DJ GUIDE

by Courtney Reimer Brent Laurence--House (Tuesdays @ Aristocrat's)

Along with DJ-about-town Wesley Holmes, Laurence has made a name for himself with his pump 'n' grind house sets. Also an accomplished producer of similarly sexy beats, Laurence is no slouch when it comes to house. Catch him workin' the needle in rotating slots around town.

Brian Lyons--House (Sundays @ Re-bar, Saturdays @ Last Supper Club) Since he's the in-the-know proprietor of one of our city's best record stores (Beats International), Lyons tends to spin the best and brightest of what's out on vinyl right now. House is his first love, but he's not afraid to venture into other territories as well.

Donald Glaude--Breaks, House (Variable) Donald has gained quite the name for himself on the national rave circuit. His enthusiastic sets and penchant for hootin', hollerin', and shakin' his booty behind the tables surely contribute to his notoriety. He's booked for one-offs every time you turn around. Check your local rave-flyer source for details.

Eva--Drum 'n' Bass (Thursdays @ ARO.space, with James) She may be tiny, but listening to Eva deftly maneuver the needle from one hard jungle record to the next, you'll agree that girlfriend is one tough bitch.

LSDJ--House, Breaks (Tuesdays @ Art Bar, Wednesdays @ 700 Club, Thursdays @ Back Door Ultra Lounge, Fridays & Saturdays @ Last Supper Club, Sundays @ Baltic Room) LSDJ is not, as it may sound, some tripped-out rave DJ. Quite the opposite. LSDJ is one of the city's finest scratchers, and he can mix just about anything you put in front of him.

Maxx Alexander and Alo--Drum 'n' Bass (Tuesdays @ Baltic Room) If you have yet to check out the most consistent drum 'n' bass night in town, you're among a pretty small minority. The word has definitely gotten out about this gig, which features the loud, crowdshaking jungle of DJs Alo and Maxx Alexander. These two manage to draw a crowd that is both extremely devoted to the music and also interested in checkin' out the beautiful people who pack it in each week. A rare feat, indeed.

Nasir--Downtempo, House, Drum 'n' Bass (Fridays @ ARO.space) Thanks to Nasir, this city's mission to shirk its reputation as an all-rock, all-the-time town is well under way. Along with his Sweet Mother label and music collective of the same name, Nasir's doing more than his fair share of dance music PR here in Seattle. Oh, and he's a favorite wax master as well.

MC Queen Lucky--'80s, Disco (Thursdays & Saturdays @ Re-bar) I could be wrong, but now that Riz's stint at Re-bar has ended, I think that leaves Miss Lucky with the longest running night in town. Queer Disco, as its many Thursday regulars know it, combines (surprise!) disco with '80s hits at Re-bar. You can also catch the Queen herself as she hosts Re-bar's Women's Night every Saturday night.

Riz--Eclectic (Fridays @ Back Door Ultra Lounge) Riz has been known to play everything from Brazilian music to "intelligent" drum 'n' bass to ska-house in the course of a single week. You can catch him on-air: KCMU 90.3 FM (7 pm-1 am Wednesdays); and on the station's electronic music specialty show, Expansions (Saturdays from 9-11 pm and Sundays from 8-10 pm).

Shawn Scaggs--Drum 'n' Bass (Mondays @ Lobo Saloon) Due to Seattle's clique-ish tendencies, you've probably never heard of Sean Scaggs. It's a shame, too, 'cause he's one of Seattle's most talented and best-informed jungle DJs. His main gig right now is at the Lobo Saloon, which isn't quite where you'd expect to hear rolling, rattling jungle, but it works.

Tamara--Drum 'n' Bass, Eclectic (Fridays @ Art Bar) Outside of her signature drum 'n' bass, Tamara plays, in her own words, "all sorts of downtempo, weird, intelligent stuff. I'm also really into minimal techno right now." Don't go pigeonholin' this girl! Of her Eclectic night at Art Bar, she says, "Last Friday was amazing! It just keeps getting better and better. We all get drunk together and have a good time." Can't beat that.

Trent Von--'80s, Disco, Top 40 (Tues-Thurs @ Neighbours) There're plenty of people in town who think dance music's glory days began and ended in the 1980s. DJ Trent Von fuels their flame not once but thrice weekly--every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday--at Neighbours. Don't be mistaken, though: The man surely knows his way around current Top 40 dance music, too. Whatever makes for a good time makes for a set of Mr. Von's.

Wesley Holmes--House (Saturdays @ ARO.space, Wednesdays @ Last Supper Club, and weekend late-nights @ Superhighway) One way to judge a DJ is by whether or not you can leave the dance floor when he or she is on the decks. Each weekend, Wesley challenges audiences to resist his charming, bouncy house mixes. As the packed dance floors that accompany all of his sets will attest, the man's a damn good DJ.