Masters of Spin Control

Nightclub deejays do more than play songs that make people dance. They set the mood, the flavor of a club, and can change it instantly with the spin of a turntable.

With thousands of records in their repertoire, they travel from club to club establishing followings of clubbies addicted to hip-hop, funk, ‘70s disco and oldies.

Marques Wyatt

Age: 29

Music Style: House, acid jazz.

Current Clubs: Brass, Does Your Mama Know, Velvet Crush

Clubography: Prague, Wild Rice, Maxx, Egg Salad, Lost Angels, Mayan, Stock Exchange, Power Tools.

It All Started When . . .: “Deejaying started out as just a hobby. First I did small parties, then I started my own club, BBC. Then my name got around to promoters and they started hiring me out. I had a friend who was a deejay, and I started picking up things from him, but no one ever really showed me how to do it.”

First Gig: “It was for a high school party in Santa Monica. Was I nervous? Not really. I discovered nervousness later on.”

On Mood and Music: “I set the mood myself. I think most of the gigs I get hired for, they want my music. It’s key as far as I’m concerned to be in control and take the crowd on a journey. I feel like in a way I’m manipulating the crowd. It becomes like second nature--instead of me thinking about setting the mood, I get to a point where I think I have them, and then I start trying other things. I use other songs as bait, and then kind of move into my own things.”

When You Want to Make Them Get Up and Dance: “Aretha Franklin’s ‘A Deeper Love,’ ‘Givin’ It Up’ by Incognito and a remix of Soul II Soul’s ‘Back to Life.’ ”

Contribution to the L.A. Club Scene: “Taking the club population to another level, introducing them to a new form of music. That’s usually what it comes down to, me introducing the circuit to something that would be considered an underground form of music and bringing it closer to the surface.”

Choice of Music When Not Working: “All kinds. I usually like to listen to something a little bit mellow. I’m starting to get into a lot of Brazilian stuff, Latin jazz. And I love rock. I grew up with rock.”

Number of Records You Own: 18,000.

Do You Wear Earplugs?: “No, but I’m going to start. It’s not too late. Most of the time I’m working in a booth, but there’s something about being on the floor.”

Where Do You Go From Here?: “I started my own record label about eight months ago. It’s called Brass Recordings, and it’s a division of Delicious Vinyl. I also have some things in the works as far as doing a kind of show that could be pretty interesting. Sometimes at the club I do an interactive thing with live musicians, and they always want to stay. But I think I’m more into being a deejay now than ever, and I’ve been doing it a long time. . . . It never gets too monotonous for me. . . . I feel like I’m turning people on to something new constantly.”

Mike Messex

Age: 28

Music Style: Funk, soul, reggae, hip-hop, oldies.

Current Clubs: Friday nights at Dragonfly, Saturday Night Fever, every other Sunday at 1970.

Clubography: Power Tools, Dirt Box, Opus Lilly, Impala.

It All Started When . . .: “I was working at Flip (the now-defunct clothing store on Melrose). I was in charge of the shoe department. But there was a booth and there were a couple of people in there playing records. When they weren’t there, I’d change the records. The woman who ran the store said, ‘Mike, why don’t you deejay?’ I’d take my paycheck and go to the local record store and buy used records. Then people would say, ‘You play such good music. Would you do a party for us?’ Then I got into the mobile deejay thing. That’s how I learned how to make people happy, how to talk to people, how to be a good host and good deejay at the same time. From there I started doing my own clubs, and it progressed.”

First Gig: “A wedding.”

On Mood and Music: “When I used to deejay at Roxbury, I knew from experience that the people who go there aren’t the hippest people on the planet. So I’d play some stuff that people wanted to listen to--stuff on MTV, radio, not too pop-y. Then I’d kick in all the funk jams I like to play, the Mike Messex super funk jams. At my own clubs, I’d play everything from Tom Jones to Run-DMC to Bob Marley, some KROQ new wave, Black Crows, Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin. I’ve been playing the disco stuff for years at my clubs.”

When You Want to Make Them Get Up and Dance: “You can always get people on the dance floor with ‘Brick House,’ ‘I Will Survive,’ ‘Got to Be Real,’ all those campy disco songs. Also hip-hop, whatever’s currently on the radio.”

Your Contribution to the L.A. Club Scene: “It’s always been giving somebody the guarantee that if they see my name on the flyer, they’re guaranteed to have a good time. And if they have my phone number, they can probably get on the guest list.”

Choice of Music When You’re Not Working: “I used to listen to KDAY (the former AM rap station), and KGFJ-FM, and on AM I listen to KNX, KRLA and KMPC. Also classic rock.”

Number of Records You Own: 3,000.

Do You Wear Earplugs? “I usually wear headphones.”

Where Do You Go From Here?: “What I’m getting into lately is owning clubs. I know just from watching people how to run things correctly, who does and doesn’t have money. I just keep my ears open for bars and clubs. Or I’d like to own a record company. I’d like to own Sony Records and Paramount Pictures.”

Rob Harris

Age: 26

Music Style: Hip-hop, funk, house.

Current Clubs: Naive, Empire, Society

Clubography: Orbit, Truth, the Boogie Lounge, Roxbury, Jamaica House, Shelter, Dragonfly, Maxx

It All Started When . . .: “I started doing parties in high school, then some teen clubs in the South Bay area. When I was a senior I started making the move up to L.A. I started collecting records when I got into high school. I’ve always been into music. I’m always out record shopping.”

First gig: “I went to Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, and I’d do little parties and dances.”

On Mood and Music: “A room has a certain vibe about it. I play off the crowd, but I work that in combination with delivering what I would like the crowd to vibe off of. I mostly play off of the crowd. My main priority is to get a good energy going in the room. I’m looking for what people are responding to. A place can have a certain kind of energy one night, and a completely different energy another night.”

When You Want to Make Them Get Up and Dance: “A Tribe Called Quest, the new Snoop Dogg.”

Contribution to the L.A. Club Scene: “I think I’ve contributed a wide variety format which pleases people who can appreciate different types of music, from hip-hop to ‘70s funk to house to reggae to your overall soulful groove stuff.”

Choice of Music When You’re Not Working: “I like everything, from hip-hop to house, Rage Against the Machine, jazz, soul.”

Number of Records You Own: Between 5,000 and 10,000.

Do You Wear Earplugs?: “No, because I’m usually always in the booth, and usually the booths are behind the speakers.”

Where Do You Go From Here?: “Right now I’m working on remixing--that’s the route I’m taking right now. I feel producing will come down the line.”