DJ D-Up 

When New Times first caught up with DJ D-Up, the D.C. native was bringing his no-holds-barred "party music" to the Rose Bar at South Beach's infamous Delano each and every Saturday night. He also was swooping into the continually cool Mokai about once a month.

Fast-forward half a year and not only is the cat still holding sway at both joints, but also he has taken up with the Scratch DJ Academy. That has put him spinning everywhere from private corporate affairs to Crunch, where he gives after-work gym rats an uplifting beat to get fit with. Come fall, Scratch will send D-Up out on the high seas, for a five-week throwdown with Royal Caribbean.

As choice as that sounds, though, we're more interested in what D-Up has been doing for us lately. And if the rad mix delivered in his just-dropped Rare Form: Live at Mokai! is any indication, he's doing much more than even we expected.

Fat Man Scoop finding Nirvana; Boston leading to Blur; Jay-Z in on the get; Young Boss thick in the middle; Pitbull calling MGMT... The wild ride of killer sides is enough to make us forget our troubles and get absolutely happy. And isn't that what party music is all about?

But don't take our good word for it; download it yourself. And don't call us when you can't stop smiling. — By John Hood

Website: http://myspace.com/diallosharif