In 1988, Allan Bloom published a bestseller titled The Closing of the American Mind. In 2006, some enterprising scribe could fruitfully write a book called The Opening of the American Hipster Mind. Among music cognoscenti of many stripes, a tolerance for diversity has seeped into mindsets formerly defined by stark tribal biases. This is cause for celebration.

And one of the best DJs to help celebrate this happy development is Low Budget (AKA Mike McGuire), half of Hollertronix with Diplo. The Philadelphia duo have been major catalysts in exposing various genres to audiences that normally wouldn't come within spitting distance of said styles. On mix CDs like Never Scared and T5 Soul Sessions, Volume 2, Hollertronix lace new-wave chestnuts like Tom Tom Club's "Wordy Rappinghood" and Flying Lizards' "Money" with souped-up electro-funk beats, then venture into Dirty South rap, Brazilian baile funk, and organic disco nuggets like Loose Joints' "Is It All Over My Face?" They even detour into what they dub "Gothatronix." And I've never heard Falco's "Der Kommissar" mixed so well into Bush Tetras' "You Can't Be Funky." Respect.

While Diplo may be snaring more press and bigger gigs and producing/DJing/boyfriending with M.I.A., Low Budget shouldn't be underestimated. Some may mistake him for a mashup DJ because much of what he does is bolster old classics with newer and/or different rhythms, but Low B shrugs off the term.

"I'm just a product of the original hiphop DJ tradition," he says. "DJs have always been mixing different types of music. I think the term 'mashup DJ' came from people who didn't really know hiphop or hiphop DJing. And so they were mind-blown when they heard creative blends."

While he's adept at spinning many styles from many eras, Low B prefers "'70s and '80s dance classics, but a lot of people, especially younger crowds, don't wanna see me do that. So as far as newer stuff, I'm all about the B-more [Baltimore] club, reggae, Dirty South, with elements of older '80s sounds sprinkled throughout the mix."

Low B's philosophy combines giving the people what they want with giving them what they didn't know they wanted.

"I think by giving people what they want, you allow them to be more receptive to things a little more foreign," he observes. "A crowd needs to know that you're on their side—not that you're some missionary tryin' to push some shit they have no connection to on them."

DJing for Low B is about introducing new records and genres to people, while rocking parties by any means necessary. "I definitely like to break new records, especially when I know it's something that'll eventually be well known. That's what it's all about: hearin' a record blow up three months after you been playin' it and hopin' that people remember where they heard it first."

One place where you'll likely hear things first is at Low-Life, the popular night thrown by Death of the Party on Tuesdays at Viceroy. The promoter's guiding principle "is creating parties, events, posters, music, and clothing that inspire people to scream, dance, travel great distances, and drink copious amounts of alcohol to be a part of," explains Clayton Vomero of DOTP.

"We started off with Low-Life because we wanted to do something [where] people weren't accustomed to going, hoping they would... be more inclined to dance. And it just went insane. People were dancing on the tables and the couches. We were getting more and more DJs who wanted to do it. It became this really awesome mix of all the Capitol Hill kids, hiphop kids, and the gay crowd."

Booking Low Budget is a coup for DOTP, who also have hosted events at Vito's and the War Room—where they will be running the Carter every fourth Wednesday. "The Baltimore/Philly club scene is just exploding all over the place," Vomero gushes. "With Spank Rock's full-length and the groundwork that Hollertronix has been laying down over the past couple of years, these guys are poised for M.I.A.-style success. Low Budget is a giant part of the party fever that is rampaging all over this country, and seeing him at a venue like the War Room is going to be fantastic." recommended

More info coming soon at www.deathoftheparty.org.

segal@thestranger.com