For Tony Lebron, music has always been more than a passion—it is part of his cultural foundation.

Growing up in New York City, Tony was immersed in music from an early age through his mother’s and grandmother’s vinyl collections, which spanned American and Latin music, and through the vibrant Latin music culture surrounding the neighborhood in which he was raised. He was exposed to influential artists and figures including Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz, José “El Canario” Alberto, and legendary Latin music impresario Ralph Mercado Sr., while neighborhood DJs provided another education entirely, pulling record after record from their crates and transforming local parties through music.

Tony also came of age during a historic moment in New York music: the birth and evolution of hip-hop. Surrounded by these diverse sounds and cultures, he began DJing for friends and private events at just 16 years old.

By 1986, Tony had discovered New York City's legendary nightlife, experiencing clubs including The Tunnel, HeartThrobs, 1018, Sound Factory, Octagon, Roseland and Studio 54. During this period, he also became involved in promotion at NYC's Underground nightclub in Union Square, where he was further influenced by DJs including José “The Animal” Diaz, Roman Ricardo, Louie Vega, Baby J, Eric B and many others who helped shape his musical perspective.

That same year, an avid clubgoing neighbor brought Tony to Lazarra’s in downtown Manhattan. Although Tony was not yet old enough to frequent the venue as a regular patron, he was given an opportunity to DJ that night. The experience marked the beginning of his professional DJ career.

Tony soon became increasingly interested in what happened behind the records themselves. He was introduced to Danny Miranda, head sound engineer at the Platinum Factory in Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn. Working in an environment immersed in freestyle music production, Miranda began teaching Tony the fundamentals and techniques of analog recording and music production.

As Tony continued developing his industry relationships, his life took an unexpected turn. In 1990, he made the decision to step away from pursuing music professionally and embark on a career in government, politics and civil-rights advocacy in New York City. Music, however, never left him.

After a 17-year hiatus, Tony's return began in 2007 when veteran hip-hop DJ and former Fugees member DJ Hard Hittin Harry approached him to assist with the production of an internet radio program. Harry eventually encouraged Tony to play a one-hour DJ set on the show. Having been away from the dance-music scene for nearly two decades, Tony initially hesitated before delivering an old-school house set.

The response changed the direction of his life once again.

Encouraged to continue DJing, Tony launched his own internet radio presence in July 2007 with Foreplay Fridays on JerseyDJs.com. Recognizing that rebuilding his audience would require consistency and exposure, he soon added two more weekly programs through GotBassRadio.com and UK-based SoulSatellite.com.

Within three months, Tony was receiving invitations to perform guest sets on other online radio stations. Those appearances soon translated into bookings at venues throughout New Jersey and introduced him to the thriving Jersey house music community.

In January 2008, Tony reconnected with longtime friend and veteran NYC DJ Ray Vazquez. That summer, Vazquez invited Tony to perform at the Coney Island Boardwalk Parties alongside DJ/Producer Duce Martinez for the season-ending Coney Island Grand Finale.

Tony and Martinez developed a close musical relationship, leading to Tony's guest appearance on Martinez's syndicated weekly web broadcast, Axiom Studio Sessions. Martinez would also play an important role in Tony's transition from the analog production techniques he had learned years earlier into modern digital music production.

Since returning to DJing and production, Tony has continued developing his own interpretation of house music while drawing from decades of Latin, soul, R&B, disco, hip-hop and New York club culture. His unreleased remix work has included interpretations of Hall & Oates' “I Can't Go for That,” Jamie Foxx's “Blame It,” Usher's “To the Moon” and Maxwell's “Bad Habits.”

His production work has also included a remix of José González and Luis Romero's “The Creators” alongside Duce Martinez, as well as solo and collaborative projects including “Thunderous Souls,” “Message” with Darryl D'Bonneau, and “Don't Be Lying” with Emory Toler featuring Remonia Dixon, released through Italy-based Twelve Records.

Beyond the DJ booth, Tony has established himself as a recording engineer and executive producer. As Chief Recording Engineer for LMG Studios NYC, he has worked closely with singer-songwriter Aaron K. Gray, serving as Executive Producer and Recording Engineer on Gray's Then & Now album.

Then & Now achieved significant success in the house-music marketplace, reaching the No. 1 position on the album charts for five consecutive weeks, remaining in the Top 20 for several months, and ultimately being recognized as the No. 2 album of the year on Traxsource.

Today, Tony continues to bring together the many chapters of his musical life—as a DJ, producer, artist, recording engineer and curator.

He is the creator and host of BANG THE BOX!, his weekly live-streamed house music experience, broadcasting every Thursday at 8 PM New York time. The show extends beyond the traditional DJ stream, regularly bringing artists and special guests into the studio for live performances and collaborations.

From the vinyl collections of his childhood and New York's neighborhood block parties to the city's legendary clubs, recording studios and today's global livestreaming community, Tony Lebron's story spans generations of music culture.

His approach remains rooted in the same principle that first drew him to the turntables: respecting where the music came from while continuing to push it forward.

BANG THE BOX! — Thursdays at 8 PM ET

Watch live: twitch.tv/tonylebron

LMG is a media company that Creates, Distributes, Records and Markets Music. Additionally, LMG also engages in Artists Management and Bookings.