Subject: DJing

• DJ Peanut Butter Wolf Goes to Seven

  From June 10-16, L.A. disc jockey and Stone Throw Records honcho Peanut Butter Wolf (Chris Manak) is attempting what could be interpreted as the decathlon of DJing. Over seven consecutive nights, he'll be spinning a different style in a different Los Angeles club. Making the feat even more impressive, if only through the sheer amount of weight he'll be lugging around town, he'll be using vinyl (sorry, but hitting "shuffle" on your iPod is not DJing). "The idea came when I was moving last mon

  June 7, 2007

• Everyone Loves Mashed Potatos

  The Mashed Potatos played an amazing set at the Hellman House in Long Beach on Saturday night. They were getting the dance party started inside, while outside was raging with firedancers, a mobile jacuzzi (located in the bed of a camouflaged truck, complete with fountains!), and some guy dressed up like a tomato, and booze booze booze. All in all, it was a great time with a couple hundred of the area's most beautiful people and the best DJs around. Thanks for everything, Kehni!

  July 23, 2007

• Blank Blue/Dublab Benefit Podcast

  Blank Blue, soon to be rocking Europe with Prefuse 73. Photo by Plastic Nancy Dublab is an excellent web radio station run by some of SoCal's most skilled musicians and DJs, many of whom will be touring Europe with Prefuse 73 Sept. 1-15. Touring Europe isn't cheap without label support, so the Labrats (as they call themselves) are holding a benefit podcast Tuesday Aug. 21. Your donation will bring you a gift and the satisfaction of helping these worthy artists to crack some European domes. Ch

  August 20, 2007

• Free the Robots on Dublab Today

  Free the Robots, about to drop some next ish. From noon till 2 p.m. Pacific Time, Santa Ana's Free the Robots/DJ Urthworm (Chris Alfaro) “will be DJing, possibly doing some live shit, and leaking some new cuts” on the LA-based Dublab, one of the webwide world's finest sources of beat-centric music. Alfaro is also one-third owner of The Crosby, which will be opening any day/week now... just don't ask him exactly when. (The anticipation is killing us, though.)

  November 8, 2007

• Child Labor Claws

  DJs Sara and Ryusei are in single digits yet they appear to be pretty nonchalant about their wicked scratching talent. I wonder if their parents cracked the whip on 'em or if they practiced that much of their own accord. Skills like the ones they're flaunting here require serious lab time. I'm going to guess it's the latter. Anyway, check this out and take care not to fracture your mandible on the desk/table. Tip: Khuyen and Charlene.

  January 16, 2008

• Hip-hop Pioneer Afrika Bambaataa Coming to OC

  Afrika Bambaataa—pioneering hip-hop DJ and founder of the Zulu Nation—will perform (in DJing mode) at Detroit Bar on Friday Feb. 22. The only man to collaborate with James Brown ("Unity") and John Lydon ("World Destruction" as Time Zone), Bambaataa is revered for his eclectic DJ sets and for exerting a positive force in the Bronx's rougher enclaves in the '70s and '80s after giving up his status as leader of the Black Spades gang. Oh, and he also helped to popularize electro by co-writing "

  February 5, 2008

• Last Night: DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist, Kid Koala at House of Blues

  The Hard Sell Tour with DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist, Kid Koala House of Blues (Anaheim) February 14, 2008 Better Than: Damn near every DJ set you’ve ever witnessed. Download: Excerpts from the Hard Sell set. I missed opening DJ Kid Koala’s set by five minutes, but Free the Robots' Chris Alfaro said it was amazing, and I trust his word. DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist’s 105-minute performance on eight decks began with an instructional video explaining what the hell these wax hounds would be doing a

  February 15, 2008

• Last Night: Crystal Castles at the Detroit Bar on 4/11

  Better Than: Dissecting your old Colecovision trying to recreate the sounds of Crystal Castles. Download: "Alice Practice" from their self-titled album Video games were certainly the underlying theme of the night, as Crystal Castles and Sparrow Love Crew laser blasted the roof off of Costa Mesa's Detroit Bar. For one, Crystal Castles named their band after She-Ra's home from the He-Man series, and the amount of game sound samples incorporated into their music was simply too much to ignore. L

  April 12, 2008

• What You Missed Over The Weekend Part XVII

  By far the most interesting thing to happen this weekend was the thievery of Jenna Jameson's vagina. You're just going to have to read about it yourself. Speaking of vaginas, Rich Kane submitted another arousing issue of the Reg-O-Meter complete with mentions of Asian masseuses, pussy (cats) and saggy tits that resemble fried eggs. Meanwhile, food critic Edwin Goei actually ate some fried eggs at Champion Food in Fountain Valley. Read the review here. Dave Segal stayed fairly musical this week

  April 21, 2008

• DJ Frane, Continental Room, May 27. 2008

  DJ Frane: very decks-toe-rous. I thought I might've been pouring it on too thick with this Heard Mentality post, but it turns out I wasn't effusive enough. Last night at the Continental Room's Behind the Red Curtain event, DJ Frane put on a master class of funk and turntablism (a panoply of scratches that was tight and acrobatic, including the soleful toescratch) that had jaws tattooing the dance floor as often as feet. Frane's selections combined the obscure (uh, I'm having trouble identify

  May 28, 2008

• Dark Meat at Vestal Watch Tonight

  This almost just in: Extravagantly entertaining psych-rock eccentrics Dark Meat fly in from Athens, Georgia to play Vestal Watch tonight. (Dunno if all 17 members will make the trip.) Travis Keller of Buddyhead will be DJing some rock tuneage and there'll also be a preview of Vestal's fall/holiday line. (Vestal sells timepieces, softgoods and accessories for the rock-and-roll set.) Vestal HQ, 730 W. 17th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 631-7036; www.vestalwatch.com; 8 p.m. All ages. Dark Meat live at

  June 27, 2008

• To Do Tonight 7/3: Nightlife Edition

  Nightlife Edition: Because you don't have work on Friday* Peter Hook DJ Set, 9:00 p.m. Oh, for Joy (Division)! Detroit Bar 843 W. 19th St. Costa Mesa CA 92627 949-642-0600 Glam, 9:00 p.m. Break out those clear-heeled stilettos. Club Bravo 1490 S. Anaheim Blvd. Anaheim CA 92805 714-553-2291 Call Sick On Friday, 10 p.m. Call in sick? Not this week! Live set by The Year Zero and DJ sets by Josh One and Valdas. (Yay, Valdas!) Que Sera 1923 E. Seventh St. Long Beach CA 90813 562

  July 3, 2008

• Peter Hook's DJing at Detroit Bar Tonight

  The Mancunian responsible for some of the most memorable bass lines ever for Joy Division and New Order, Peter Hook now maintains a lucrative little hobby DJing 'round the planet these days. From all accounts, Hook's quite the entertainer, if not the most skilled decknician ever to work a pair of CDJs. Be forewarned, though: If he plays "Blue Monday," watch a certain music editor get medieval on his ass. Anyway, the great man allegedly loves to sign JD/NO records and memorabilia, so if you po

  July 3, 2008

• Last Night: Peter Hook @ Detroit Bar

  Last Night: Peter Hook DJing at Detroit Bar, July, 3 2008 There’s usually nothing like watching an aging icon get up in front of an audience at a venue to show us they still got it. You can’t help being drawn in by the powerful sense of tension. You might find your self echoing certain questions in your mind: “Will he suck? Won’t he suck? Will he sign my T-shirt? Did I just waste 15 bucks to get in here?” So last night, when Peter Hook, former bass player for Joy Division and New Ord

  July 4, 2008

• Club Pick: Scooter and Levelle at Sutra Nov. 22

  Fans of house music culture are in store for a demonstration true DJ dexterity tomorrow night as Sutra Lounge hosts the innovative turntable duo Scooter and Levelle. Considered local heroes of the San Diego club scene where they first emerged, their sound relies on a basic mantra: two DJs, with a lust for sonic alchemy, spinning four records simultaneously to create a unified sound. But of course, each man brings their own style to the mix. DJ Scooter handles most of the vinyl scratching turntab

  November 21, 2008

• TOMORROW: The Last Wednesday with Weird Beard at The Crosby

  In the life of  almost every great DJ residency, there is a time and place where the man/woman behind the turntables ultimately says "enough already!" and moves on. As the first DJ to ever spin at The Crosby, DJ Weird Beard could very well fall into that category. Flexing his record collection during his weekly Wednesdays with Weird Beard, the 26-year-old DJ showed himself to be one of the club's sharpest purveyors of dusty punk, funk and soul in an environment that constantly clamors for a

  May 26, 2009

• Tomorrow: the Heathens at the Juke Joint

  Thursday night is Club Denim at the Juke Joint in Anaheim. The weekly shindig throws in a pinch of rock, a splash of punk and a handful of booze for a fairly debacherous night. And what's more debacherous than motorcycles and power chords? Nuthin'. So when the Heathens (a band I played bass in many moons ago) hit the stage, fathers everywhere will be keeping a tight grip over their daughters. Or something like that. I'm not that good at rock 'n' roll hyperbole. DJs Rowdy and Ren will be spinning

  June 10, 2009

• Underground Lounge

  March 26, 2009

• Hard Day's Night

  September 18, 2008

• TONIGHT: Dinner with Dave and We Are the Pilots

  Yes, it's time for another twice-monthly installment of Dinner with Dave, where Dave Mau cooks up some free food, a local DJ spins, and a local band plays. Tonight it's two dear Heard Mentality favorites, DJ Oldboy and Anaheim's We Are the Pilots, pictured. WAtP bassist has referred to it as "the first hipster soup kitchen," that's a fairly accurate assesment. It all goes down at Memphis in Santa Ana, with the DJin' startin' at 9, and the live music-in' startin' at 10. Not sure what's on the men

  June 24, 2009

• Chicago DJ Bad Boy Bill Goes Old-School, Releases an Album

  July 9, 2009

• Rock-n-Roll Thursdays

  August 6, 2009

• TONIGHT: Steve Aoki and DJ Mom Jeans at Detroit Bar

  ​You know something big is going down when both of Detroit Bar's most recognized DJ nights (Busywork and La Boite Funk) have to join forces to host an event. And really, what could be bigger that Steve Aoki performing in mom jeans. Oh wait, correction... playing WITH Mom Jeans. Tonight Steve Aoki, world class electro DJ, Newport Beach native and founder of Dim Mak Records is rocking with actor Danny Masterson (owner of the aforementioned Mom Jeans moniker). A few days before his brief tou

  August 12, 2009

• Musician Swap Meet

  August 20, 2009

• Peanut Butter Wolf

  August 27, 2009

• [Locals Only] My Hollow Drum: Just the 10 of Us

  August 27, 2009

• DJ AM Found Dead at 36

  ​TMZ is reporting that DJ AM, aka Adam Goldstein, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment today:"Law enforcement sources tell us he was found in his apartment at around 5:20 PM. We're told drug paraphernalia was found at the scene."Strangely enough, AM was here in Costa Mesa exactly one week ago DJing at Sutra Lounge, as documented by 944. Click here for more info from TMZ.

  August 28, 2009

• Dance Music Pick of the Week: Jason Blakemore at the Light Gallery

  Erin Wade​In a club scene the constantly recycles DJ newbies, groupies and transplants in search for easy stardom, Jason Blakemore is a rare Southern Californian whose been spinning at the region's biggest events since the dawn of the '90s. The Laguna Beach native got his start at iconic Los Angeles raves in 1992 as DJ Trance, and soon was ubiquitous at the region's most iconic events, including those thrown by Insomniac (which recently laid claim to the largest electronic music event in North

  September 3, 2009

• The Secret Affair Dance Club

  September 3, 2009

• KCRW's Summer Nights Dance Party

  September 10, 2009

• Kid Koala

  September 24, 2009

• [BEST OF OC] El DJ (the DJ): DJ Danny Love

  October 8, 2009

• Dance Music Pick of the Week: Ben Watt at Focus

  ​Ben Watt is one half of Everything But The Girl, the pop group he co-founded with his wife, Tracey Thorn, in the 1990s. As the act turned to electronic influence, he came to DJing and he hasn't really looked back--even when DJing is not half as lucrative as being a pop star.

  October 22, 2009

• Dance Music Pick of the Week: James Zabiela

  ​As the '00s dawned a fresh crop of DJs and artists descended on club-land. Where the last generation had mastered the long mixes and hip-hop-style tricks of turntables, the new kids were getting under the hood of technology to produce multimedia experiences on the dance floor. James Zabiela is chief among the new wave of spinners. The Brit burst on the scene in 2000 by winning a mixtape contest put on by a UK dance music magazine (Muzik). He was soon embraced by the progressive house elite

  October 29, 2009

• Mash-up Master Dirty South Leads Geekdom's Charge Into Clubland

  November 12, 2009

• Alex's Thanksgiving Jam

  November 19, 2009