DESERT GOLD INTERVIEW : DAREK MAZZONE OF KEXP

Darek Mazzone is a coat of many colors. A DJ with 20 years notched on his belt, he’s a crown jewel at Seattle’s community radio station KEXP, is currently working some magic with Microsoft (top secret stuff) and Native Instruments, and he’s also partnering with Dubspot, a NYC-based electronic music production and DJ school whose aim is to get thousands of youngsters DJing from their labtops within the next year. His Balkan Beat Box is in-studio now at kexp.org — go have a listen.

Darek spins by the pool for Desert Gold at Ace Hotel & Swim Club tomorrow, Saturday from noon to 5pm with Kane Mathis and J Boogie. Read on for his most memorable road trip memories and musings, and we’ll see you by the pool.

What are some roadside attractions that have…attracted you? 

The fake and true to size Stonehenge on the Columbia. Dinosaur Town with the Volcano toilets.

If you could be any highway or US route which would you be?

Route 1 or Route 99.

If there was a highway named after you, where would it begin and end? Points between?

The beginning.

Who is your ideal road trip mate, living or dead?

Hunter S. Thompson or Jack Kerouac.

Favorite song or band to listen to on a road trip? Do you have any songs you search the dials for? Be honest.

Any good classic rawk. The Who, Zeppelin. I always turn up Radar Love especially on a long road trip.

Best unexpectedly amazing thing you’ve seen on a road trip.

Left my wallet at a cafe. Discovered it was missing 200 miles into the trip, turned around, went back to the cafe and it was still on the table.