What the Funk?

Sure, most DJs in town spin hip-hop, house and/or hipster music. But not the Austin-Houston-based WaxploitationDJ collective, which is firmly rooted in funk and soul. And their medium of choice is different, too.

"For the most part, our set is strictly 45s," says Waxploitation member Brett Koshkin, who'll be performing twice today with New York-based deep-funk band El Michael's Affair. The first set will be a free show at 6 p.m. at DiverseWorks (1117 East Freeway, 713-223-8346) for the opening of Austin-based Noel Waggener's "Holy Ghost" exhibit, which features silk-screened prints and posters depicting the era when black power was in, and funk and soul music ruled. Waggener, who is also in the Waxploitation collective under the stage name Dr. Rhythm, was recently nominated for a 2006 Grammy for designing jazzman Albert Ayler's boxed set.

At 10 p.m., the men will take the stage at the Continental Club (3700 Main, 713-529-9899, $10) with Austin's MC Obatallah, an old-school rhymer (literally — dude's in his fifties) who hails from Harlem and has emceed Waxploitation's Austin parties since they began in 2002. "He adds a serious element to it," says Koshkin. "He gives shout-outs, does old-school raps and sings along while we play. He knows all the records." Now that sounds funky.
Fri., Jan. 13