Head Spins: DJ Knowledge

Before the house turns totally to house music on Saturday nights in that downtown Miami megaclub known as Space, all kinds of other action is kicking throughout the joint. A lot of that action goes down out on the club's infamous terrace, under the stars and in the shadow of a skyline of skyscrapers. That's where you'll find Miami's own DJ Knowledge schooling the party people on how best to skip class and still get a degree in the high life.

I'm fooling about the school part, of course, but not about the schooling. Spinning in Space takes a certain know-how. It's a prestigious residency, and Know­ledge has earned it. And the only thing this head-spinner has skipped is the chapter that says a cat's gotta wait his turn.

Counting stands in every hot spot on South Beach from Opium to Mansion and stints all the way up north to Spirits, you might say Knowledge has gone straight to the head of the class. Of course, being repped by Irie's Artist Related since the company's first day doesn't hurt. Nor does the fact that Irie himself has acted as both tutor and mentor to the man known as Knowledge, helping him to gain the wisdom required to know the night.

Though Knowledge considers himself to be primarily a hip-hop DJ, his place at Space gives him an opportunity to stretch the playlist above and beyond the streets. That means the beat might grind from the Sugar Hill Gang's "Apache" to Ron Browz's "Pop Champagne" and circle back around to "Show Me Love" by Robin S. It's crowd-pleasing craftiness, to be sure, from a craftsman who knows how to please a crowd.

When Knowledge isn't holding forth at Space, Artist Related has him bouncing all over town. On a recent typical Friday, for example, he hit both TAI Entertainment's Mondrian throwdown and then went on to wake everyone up at B.E.D. So the smart money would keep an eye on the listings, 'cause you never know where Knowledge might show next. Just like you never know when you might learn something — like how a 25-year-old player from the exurb of Kendall managed to make his way to some of the mightiest parties in the Magic City. And one quick listen to DJ Knowledge will be all the lesson you need.

DJ Knowledge's Current Top Five:

1. "Blame It on the Alcohol," Jamie Foxx

2. "Pop Champagne," Ron Browz

3. "Love Is Gone," David Guetta

4. "Show Me Love," Robin S.

5. "I'm the Shit," DJ Class