The art of DJing is a craft unlike any other. There are many people that call themselves DJs, but very few of them actually are. Once a highly-respected, challenging venture has now been handed over to the likes of request-taking mainstream radio DJs who don’t know when to shut their mouth, and the iPod jockeys playing Lady GaGa at your local club. There are a lot of factors that have contributed to the downfall of the modern DJ, but I believe that a lot of that blame can be placed on the music industry as a whole. We need direction and we need good music to play, but all we get is T-Pain and Lil’ John and 20 screaming idiots requesting that we play The Ying Yang Twins for the entire four hours of their club night experience.

Alas, the cure to the world’s DJing woes has been found, and his name is Mayer Hawthorne. An Ann Arbor native, formerly known as DJ Haircut from the A-Side Worldwide hip hop crew, Mayer left Michigan like many good artists from this state do when they want to use their talent to make a living. While in LA, he picked up some DJ gigs and decided to make a solo album. The rest is musical history in the making.

Here are a few songs that come to mind as I listen to Mayer Hawthorne:

Starting to see a pattern? Mayer Hawthorne is funk, soul, Motown, rock n roll and a little bit of hip hop all rolled into one, but most importantly, he’s all Detroit. Let’s face it, right now is no better time than ever for an artist to “stand up and tell em your from Detroit.” There is a stigma that goes along with this city, and it’s well-deserved. Detroit is still putting out some of the most talented musicians and artists this world has ever seen.

“I’m a DJ… What does this mean for me?” Grab Mayer Hawthorne’s heart-shaped and soon-to-be-collectible 10″ single, play it at your next gig and come back to me with that answer. I played that song at a gig I had in Flint last month and I had five people come up to me and ask me who it was. It’s not just about it being good music, it’s both catchy and (for now) obscure enough to really get people dancing and asking questions. Unlike most modern music, however, it’s timeless. It has staying power and has the potential to be played for years and years to come.

Mayer Hawthorne’s music is a collection of future hits that are bound to make teenagers fall in love, and increase the spread of STDs at nursing homes all across the country. It’ll put the funk back into your boring sex life too. Then, when you become a big superstar DJ from playing these tracks, and all the girlies want some of that action, you can let ‘em down easily with this song:

Justin Timberlake and John Mayer agree, Mayer Hawthorne’s new album, A Strange Arrangement, is a must-buy. (CDs and digital media available at Stones Throw Records for all you non-audiophiles) The 2-disc LP also comes with a limited edition 4″ single. This is yet another benefit to us DJs, and a sign that Mayer Hawthorne honors the art of record collecting by adding value and giving us a reason to buy. Hawthorne and the good folks at Stonesthrow Records are obviously well-versed in the Trent Reznor case study, which puts them light-years ahead of the recording industry.

So do yourself a favor and buy this album. Also, don’t be afraid to sing these songs in the shower, or dance around naked to them in your house. And be sure to tell a friend.