Clubland

Obviously looking to cash in on Houston's mushrooming DJ work force, Artuzzi's has started Spin, a weekly event showcasing some of the city's most relevant and well-versed turntable technicians. Every Thursday night at the posh River Oaks nightspot, four DJs will tackle an array of sounds, from electronica and techno to acid jazz and house music.

"We need to get more down and dirty -- more underground," says Artuzzi's manager, Patrick Devlin.

Last week's Spin featured the reputable likes of Michael Degrace, Mike Snow, Leroy Peterson and Artuzzi's house DJ Ryan Echverri. This Thursday the lineup will be the same, though the club plans to vary its roster in the future. Also expected to participate at some point is Sean Carnahan, this year's Press Music Awards winner in the Best DJ/Dance category. Carnahan says he supports Artuzzi's efforts to sully its strait-laced image, adding that the club needs all the help it can get.

"Artuzzi's is well known for the worst music in town," says Carnahan. "It got a bad rap; they need to do some drastic things to upgrade their music. They tried this once before [on Tuesdays], and it flopped horribly. Now they're going to try it on Thursdays. The idea is to get some real DJs in there. And, shit, if they're gonna do it, then I'll do it.