Best of Utah Music 2015 Preview 

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• DJ Luva Luva

DJ Luva Luva
If you've heard it on the radio, you'll most likely hear it during a set by DJ Luva Luva—part of the Lazy Panda Productions crew—who sets up shop at residencies at The Moose Lounge (along with DJ Bentley), The Office (formerly Inferno Cantina) and Brio Tuscan Grille in Fashion Place Mall. Luva Luva can take any Top 40 song—everything from Neon Trees to Calvin Harris—and dance-ify it, turning it into a heart-pumping crowd-pleaser that can transform a so-so evening into a full-blown party. And judging from the masses of dancing people he packs into The Moose Lounge on Saturday nights, the crowds approve. DJLuvaLuva.com

• DJ Feral Cat

DJ Feral Cat
Other DJs might concern themselves with bass and Top 40, but Sam Stinson, aka DJ Feral Cat, likes to keep things a little more old school. Although he occasionally dabbles in other genres, Feral Cat is first and foremost a funk & soul man, who has been supplying Salt Lake City with vintage soul hits and obscure cuts through various incarnations of his Soulville parties since 2008. And with a love of vinyl that's rivaled probably only by his dad, Randy Stinson of Randy's Records, Feral Cat typically shows up to gigs at places like Beer Bar and Cisero's with a stack of records, ready to bring the house down. Facebook.com/ DJFeralCat

• Naomi V. Photography
• J Godina

J Godina
A Salt Lake City veteran DJ who has participated in multiple Best of Utah Music DJ Spin-offs over the years, Justin Godina, aka J Godina, has garnered a reputation for throwing down all-vinyl open-format sets that effortlessly jump from soul and funk to rock and hip-hop, lately often at Bar-X. And two years in a row, Godina has pulled off one of the most stellar sets of the competition, but hasn't walked away with a win. He keeps returning, though, and every year his abilities only get sharper. Facebook.com/Justin.Godina.3

• DJ Bentley

DJ Bentley
DJ Bentley is one of those DJs you tend to see everywhere, including as a solid force at Best of Utah Music for multiple years, and for good reason. A member of the Lazy Panda Productions crew, Bentley has the skills to bridge gaps between any genres, and keeps party-goers on their toes with his mix of trap, house, pop and more. Lately, he's been a regular fixture at The Moose Lounge on Saturday nights, where he kills it on the decks. Facebook.com/DJBentleySLC

• Mr. Vandal

Mr. Vandal
A member of the Dirt First collective, Mr. Vandal is an inventive producer/DJ whose work can be heard not only at venues like The Urban Lounge at the regular Dirt First Takeover showcases, but also on his own albums. He seems to come out with a new set of songs about once a year; 2014's release was an EP titled Rude, which features plenty of the dirty, bass-heavy hip-hop/dubstep that Mr. Vandal does so well. All of the songs are badass instrumental pieces that would be great soundtracks to speeding on the freeway, but "Rude" and "Sword Training" especially are just waiting to blow out your speakers. MrVandal.bandcamp.com

• Bello

Bello
A member of the Nightfreq crew, Hunter Wagstaff, aka Bello, got his start playing local basement parties. But he's now a regular fixture at The Urban Lounge's Nightfreq Takeover nights as well as W Nights at Zest Kitchen & Bar, where he spins smoother-than-smooth EDM mixes of deep house, chillwave, trap and more. If you're in the mood to lose yourself in a mass of dancing people, drink in hand, you should find yourself at a Bello party. Soundcloud.com/HunterWagstaff

• DJ Delmaggio

DJ Delmaggio
Although DJ Delmaggio has been DJing for only a few years, he's carved out a nice niche in Salt Lake City's open-format scene. A bboy as well as a DJ, Delmaggio can be found at Circle Lounge's Earphoria Fridays and Club Elevate's Social Saturdays, where he throws down mixes and mashups of basically every genre under the sun. From hip-hop and reggae to funk and soul, Delmaggio can do it all—just no techno allowed. Soundcloud.com/Dimaggiodm

• Grimblee

Grimblee
One of the hardest-working producers around, dubstep wizard and Dirt First crew member Gilbert Splett, aka Grimblee, had a hell of a 2014. He released an impressive four albums, Help Us Pay Rent, Cold, Free Noize Vol. 1 and I Got Trust Issues—either as Grimblee, his alter-alter-ego Hecka or a combination of both—as well as scored a number of big national gigs. Locally, he can often be caught at Dirt First Takeover at The Urban Lounge, where he lays down his spacey, synth-laced style of dubstep/trip-hop. Grimblee.bandcamp.com

• Shields

Shields
Any DJ worth his or her salt can grab an audience's attention from the get-go and hold them rapt as they dance the night away, and Shields is such a DJ. A member of the Digital Poets crew, Detroit transplant and current Park City dweller Christopher Shields, more commonly known simply as Shields, has been honing his DJ and production craft since 2009. He's a regular fixture at Park City clubs like Cisero's and The Cabin, as well as Salt Lake City's Club Elevate, where he spins electro, deep house and more into electrifying concoctions you can't help but move to. Soundcloud.com/OfficialShields

• Choice

Choice
No Friday night at The Red Door is complete without a set from Nicole Jaatoul, aka Choice (as well as a fancy-schmancy martini, of course). A newer member of the Nightfreq posse, Choice has the skills to spin fresh down-tempo house and techno for hours, and knows when to take the energy up and bring it back to earth again. Whether you catch her at The Red Door, The Urban Lounge or Zest Kitchen & Bar, Choice will make sure you "enjoy that bassline." Soundcloud.com/EnjoyTheBassLines