Thanks for checking out the second installment of my monthly column. I am going to use this space to keep you posted about my favorite artists, clubs and DJs. Last time, I told you all about Lady Gaga – and in just one short month, the world has seen her blow up! She is all over the place and poised for fabulosity.

One of one of my favorite DJs, and one of the cutest too (not to objectify him, of course!)…New York’s Joe Hickerson has been steadily making a name for himself first in NYC and more recently across the US and Canada. Fusing elements of various house, electro and techno sounds, Joe has been able to work in many different atmospheres. He will grace us with his presence this Friday night, September 25 th, at Pure Nightclub here in our fair city for the Instinct Magazine party. We caught up with Joe to see what he has been up to: 

How many years have you been spinning?  How did that start?

I’ve been spinning since 2002, starting in DC.  I met Manny Lehman one night at Velvet Nation, and we became friends.  He noticed I had an ear for good music and suggested I take it up.  So I bought some equipment and taught myself how to do it.  For a long time, my teddy bears were the only ones listening, but things have progressed a lot more the past few years.

Have you ever thought about a different career?  If so, what was it?

I do have a separate career, actually.  I’m a Vice President at Global Strategy Group, a Democratic political consulting firm, where I serve as a pollster for Democrats running for office throughout the country, including a lot of clients in Pennsylvania.  Balancing the two can be interesting.  I call it my Clark Kent/Superman dichotomy.

Single?

I am single.  Who has time for a boyfriend?

There was a while where it seemed like Hip Hop had taken over popular music.  Do you feel like things are swinging back in a more dancey direction?

Without a doubt.  Even a lot of hip-hop now is infused with a more regular, pumping house beat.   Timbaland is one hip-hop producer that is definitely melding the two.   David Guetta’s "Love Is Gone" is a good example of a dance track that got lots of play on pop radio stations, too.

Are you working on any studio productions?

It is my fervent desire to one day teach myself how to produce, but it hasn’t happened yet. I know enough to do my own edits and things like that, but as far as original productions and remixes — not yet.  Stay tuned.

Tell me how summer was?

This summer was amazing.  I got to play all over the place — Montreal, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco.  And I started my own weekly Saturday lounge party in New York.  I’ve had to cut back a bit as the election nears and my day job consumes my life, but I’m looking forward to amping back up after November 4, including my first gig in Toronto at Fly.

What kind of sound is motivating you these days?

I’m really loving funky synth rhythms right now, and I’m starting to work more tribal beats back into my sets.  I had gone very techy for awhile, and I still do some, but I’m working a lot more real HOUSE into my sets these days.

What do you do when you are not making the world dance?

Politics and music.  That pretty much sums up my life.  

I know from personal experience that in order to make money as a DJ, there is sometimes that feeling of being "hired help."  Do you think that most clubbers take the DJ for granted?

It really depends.  There are definitely the gigs, mostly the bar and lounge ones, where you feel like the crowd wants to treat you like a living jukebox — they just want to tell you what to play.  But my day job allows me to be a bit more selective with the gigs I do, since it’s not about the money, so I tend to try to stick to gigs where I know the crowd will appreciate what I’m doing in the booth.  

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Probably in the hospital with a lot of ulcers.  Balancing these two careers is stressful!

Since Joe is busy saving the world from the grips of the Republicans, he did not have time to put together his own top ten, so here’s mine! Check out some of these hot new tracks:

1. Hott 22 featuring Bonnie Bailey – No Promises
2. Lady Gaga – Love Game (Dave Aude Mix)
3. Madonna – She’s Not Me (Code Mix)
4. Mobin Master featuring Kim Cooper – Unique
5. Dirty South – Let It Go (Chocolate Puma Mix)
6. Keri Hilson – Energy (Wideboys Mix)
7. Roisin Murphy – You Know Me Better
8. Moby – I Love To Move In Here (Dj Ranny Mix)
9. Funkerman – One For Me
10. Kaskade – Angel On My Shoulder (EDX’s Belo Horizonte at Night Mix)