DJ Ikon and Dee Jay Silver have been well-known names in Las Vegas for the past decade, and now they’re joining forces as the DJ duo RoadHouse to shake up the musical landscape once again.
With a self-titled debut album out September 18, Ikon (Aaron White) and Silver (John Perdue) talked to Las Vegas Weekly about what it’s like being best friends and music mates, and how they can’t wait to get back on the big stage.
Silver, who’s based in Nashville and has been Jason Aldean’s touring DJ for years, said he formed RoadHouse because he was ready to make original music.
“I’ve always been known as the guy that’s opened up for Jason Aldean or Kane Brown,” Silver says. “I’m thankful for where I’m at, but I want to do more. I did some soul searching and came up with RoadHouse, called Ikon and that’s how it went down.”
The first DJ duo ever to sign to a Nashville label, RoadHouse found a permanent home on the new-country imprint BBR Music Group, alongside labelmates like Kid Rock, Jason Aldean and Parmalee. For their debut album, Silver and Ikon say they worked with some of Nashville’s biggest songwriters, along with singers like RaeLynn (The Voice Season 2) singer-songwriter Jimmie Allen and another Voice contestant, Trey O’Dell. “I contacted [O’Dell] and said, ‘Dude, you have something special. Do you want to work together?’” Silver says. “He sent me over a few records, and [the song] “Reckless Kids” was one of them.”
A BBR press release proclaims that RoadHouse “mixes elements of country, pop, EDM, hip-hop and all other genres.” For a preview, Ikon and Silver recently dropped a remix of LoCash’s “One Big Country Song.” Silver calls Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of LoCash, who are also on BBR Music, two of his “very best friends.”
In terms of timing, the RoadHouse guys made the entire LP during quarantine. “It’s good we live in a time now where it’s easy to bounce ideas back and forth online,” says the Vegas-based Ikon. “It actually provided a pretty efficient way to work.”
Adds Silver: “If I was on the road for 320 days like I usually am, I can’t tell you this record would be done. … The team’s fired up about it. It feels so good to have a whole record label behind you.”
While the guys are excited for their first full-length, they’re also navigating uncharted territory, releasing a debut record during a pandemic. “It’s really weird,” Ikon says, “almost surreal.”
During a normal year, Silver and Ikon would both still be playing dayclubs and nightclubs all over Las Vegas. “Vegas is home to us,” Silver says. “The people that work in those clubs are family to us. To see those people struggling, I hurt for them. People who aren’t in this business don’t understand the sledgehammer this has hit them with. We can’t wait to see the lines at the clubs again, and people hugging you when you walk in the door.”
Until then, Ikon and Silver hope RoadHouse can help people get through this difficult time—and encourage them to think more positively about the future.
“As soon as they open up the world,” Silver says, “[We’ll] give the world a taste of the party they’ve been missing.”
