Best Club DJ

DJs must lead stressful lives. Sure, playing for the masses seems like a glamorous job, but think about it: These turntable masters are pretty much solely responsible for the quantity of fun you have at a club. If the record skips, if the mixes aren't hot, if the tracks suck, the dance-floor vibe is ruined, no matter how great the drinks are (or how sweet your date is). DJ Mike Gow handles the pressure in stride. The transplanted New Yorker plays everything from deep house to progressive trance to tribal beats, and his skilled sets never wreck your night. Gow can hold his own -- through the late nights at Miso and the even-later nights at Velvet, all the way up until the blinding lights shoo everyone into the 3 a.m. darkness. Over the summer he proved he could heat up the dance floor, er, the Arch grounds, for Paul Oakenfold. Though Oakey's set was shortened owing to bad weather, Gow rocked the crowds pre-lightning, under the trademark landmark of his newish home. "There's so many good people in the city," he says graciously. "I've gotten such a good response and reception here that it's amazing." We think he's pretty amazing, too.