by SCOTT C

It takes quite a bit more than just skills behind the decks to set yourself apart as a DJ these days, and gimmicks like dancing to your own sets or setting the mixer on fire have a very limited appeal. Montreal DJ duo Team Canada, however, have been able to transform their natural mastery of the turntables into hot and sweaty nights of feelgood music that span across the country.

DJs DR One and Grandtheft presently hold down Saturdays at Blue Dog, Thursdays at Tokyo and Tuesdays at Buddha Bar, but somehow manage to snag the all important out-of-town gigs more often than you'd think. "We've been hustling gigs in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal," explains DR One, "but we'd like to get some bookings in New York, and look forward to an Asian tour that will hopefully have us in five countries."

Team Canada is blowing the hell up right now, but I thought DR One played with Steady B? "I had a weekly gig in Kingston that I gave to Grandtheft about a year ago, and when Bobby [Steady B] left for film school in California, we started playing together at Blue Dog for Back 2 Basics." And the two have been together ever since.

These guys specialize in mixing hip hop at breakneck speed, sometimes flipping tracks after only eight bars, meaning you'll be hard pressed to hear more than one verse of any given song. But they also have mashups on the fly down pat, mixing hip hop, '80s tunes, funk and whatever's clever to keep the crowd engaged. "I do a mix of the '50s song ‘Rockin' Robin' and a Beatnuts instrumental that people really like, but I tried to pass off this Billy Ocean blend once that didn't seem to go over very well."

At the first day of the Jamboree Hip Hop Celebration at Parc Jean-Drapeau, Tuesday, July 5, 5 p.m., $10, and with Kid Koala at Circus on Saturday, July 8, 2 a.m., $20

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