Horacio “Dusty” Oliveira grew up collecting records—from his uncle, his parents, and eventually a radio promotion list he still can’t quit—creating a musical patchwork that sparked his career as the Latin Grammy–nominated DJ El Dusty. His thousands of records also tethered him to his hometown of Corpus Christi, where he’s helping reinvent cumbia and making space to support a new generation of artists.

In this week’s episode, Dusty tells the story of how he built his collection, and how those records made him who he is today.

El Dusty first told this story in the April 2020 issue of Texas Monthly. Next week on State of Mind, executive editor Mimi Swartz remembers her days caring for her father, and the dogs who took care of them both.

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