to have a lot of parties at my house on Brown Street - they were legendary! I had a friend who always left his turntables there. So I just started practicing on them. And then I did my first gig.

Where?
It was a rave called Better Than Chocolate. Pete Pan played it with me. It was in St. Louis in 2000.

And things just blossomed from there?
Yeah. I started playing after-hours parties in Carbondale, which used to really be a big party city. There were always promoters from St. Louis and Chicago around. And they'd invite me to play at other places, and that's how it works.

How would you describe your style?
Funky. I call it disco, funk, house, breaks.

What do you love about it?
Just seeing people have a good time. It doesn't matter if it's 20 people out or 2,000 people that I’m playing for. You feed off the vibe that the crowd gives, and then you put that back into the music. The energy of the crowd and the music — it's an addictive feeling. It's what keeps you pushing for other gigs.

Tell us how you got the name Tony Foo Yong. You're not at all Chinese.
It happened when I was in the Inflatable Dates. Our bass player was Julie Dixon, and Julie has a daughter, Lauren, who's Chinese.

We went to get take out Chinese food one day after band practice, and brought it back to the band. And for some reason she said to me, "You have to have a Chinese name to have Chinese food." So I asked her to come up with a Chinese name for me. And she said, "OK, you are Tony Foo Yong." And it just stuck. Everyone called me Tony Foo Yong after that.

Right on! So Cosmic Vibe Alliance has a big show coming up Saturday.
Yes. CVA is a crew of friends who get together and promote dance music-oriented events. So this Saturday we have Tommy Gunns from St. Louis, and from Paducah, G.I.J., Purvis and DJ Urban Kobbb at Tribeca Saturday, March 28, starting at 9 p.m. This is the first of many CVA events this year.

I love me some DJ Urban Kobbb.
So I hear.

And you helped him get started. You've really helped shape Paducah's music scene.
CVA just really wanted to do something different. Many DJs around here deserve to be heard. And we need more places where people can go and hear music, dance and have fun. So we're filling a need for a music scene here.

There are lots of hall shows, Open Mike Night at Jeremiah's on Tuesdays, Doe's Live and the Paducah Writer's Group on Friday nights. This is the best time ever for Paducah and music.

And you've got a very cool gig coming Saturday, April 18.
Yes, Joshua Comley and John Romang have an underground art show planned that night, 6-10 p.m., in the ballroom at Serenitea, 121 North 5th St. DJUK and I are playing it. Should be cool. There's free drinks and free food. And these guys do great artwork.

Who's your ultimate DJ line up?
First I have to have my other brother from another mother, Urban Kobbb.

Good answer.
And then Booka Shade, John Tejada, Teifschwarz, DJ Lady D and Collette. I think that would be a pretty good group.

What advice do you have for emerging DJs?
Practice, practice, practice. And don't be in a hurry to play in public too soon. One little tiny mistake can jeopardize you. If you mess up your beats and have awful train wreck of a night, people will remember that — more so than all your good nights.

Tony, you are always lookin' fly. Where do you get your cool clothes?
Anywhere that's really cheap. I shop at TJ Maxx frequently, the sale rack at Gap, JC Penneys and consignment shops. I have a simple style but I know what is me when I see it. I just zip through the racks and if I see something, I grab it. I'm thrifty and resourceful when it comes to fashion.

You know who else is always lookin' fly is your son. He is DAR-LING!
Ian is the coolest kid in the world. He's 11, and he's the greatest thing in my life, ever. I could go on for days about how great he is. He's smart, he's a handsome kid, and he's a Mack on Facebook.

OMG. His Facebook status has him dating a new girl every week.
Yeah. I think he needs to take a cue from me and focus more on his music and less on women. He's a great guitar player and vocalist. I'd like to see him start a band.

Does he think it's so cool that you're a DJ?
He used to. Not so much any more.

Well, Tony Foo Yong, you've got permanent cool status with us.

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