Music

Face the Nation

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"I'm traveling a lot of times during the week, so I love to keep this place in Miami for a feeling of home," DeLima says. "This is my space to relax." It seems that his enviable precociousness has led him to find one of the city's few quiet, pedestrian-friendly pockets amid the chaos.

It's a suitable environment, then, for DeLima's constant tinkering. While battles are behind him, he still obsessively creates new routines, drawing unlike sources like old new-wave records into chopped, stuttering scratch-a-thons that explode into danceable breakdowns. Besides being regularly uploaded to his sprawling web presence (, www.youtube.com/djidee, ), the keepers find their way into his party-rocking sets, for which he's booked and flown worldwide. (He shares a booking agent with the likes of Jazzy Jeff, Q-Bert, and Kool DJ Red Alert.) In fact DeLima recently finished a nearly month-long series of residencies around Shanghai and other points east.

Beyond that, though, I-Dee's got big plans for his own musical productions, genre-and media-crossing creations. For example, industrial rock remixed on the decks in a truly humorous, faux-horror video? Sure, why not? So he's holed up in the lab, doggedly working to finish his first album of all original material, due out next year.

Still, as any worthy party selector, record collector, and post-modern music-maker, DeLima devours new music like Tic-Tacs. But as a true child of turntablism's cut-and-paste ethos, he's more into individual tracks than complete albums.

"Honestly, the last album I listened to in its entirety was Chromeo's Fancy Footwork," he says. "In the new digital age and as a DJ, I usually download the singles that I need, and if there's more than one song that grabs my attention, I'll download the whole album. That happens very rarely for me personally, though."

Here, then, are his favorite bangers from 2007.

Talib Kweli, "Hot Thing" (remix feat. Ne-Yo and Jean Grae). Jean Grae is about to be revealed to a lot of mainstream hip-hop fans and really bring back the female emcee. Nowadays, majority of them are in trouble with one thing or another. She's been around for quite sometime, however, be sure to look out for her major debut on Kweli's label, Blacksmith.Justice, "D.A.N.C.E." (Benny Blanco remix feat. Mos Def and Spank Rock.Definitely one of the best songs of the 2007 for me. The remix, though, features the mighty Mos Def, B-More/Philly booty-mover Spank Rock, and production from 19-year-old Benny Blanco. Cop the Bangers & Cash EP from Benny and Spank while you're at it.RJD2, "You Never Had It So Good." RJD2 goes a different route this time around with his latest album, The Third Hand, by singing on a majority of his tracks rather than strictly producing. Reason I liked this song is because I believe he got a sample off Super Mario RPG for SNES, it had me thinking back to '95/'96.DJ I-Dee, "Eclectic Dreams" feat. Rites of Ash. The first single off my upcoming debut album on Adiar Cor Records. It features Rites of Ash, an industrial rock band from my hometown of Washington, D.C. Be sure to check the music video for it on YouTube.com as well as my album coming in 2008.Tay Zonday, "Chocolate Rain." Best song of the year. Hypnotizing ... 'nuff said.Madlib, "Movie Finale." This is one of those songs that I'll play over and over during a long drive. Very soothing and has a slight Bollywood feel to it. Check Madlib's Beat Konducta Vol. 3-4: In India on Stones Throw.

— ARIELLE CASTILLO

Los Angeles luminaries Dave Navarro and Margaret Cho share what rocked their 2007

Margaret Cho has had her own TV show, a couple of best-selling books, a Grammy-nominated comedy album, and two feature films based on her national tours. But 2007 saw a new conquest for the comic: She became a viral video queen. Cho's sexy, traveling circus-like spectacle, The Sensuous Woman — which melds music, comedy and burlesque and is performed by herself and a myriad of her talented pals — was a critical success in LA, New York and Chicago.

But when a clip from the show showing the comedienne twirling her ta-tas with awe-inspiring speed, clad in nothing but panties and tassle'd pasties, was posted on YouTube and subsequently every blog on the net, Cho became not only a national cyber sensation, but a champion for voluptuous women everywhere. "I got really good at twirling those tassels. It was very popular online and quite controversial," she says. "Women loved it and felt empowered but a few straight guys were furious because I challenge the stripper archetype."

But then again, challenging pre-conceived notions and stereotypes is what Cho does. The Korean-American funny lady has always had a strong political and cultural viewpoint, and her work has explored not only her Asian background and upbringing, but also her views on homosexuality (currently married, she claims to be bi-sexual) and the government (big shocker: she's anti-Bush).

Perhaps inspired by the hubbub her half-naked gyrations caused on the web (but more likely just another extension of her never-ending quest to challenge the status quo), Cho's next project, titled Beautiful, will be a stand-up show that ponders the age-old question of what real beauty is. It will be her first stand-up show since the Assassin tour in 2005, and her personal blog will play a role.

"Right now I am doing a big list of who I think is beautiful," she says. "People can log on to margaretcho.com to see if they made the list. It's [everyone from] famous people, to friends, to anyone who happens to catch my eye."

Surely, there'll be some music artists on the list. Cho, who just got tattooed like a rockstar on TLC's LA Ink and made a splash emceeing Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour this past year too, is definitely a music enthusiast and her tastes are diverse. She can be seen in the Dresden Dolls' "Shores of California" video (which parodies David Lee Roth's "California Girls" ), and even directed a clip for one of her '07 faves. Here, the sounds she wiggled to this year.

Ryan Adams, Easy Tiger (Lost Highway). The best album of this year. I just listened to it over and over and over and over. It makes me feel like I am one of those girls who can wear a very, very short dress with cowboy boots and I don't have to wear tights because my legs are perfect and tan. I also saw him play with his band the Cardinals at the Wilshire Theatre and I screamed myself sore.

Girl in a Coma. So cute... so young... They opened for Morrissey at the Hammerstein Ballroom and rocked it.

Crowded House, Time on Earth (ATO). It's amazing. I love Neil Finn and have had a solid crush on him for nearly 23 years. I got to tell him so after their awesome show at the Greek Theatre this Summer. Love them.

The Cliks, Snakehouse (label) An incredible record. I went on the True Colors Tour with them and also directed their video "Eye in the Back of my Head."

Bjork, Volta (Elektra). This was in heavy rotation. I love her and she is insanely cute. On the cover she looks really Super Mario Bros or Donkey Kong... Her fashion sense is crazy. So cool.

Antony Hegarty. When he's singing he sounds like he is clutching the pearls around his neck and spilling a gin and tonic all over the place.

Looks like Dave Navarro is going to be all about instant gratification next year. The L.A.-born-and-bred guitarist, who launched his own Internet TV show and directed his first porno in 2007, is obviously inspired by both the immediacy the web provides and the quick turnaround of the adult film industry.

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