From Tejano Roots to Techno Grooves: How St.Ephen Shapes the DFW Underground

LISTEN TO HIS GUEST MIX HERE

St.Ephen draws crowds into the heart of Dallas nightlife. Born in the city and now based in Arlington, the DJ has carved out a place in the DFW electronic circuit with sets that shake both underground venues and festival stages. Over the past year, he has held a residency at The Blade Rave and appeared on lineups for Drifted Fest, Sunset Sessions, and DnB Sessions - each performance expanding his footprint across the metroplex. Now, in 2025, he stands at a new threshold: producing original tracks and remixes stamped in his city’s imprint while reaching for bigger stages. Rooted in family, rhythm, and a love for live music in all its forms, he treats networking and community-building as inseparable from the art itself.

Photo Credit: Zach Burns

Crowds first recognized St.Ephen’s name under the strobes of The Blade Rave, where his residency let him return weekend after weekend to refine the pulse of his sound. At Drifted Fest, low-end rattled the floorboards, while Sunset Sessions had him weaving shimmering house through the glow of a Dallas skyline at dusk. These nights introduced him to pockets of the underground eager for exactly his blend of energy and melody. 

“The experiences help me find the signature sound I want to be known for,” St.Ephen says. “Getting into the DFW EDM scene, I had to start with house music. The plan was always to move into techno and trance, as well, so that I could play with my preferred sounds. Getting the chance to play these shows and festivals helped me connect with the audience I want.” 

Photo Credit: Jess Baroness

Every set St.Ephen builds runs like a story without words - beats rising like dialogue, drops hitting like revelations, melodies lingering like the final scene - his compass points to melodic house and techno, the place where everything he loves intersects. “I fell in love with techno in the ‘90s and trance in the 2000s. I grew up around house music all my life,” he says. “Melodic house and techno blends those three elements into a progressive, driving sound that gives me chills every time. When I craft a set, I want people to dance, but also to feel the music. If the crowd connects to that emotion, I’ve done my job as a DJ.” 

That instinct to stir emotions started long before the club. St.Ephen’s Mother sang on the Tejano circuit, and he remembers watching her transform a room with a glance or a raised hand. “Growing up with a Mom who had stage presence helped me overcome stage fright,” he says. “I grew up with rhythm because I was always listening to music. Connecting with an audience was harder - I had to learn from DJ peers that we’re performers now, not just hidden behind a booth. When you engage the crowd, you can make memories.”

A self-described festival junkie, St.Ephen devours live music in every form. He lingers at side stages where unknown DJs push risky mixes, and studies how strangers react when a drop blindsides them. “Coming back from a festival always helps me reset my mindset as a DJ,” he says. “Seeing new songs and artists play to a live crowd and watching reactions gives me ideas for how I can do the same, but in my own style. Lately, I’ve returned from festivals with new ways to blend my music and fresh ideas for engaging the crowd.” 

For newcomers eyeing Dallas’ crowded DJ calendar, St.Ephen urges everyone to show up. That means stepping into the clubs, shaking hands with promoters, and staying to observe how other DJs move a room. In an age where SoundCloud links and Instagram reels flood inboxes, he insists nothing replaces the weight of in-person connection. Online promotion might get your name seen, but bookings happen when people remember your face. 

“Open decks and meeting promoters are the best ways to get your sound heard by the people who book,” he says. “It adds a personal touch when a promoter actually meets you. They can see how you work with the crowd and how you perform behind the decks. For me, going to open decks and meeting promoters eventually led to bookings that happened organically.” 

St.Ephen talks about the future with the same urgency he brings to the booth. He wants a sound marked with his fingerprints: the trance swells of the 2000s, the percussive punch of the house music that raised him, and the dark edge of the ‘90s techno that first hooked him. While he dreams of stages far outside Texas, he wants tracks that the Dallas underground can claim as its own. “Only time will tell how I’m able to fuse my sound with what DFW has taught me,” he says. “All I know is the sound I want to make and the vibes I want to give. It’ll have DFW all over it.”

Photo Credit: Crystal Kirby

He looks ahead now with the same drive that powers his sets as he plots tracks that carry Dallas in their DNA. As the horizon stretches further, the underground will always give him a stage and shape his sound. For St.Ephen, the party will follow him into the studio, the next gig, and into the pulse of whatever waits beyond the booth.