IN THE MIX PRO DJS SETTING THE PULSES AT VALLEY CLUBS.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

The stylish crowd shaking to the thumping beats at Studio City's ultra-chic Clear Lounge was already steaming. But that didn't stop DJ Kirk from upping the heat, applying the needle to spinning vinyl to goose the energy level.

This night, the professional club DJ intuitively hit upon a blockbuster mix of three winners -- Michael Jackson's ``Wanna Be Startin' Somethin','' Outkast's ``The Way You Move'' and Salt-N-Pepa's ``Push It'' -- skillfully manipulating the beats while layering on sound effects to create 15 minutes of hip-shaking rocket fuel.

Kirk got the reaction he wanted. By the time the syncopated mix melted into the next set, not a soul had left the dance floor.

Mixologist Kirk Enochs -- along with DJ Lee, DJ Ora, DJ Jolyon and Dirty -- is among a handful of high-caliber DJs with steady gigs at some of the Valley's hottest hot spots. And what keeps them coming is the unexpected.

``The crowds change with the weather,'' explains London-born DJ Jolyon Bates, who adds dance-hall reggae and Latin sounds to his mix Fridays at trendy Coda in Sherman Oaks. ``One week can be all about hip-hop, and the next week it's more house music, and then it can be a night when everyone's really into reggae. I try to mix it all up because people aren't exposed to great varieties of music. Radio pigeonholes everything.''

The clubs, though, blur cultural and economic lines, drawing a diverse mix of people onto the dance floor. The one constant: Everyone's in the groove and the music doesn't stop until closing.

``My job is to keep everyone going -- to keep them happy,'' says DJ Ora (Sarah Dishman), who has the packed-to-the-gills Saturday slot behind Clear's turntables. ``We have a very mixed crowd in ages and ethnicities, so I switch styles every couple of songs -- and take requests.''

On the rare occasions when dancing wanes, DJ Ora relies on what she calls her ``jaw-droppers'' -- a surprise mix everyone automatically responds to. One recent Saturday, she struck gold with a sound effects-laden mash-up of the Beastie Boys' ``Girls'' into Jay-Z's ``Money Ain't a Thang.'' Working the cross-faders on her mixer, Ora created a new track out of two separate records. Later, she managed to effortlessly blend Sublime, the Beasties and Led Zeppelin for an admiring throng that made its appreciation known.

The art of DJing has its origins in disco, but the genre has branched in 100 directions in the nearly 30 years since DJ Grand Wizard Theodore invented the scratching technique by accident and 12-inch singles ruled.

In 1983, house music emerged. It mixed disco music with electronic beats. The common element of most house music is a 4/4 beat generated by a drum machine or other electronic means (such as a sampler), together with a solid bass line. By the late '90s, software programs were developed so DJs could use laptops.

These days, top DJs can be stars with the stature and drawing power of headline bands. The best-known example is the Grammy-nominated Paul Oakenfold, probably the world's most famous club and remix DJ. With his music frequently featured in commercials for Coca-Cola, Toyota, Motorola and Saab, and as a contributor to such hit films as ``Swordfish'' (which he scored), ``The Matrix Reloaded'' and ``Collateral,'' the British-born Oakenfold, a first-class showman, managed to sell out the Hollywood Bowl a few years ago, and regularly releases albums under his own name that do well. All of which is pretty amazing for a guy who remixes, blends and refashions music created by others.

``Stardom isn't necessarily the point for a lot of DJs, even though it's possible,'' said KCRW-FM (89.9) host and headlining club DJ Jason Bentley, who also does music supervision for film and advertising. ``The original idea of club and DJ culture was the crowd were the stars. You'd get dressed up and come to the club and express yourself. It was the total opposite of a rock concert, where you're supposed to stay in your seat and listen. DJs were empowering -- and they've usually been reluctant to become pop stars.''

Ultimately, club DJs realize their job is to keep customers in a drinking mood because alcohol is how clubs make the rent.

``A good DJ persuades the people it's OK to party,'' says Dirty (Don Alexis), who's making waves with surprising sets of underground music of various styles biweekly at Coda. ``And every night is a new adventure.''

Over at the Lucky Tiki, a cozy Hawaiian-theme joint in Mission Hills, Sunday nights belong to DJ Lee Josephs, who, like the other DJs interviewed, also holds down regular gigs at high-profile Westside clubs. Lee's is one of the Valley's most popular '80s nights, and he takes the mission -- and the Cure -- seriously.

``The '80s stuff really goes down well with the rockabilly crowd and the locals who come in here,'' Lee said between sets of Madness, the B-52's, Devo and Tears for Fears. ``It's not as intense as some nights, but there's always a good crowd that's happy.''

Although the Valley's top spinners are known for wildly different types of music, from dance-hall reggae to current hip-hop to '80s favorites, they all share the club DJ's secret weapon.

``If nothing else works,'' DJ Ora divulges, ``you can always play Prince or Michael Jackson.''

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

Where to hear them

Here are the times and places to hear the Valley's top club DJs.

Clear Lounge: 11916 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, [phone]; clearlounge.net. DJ Kirk spins Motown to house to hip-hop at 10 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, DJ Ora spins eclectic dance sounds at 10 p.m. Saturdays.

Coda: 5248 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, [phone]. DJ Jolyon spins hip-hop, dancehall reggae and soul at 10 p.m. Fridays. Dirty spins new and old sounds from the underground at 10 p.m. alternate Saturdays.

Lucky Tiki: 15420 Chatsworth St., Mission Hills, [phone]; theluckytiki.com. DJ Lee goes all '80s at 9:30 p.m. Sundays.

-- F.S.

DJ glossary

1200: Model of Technics turntable beloved by DJs throughout the world for their stop-on-a-dime mechanics. Also known as ``1200s.''

2 Step: Sparse, hard-hitting hip-hop subgenre mixing r&b vocals and loud snare drum.

2 x 4: When two DJs play on four 1200s connected by three mixers, the setup is known as a 2 x 4 (``two by four'').

33: A vinyl record that plays at 33 1/3 rpm.

4/4: Time signature used most frequently in electronic dance music.

Ambient: Atmospheric electronic soundscape frequently used for cool-down at clubs.

Blend: When a skillful DJ mixes two tracks together during a low-key instrumental portion of the music.

Booth: Area where the DJ, turntables, mixer and other equipment is located.

Break: The part of a track where the song fades down to an ambient section.

Breakbeat: A hard dance genre known for a stuttering beat characterized by gaps in continuity of drums.

Breakdown: Part of a record where the beat slows or stops.

Coffin: Heavy-duty flight case for carrying DJ equipment.

Crate: Metal, plastic or wooden lock box for records.

Crossfader: Main component of the mixer allowing DJ to fade between channels or play two channels simultaneously.

Deck: Turntable.

Drum `n' bass: Speeded-up breakbeats with a slower bass line.

Dub: Jamaican-born, echo-laden mixing style in which DJ strips away melody, leaving just the rhythm section.

House: The beat of this popular dance music genre mimics the speed of the human heart. Mixes are cheerful with soulful female vocals. Subgenres include acid house, Euro house, hard house, progressive house, speed garage and tribal house.

Industrial: Electronica marked by harsh rhythms and little melody.

Levels: The levels of highs, midrange and bass output through the channels of a mixer.

Master volume: The slider that controls overall volume pumped through the club's speakers.

Scratch: The sound produced when a vinyl record is run back and forth under the needle, an important component in early rap.

Tag team: When two or more DJs play alternate records.

Techno: Music genre featuring mechanical beats and found sounds.

Tinnitus: Ringing in the ears even when no music is present. A common DJ affliction.

Trainspotting: When wannabe DJs crowd the booth to see which track is playing.

Trance: Electronic club genre with repetitive beats and thumping bass, which can create trancelike states in some listeners.

Warp: A vinyl record rendered useless when it melts.

-- F.S.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) SPIN DOCTORS

Valley DJs get the party started

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

(2) DJ Kirk spins at Clear Lounge and other venues.

(3) ``My job is to keep everyone going -- to keep them happy,'' says DJ Ora.

(4) ``I try to mix it all up because people aren't exposed to great varieties of music,'' says DJ Jolyon. ``Radio pigeonholes everything.''

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

(5) ``The original idea of club and DJ culture was the crowd were the stars,'' says KCRW host and club DJ Jason Bentley.

Box:

(1) Where to hear them (see text)

(2) DJ glossary (see text)