Crate-carrying local DJ DUWOPRose The Vinylist keeps artform pure.​

When comparing Las Vegas' vinyl turntablist DUWOPRose, with other notable DJs spinning in the valley — she'll be the first to say it's a waste of time.

"You can't tell me what to play," she said. "If it will happen, it will happen naturally. I am doing me and I haven't looked at what they're doing."

Born Duwop Rose Francisco de Castro, her name reminiscent of her parent's love of doo-wop music of the '50s and '60s. Herself, DJing since 1999, huge milk-crates of old school vinyl hold DUWOPRose's standard as a turntablist.

"I wasn't one of those people that asks what's new, what's in, what do you want me to play," de Castro said. "It was more like, this is what I grew up on and it led me to good stuff."

Creating an acronym for her name meaning "Divine Universoul Warrior Overstanding Pain," she has managed to stick to only playing vinyl in the genres merging classic Hip Hop, classic soul/R&B, jazz and funk. This is rare as a Vegas DJ, in an era where digital download and many have forfeited their roots for notoriety and residency.



"I've played at clubs at Mandalay Bay, Mirage, Bellagio, Luxor and all that," de Castro said.

"In my opinion, the music has lost it's way. That's why I chose to play, what I play. If it's something I can't play around my nieces, then I can't play it anywhere else."

DUWOPRose's earliest memories of Hip Hop were the energy of "Rapper's Delight" and the voice of Kurtis Blow. Her parents kept American based music flowing through their household in the Philippines.

"My mom, she would record her voice and music for my pops," she said.

"We were in the Philippines and she would send my father music here in U.S. She would keep hitting record and pause. I would watch her and always wondering how you put music together and record it from the radio like she did. We stayed connected by sending each other these audio tapes."

This fascination with audio and recording through cassette tapes as a kid, is part of the reason when, the now 32-year-old DUWOPRose, has a gig she schleps around her milk-crates, proven a successful formula so far.



Besides reputation in the streets, she's opened for acts like Kool Herc, Nas, Ice T, Murs, KRS-One, Melle Mel, Dilated Peoples and members of the Wu-Tang Clan. She is also controlling boards in the recording studio more these days, mixing, mastering, like with reggae artist Gia Khaleel's up-and-coming project.

Her journey started as a chill soft-spoken b-girl with Hypnotik Tribe, who moved to Vegas in 1992. She still feels like that young girl who hung outside Vegas spots like Cooler Lounge, underage, bought records with lunch money and practiced spinning in her bedroom and friend's garages, too shy to let people hear.

"I always wanted to be a DJ, but it was something that was hard to grab on because you had to buy equipment you have to know the music," de Castro said.

"While I was dancing and still learning, it kind of just pulled me off the dance floor to the turn-tables. It just gravitated toward me." 

DUWOPRose will be spinning tonight for her birthday at Kaba Curry for their weekly event 100 Below, 5115 Spring Mountain Road Suite 234 from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

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