2006 Houston Press Music Awards Supplement

This DJ says she lives a "double life": "carrying a briefcase by day and a record bag by night." What's in that bag? House music, baby: "deep, soulful, funky, rockin' and sometimes even hard" house music. Robinson cites Prince, the Police and Jamiroquai among her influences, as well as acts like Daft Punk, Kid Crème and Junior Jack. You can hear her spinning at local places ranging from the Flat to Last Concert Cafe. That is, if she's in town -- the travel-loving lady "sneaks off to London" whenever she can.

5 p.m.

Name: DJ Red

Nominated in: Best DJ

Web site: www.myspace.com/djreadyred

Personnel: DJ Red

"Pimp Slap Thursdays" at Bond Lounge is where DJ Red gets wicked with it -- he "spins the best of everything." Which, in his view, would include a lot of his own scratchin' -- Red's a turntablist rather than a mere spinner. A veteran of the "competitive" NYC and Philly scenes, the DJ, whose mama calls him Ryan McKay, has had residencies at Joia, Helios, Club So? and The Lounge here in town, as well as at a few clubs in Dallas. He also has four CDs to his credit -- the latest, Joia Sessions, came out last June.

6 p.m.

Name: DJ Ceeplus and the House of Bad Knives

Nominated in: Best DJ

Personnel: DJ Ceeplus

Electro experimenter DJ Ceeplus has been on the scene "for well over a decade now," spinning his patented, one-of-a-kind mix of Italo disco, hip-hop, funk, no-wave and just about any other genre you care to name. Fast approaching legendary status, DJ Z-Trip calls Ceeplus "Texas fam" and DJ Jester says he's "so gravy." You can catch his sets everywhere from the Proletariat to the grand hall of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where he promoted this year's monster Beats of Basquiat party series. If Ceep ain't the hippest dude in H-town, he's damn close.

7 p.m.

Name: Little Martin

Nominated in: Best DJ

Web site: www.myspace.com/little_martin

Personnel: Little Martin

A native of Manchester, England, Little Martin has a bio states he's "ridden many waves and trends and created a few." Namely, acid house, a genre he helped to create while a resident at Manchester's legendary Hacienda club. There are many rooms to his house -- you're just as likely to hear "not just of house and dance but disco, pop, punk, R&B and Latin" beats as well. You can hear those beats at M Bar, Belvedere and Berryhill Montrose, or at the "Rent" party he co-founded. (That last was awarded as our Best Recurring Club Night in 2004.) Martin is fresh off the "24 Hour Party People" tour with fellow Mancunian Peter Hook of New Order.

8 p.m.

Name: Sean Carnahan

Nominated in: Best DJ

Web site: www.thedjlist.com/djs/sean_carnahan

Personnel: Sean Carnahan

Long a fixture on the city's dance scene, Sean Carnahan is fast becoming a curmudgeonly elder statesman, always ready to pimp-slap the wack amid his ranks. But he also recognizes and rewards talent when he sees it -- his old protégé Champa Moore blossomed into a true star under his guidance. His "decade-plus" on the decks has found him residing at "well over 20 different clubs all over Houston." Carnahan is also a well-known figure on the international house scene, and his booking company has brought Mark Farina, Paul Van Dyk, the Crystal Method and even the English Beat to town, all this summer.

9 p.m.

Name: DJ Sun

Nominated in: Best DJ

Web site: www.soulargrooves.com

Personnel: DJ Sun

A decade-plus institution on the Houston scene, both in the clubs and on the box, Sun spins "down-tempo, soul, nü-jazz, glitch, broken beat and beyond," and the people love him for it. He has racked up about as many Music Awards as local legends as Norma Zenteno, the Zydeco Dots and Carolyn Wonderland. The Suriname-born DJ also has been known to lug his crates to that country, as well as its former colonizer, the Netherlands. If there's a chill-out room in heaven, chances are DJ Sun will be behind the decks.

LIVE

4 p.m.

Name: Allen Oldies Band

Nominated in: Best Cover Band

Web site: www.allenoldiesband.com

Personnel:

Allen Hill (vocals), David Beebe (drums), David Schoenbaum (organ, guitar), Charlie Earthman (sax), Jim Henkel (guitar), Mikey Trafton (bass)

Allen Hill lives fully up to his name as "The High Priest of the Oldies." He might not be able to sing too well in the strictest sense of the word, but his manic energy and feel-good vibe more than make up for that shortcoming. The tuxedo-clad banshee is, as he puts it, completely and utterly "dedicated to living and playing the dance wonders of the '60s hit parade," songs like "Green Tambourine," "That's Cool, That's Trash" and "She's About a Mover." "Everyone loves the oldies," they say, "and no one does the oldies better than the Allen Oldies Band."

5 p.m.

Name: JW Americana

Nominated in:

Best Punk

Web site: www.myspace.com/jwamericana