North Texas Daily

Sam Beckett | Staff Writer
@SamBeckett27

Danny Masterson might be better known to some as Hyde, his alter-ego on the critically-acclaimed sitcom “That 70’s Show,” but since its conclusion he has been building beats and working turn tables under the moniker DJ Mom Jeans. The name pays homage to Masterson’s female costars on “That 70’s Show,” who he says had to wear high-waisted “mom jeans” on the set.

Saturday night DJ Mom Jeans descended upon Denton and brought an eclectic mixture of funk, electronic, alternative and rock music.

Mom Jeans was joined on stage by Midlake drummer and Denton native McKenzie Smith. The crowd moved in early as the sun set on Oaktopia’s main stage. There was a shared sense of excitement amongst concert-goers that a celebrity dee-jay would be performing at Denton’s humble Oaktopia Festival.

The show started off slowly, with several technical difficulties–mostly a problem with the mixer. After the problems were quickly remedied with aide from Chris Masterson, “Malcom in the Middle” alum and brother of Danny, Mom Jeans found his groove and addressed the audience.

“If you’re not here to dance, go away,” he said.

There is a certain unifying energy associated with electronic dance music (EDM). DJ Mom Jeans was able to channel that energy and ignite the crowd with samples from artists such as 2 Live Crew, Tag Team, Biz Markie, MGMT and Billy Joel.

The crowd applauded every time Mom Jeans would ask if they were old enough to remember the artist coming next. Mom Jeans kept the audience guessing with his set list.

Rap songs were followed by funk. Funk songs were followed by classic rock. Classic rock followed intermissions of beat and bass line manipulation, synthesizer and chorus repeats.

At one point, Mom Jeans mixed the chorus of a Biz Markie song, repeating and combining sounds to create the word “Denton,” which was blasted over and over out of the speakers. He then transitioned into Guns and Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine.”

The show reached its peak with a sample from a Rage Against the Machine classic, “Killing in the Name of.” The crowd collectively threw their hands in the air and danced to the hardcore beat. Mom Jeans fed off of the crowd’s energy and had his way with the stage, dancing all over the entire platform.

Graciously thanking the audience, Mom Jeans walked offstage to a straight-forward cut of Neil Diamond’s definitive “Sweet Caroline”. The audience remained for the entire playing of the final set, some coming together to sway arm-in-arm.

Danny Masterson brought DJ Mom Jeans to Denton in a big way Saturday night, and everyone loved it.

Featured Image: DJ Mom Jeans performs a DJ set at Oaktopia Saturday night. Haley Yates | Staff Photographer