Mark Farina

You have to hand it to Mark Farina: Whether you're on a crowded, pulsating dance floor or in the confines of your very own home, the Bay Area-based Chicagoan creates house mixes that oh-so-rarely leave you in an obtuse, sullen mood. He recently said, "I know it's dance music, but I'm trying to think of people listening to it in the car, in their house or on their headphones while going around."

While other prima-donna house DJs — and they know who they are — stubbornly create music that you can only appreciate while sweating it out with other clubbers, most of Farina's finest work (and that includes his patented, down-tempo Mushroom Jazz series) is soulful to the point of being soothing. One of the reliable stars of San Francisco's Om Records, the dude is the latest DJ to drop a House of Om mix CD. It once again reveals the unfeigned class, wit and humble respect for listeners that only Mark Farina can bring to the party.