Las Vegas Weekly

September 17, 2009 · 7:50 PM

Z-Trip new resident at Rain?

By Deanna Rilling

Paul Oakenfold presents Z-Trip with the Pioneer gold-plated mixer during the America's Best DJ Awards on September 12, 2009 at the Palms.

Photo: Mikey McNulty

Since DJ AM’s untimely passing, speculations have been flying through the Vegas club scene as to who would replace him as a possible resident on Friday nights at Rain.

Would opening DJ R.O.B. move up to the headliner spot?

Not likely. The tourists probably aren’t familiar with the local scene staple.

Could Oakenfold clone himself and have back-to-back Friday and Saturday parties?

Besides the complicated science involved, it’d be better to balance out the Saturday electronic night with a different theme on Fridays.

Maybe Samantha Ronson could headline the party?

My colleague and celeb expert Melissa Arseniuk guesses that could work, and I agree, but only if you’ve never heard Ronson spin. I’m not shy in saying it’s been poor every time that I have. Last time Ronson spun at Rain, she was practically booed off the decks by clubgoers.

Skribble?

The MTV-ers know and love him, but he doesn’t seem like the direction the Palms would want to go with their nightlife. It might end up like sounding like every other party format in town. Maybe save him for a guest headliner only.

Oh! Maybe Michael Fuller, the VP of N9NE Group, could take over with his DJ alterego, The Funkler?

“‘The Funkler is dead,” Fuller told me during Fabulous. Now he DJs as Michael Fuller. The VP/DJ is probably too busy to be a weekly resident anyways.

But silly suppositions aside, I’ve been keeping my eyes and ears open in the hopes of finding a few candidates that could genuinely fit the bill and make for an impressive new resident headliner for Friday nights to keep the energy that AM created alive and thriving. In no particular order...

DJ Jazzy Jeff

He’s being playing Fridays at Rain since the party was Music is the Currency and he’s still a regular behind the deck. Plus, the guy’s a genuine legend, despite most of the country remembering him only as Will Smith’s sidekick getting thrown out of Uncle Phil’s house on Fresh Prince of Bel Air. If he’s named the new resident, maybe I’ll finally get that interview with him I’ve been after for two years. Call me on the specified day and time, yo!

A-Trak

He’s got mad skills. You’d have to be if you were only 15 when you won the DMC Championship. Now 27, the turntabilist still keeps it going and has some sick productions, including one of my current favs, “Shake it Down” with Laidback Luke. In fact, A-Trak could probably make a few phone calls and get some awesome guests to join him live, like Luke, Armand van Helden, Boys Noize, Kid Sister or A-Track’s brother, whom he refers to as “the mustachioed half of Chromeo.”

Qbert

The DJ hall-of-famer has more accolades and DJ battle victories than you can imagine, including being in the top 5 for the America’s Best DJ Awards again this year. Plus, he shared his knowledge via a series of videos alongside his turntabilist crew, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz.

Mix Master Mike

Speaking of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, fellow crew member Mix Master Mike would be a bad-ass Friday night resident at Rain. If you’ve never seen how this guy manipulates the tables and mixer at lightning speed for some crazy juggling and scratching, you’re missing out. Mike’s got the skills and the notoriety (the masses will recognize him from DJing with the Beastie Boys), and I’d check him out on a regular basis just to watch—and listen—in awe.

Z-Trip

He just took home the America’s Best DJ title. He’s credited as the founding father of the mashup genre, but this guy does it live and has mastered the art of balancing DJing with holding the crowd on the dance floor and helping it take a journey with him. Plus, he’s also a really cool, humble dude. Chatting with him at the ABDJ awards last Saturday at the Palms only fueled the rumor fire when I asked if he might consider doing a residency, say, at Rain on Friday nights?

“There’s a possibility,” Z-Trip said. “I mean, they’re of the right mindset for me to actually do something with them… I feel like in just the couple times I’ve played here and seen where their heads are at, it seems like it could be a good fit, to be honest.”

So, do you think a partnership with N9NE Group and the Palms might happen in the very near future?

“Quite possibly,” he responded. “The thing is, a lot of doors have opened and a lot of opportunities have presented themselves because of the year I’m having.”

Enough of my speculations, who would you like to see take on the Friday night spot at Rain? Vote in our online poll or send other suggestions to backtalk@lasvegasweekly.com.

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