Teachers were never like this when we were kids. Misskick (so named by her former students at Alki Elementary) not only spins out on her own and with partner-in-crime Miss Kito, she also serves as buyer for J.A.M. Records in the U-District and hosts a 4-6 pm Wednesday spot on Groovetech Radio. She says she prefers the term "influences" to "idols," and picks her favorites pretty close to home: people like her partner in Elemental, plus Manalive, and, of course, Kito are named as inspirations. Apparently, they're not the only ones feeling the flow, as Kick's booked at various gigs from Lickit! and ARO.space to Aristocrat's in the near future.

Eric Morse

"What am I if not a friend to the common raver?" says Supafriend (a.k.a. Eric Morse), a DJ who moonlights as a Baltic Room doorguy and daylights as a "dot-com lame-o." Nice of him to be so gregarious, but it's a rather misleading comment--while he's definitely accessible (his favorite labels are ones you've actually heard of, like Def Jam, Ninja Tune, Jive, and Grand Royal), he's no trance-y, house-y warehouse maven. Instead, his tastes lean more toward drum 'n' bass and classic hiphop, habits excellently showcased at the new I-Spy weekly Hi-Top. You may remember him from stints at ARO.space's Digitales, the Baltic Room's Bionic, or even Olympia's Kiwi. Or perhaps you don't know him at all, which is why we write these things anyway, so we'll just suggest checking him out if you enjoy music on the rare-groove/hiphop/d 'n' b tip.

Zack Herman

If you're talking jungle in Seattle, DJ Zacharia is basically synonymous with the scene. In fact, we've gotten some pretty serious shit for taking this long to get around to a profile--so now maybe they'll leave us alone. Zack is a guy who likes it hard and fast, as the 360bpm tattoo on his neck, the 360bpm crew he belongs to, and the, well, 360bpm minimum on most of his records clearly broadcasts. Finding Zacharia on any given night is about as tough as finding pleather pants on Broadway: Try the Baltic Room on Tuesdays, Rush Hour at the Last Supper Club on Thursdays, the temporarily hiatused Ghettotechnologies on Fridays, and raves most weekends, as well as Groovetech.com sets Wednesdays, noon to 4 pm.

Christian Peetz

No clever moniker, just one good solid DJ. To borrow a subtle phrase from DJ Cam, Christian "loves hiphop like Madonna loves dick." Check out a few of his favorite labels: Tommy Boy, Def Jam, Black Jazz; if his girlfriend loves him, she'll get him that new Def Jam 10th Anniversary box set for Christmas. In the meantime, you can hear the fantastic array of party-jumping records he already has, Wednesdays at the Alibi Room, rotating Saturdays at I-Spy, and earlier that same afternoon for happy hour at the Baltic Room.

Darek Mazzone

Polish-born Mazzone comes to Seattle via Boston, where he first started in radio 13 years ago. He's still been on the local scene longer than most born-and-bred DJs, going back to the Weathered Wall and the dear departed Electrolush. A trip through his crates will stamp just about every page in your passport: Find him at the Backdoor Ultra Lounge Saturday nights at Bumper, where he plays a pretty good approximation of his tastes, from French house and international disco to Latin and Brazilian party music. Thursdays it's back up the hill for the Afro Cuban groove of La Movida at the Baltic Room, then back around town at various nights from the Last Supper Club to I-Spy.

Sureshot

Shane Hunt, one half of local outfit the Sharpshooters, digs out the rare groove, hiphop, and old-school funk--"anything but jiggy pop"--at the Baltic Room on Wednesdays and Habana's on Fridays. Obligatory backstory: Inspired by the release of Eric B. and Rakim's Paid in Full, young Shane became a record fiend, eventually got himself a pair of turntables, and found his first steady gig. He has the admirable distinction of having played Re-bar's opening night, beating even Re-bar institution Riz to one of Seattle's longest-running dance clubs, and is still playing his blend of old favorites and where-did-he-find-that-one lost classics to hundreds of satisfied customers every week.

Adrian Barbeau/TVC15

He is not one, but four men (or three men and one woman, if you want to get picky)--a man who gives Sybil a run for her money. There is mild-mannered Adrian Sosa, former Tasty teamster now happily ensconced at Groovetech.com, whose full-time job it is to keep up the business end of dance music (he even puts in a Wednesday set of his own every week from 10 am-noon). There is also the Adrian who spends his extracurricular moments with house duo Tripoli, formerly of Sweet Mother Records. But you know he wouldn't even be in this section if he wasn't dragging his crates out to a club near you at least once a week, and so he is. A homonymous salute to the '70s B-movie siren, Adrian Barbeau is the house alter ego frequently found (sadly, minus the cleavage) on I-Spy's top floor Saturday nights. TVC15 (Bowie fans, I see you smiling) is the party boy who presides over many an '80s-fest, throwing out Kim Wilde and Book of Love tracks with abandon at nights like the newly minted Kisskiss Bangbang Mondays at the Back Door Ultra Lounge, as well as at frequent Tasty events.