DJ Wigs mixes his sets with both classic and innovative hip-hop.

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Longtime performer and promoter of Knoxville hip-hop DJ Wigs temporarily abandoned his local shows and Edutainment Hip Hop Show upon relocating to Honolulu for 18 months. Having recently moved back to Tennessee, Wigs is rejuvenated and looks to return to form, playing area shows once more to the relief of an outlet-starved Knoxville hip-hop scene.

Wigs, an expert programmer and turntablist, has long been a hip-hop enthusiast, celebrating the genre's progression from its modest beginnings to its present innovations. Infusing various aspects of the hip-hop culture in his own mixes, Wigs' time in Honolulu was both inspiring and educational. He explains that the isolation of his former island home results in a slow incorporation of new music and a higher appreciation for hip-hop tracks of yesterday. The months spent in Hawaii allowed Wigs ample time to rediscover the classics.

"The scene in Honolulu welcomed me and was extremely accommodating when I lived there," Wigs points out. "The fundamental commonality between Knoxville and Honolulu is that regional pride is huge, and they were both latecomers to being spheres of influence in hip-hop. Its largest difference is that Knoxville, being on the mainland, is much more current on the latest and new music. Hawaii, by virtue of its laidback culture, is slower to pick up on new music. This also means a greater appreciation for the older jams, which is a great quality in itself. I'm very excited to be returning to Knoxville for all the reasons above plus some and will be forever indebted to the islands of Hawaii for what they have given me during my residency there."

Something of an amateur music historian, Wigs incorporates aspects of jazz, soul, funk and reggae into his live presentations, making him an alluring draw to fully immersed hip-hop fans and newcomers to the genre alike. Additionally Wigs prides his live shows on high levels of energy as well as crowd interaction not often seen at shows of his genre.

"My live show is actually distinctly different from a lot of other DJs," Wigs explains. "I'm very interactive with my audience and really get into the music. I've watched time after time as my passion and energy translates into a frenzy of a show. I'm pretty well known for having just as much fun as the audience when I perform in contrast to a DJ who just stands in one place and plays the music without a trace of loving what they do.

As with most area hip-hop artists, DJ Wigs' releases come in the form of mixtapes, which in the past have each presented a different theme or paid tribute to a particular artist or group. Wigs' upcoming release will be no different. Wigs explains that his next mixtape, entitled "Dilla Day" has been "two years in the making" and will be an homage to producer J Dilla. The release is expected to be made available by early next year.

"It was originally set to drop in early 2007, but I pushed it back so that I might continue to put in the necessary work in order to honor one of the greatest producers of all time, J Dilla," Wigs says. "This release is a long-awaited release of mine on a citywide level but will be used to promote myself nationally through the blogs that have come to play such a prominent role. Nowadays, if you're able to get your project featured on the major blogs, then your notoriety can skyrocket from coast to coast overnight. With the market so flooded with lackluster mixtapes, projects like this with the attention to detail, mixing, programming and featuring the music of an incredible lost talent such as J Dilla can't help but stand out."

Tonight DJ Wigs is scheduled to perform at Patrick Sullivan's along with The 2nd String. The show begins at 10 p.m. and costs $7. Saturday night will mark Wigs' return to his former radio show slot, DJing for WUTK's Edutainment Hip Hop Show, which airs from 9 p.m. to midnight.

EMPTY GESTURES: Born Empty joins 1220 for a performance at Barley's Taproom Saturday night. This show is slated to begin at 10 p.m., and admission is $5.

MOONEY TUNES: Saturday night Pilot Light hosts The New of the Moon with Chastity Brown. This show is also scheduled to start at 10 p.m. and costs $5.