Game Time.

Six Questions with DJ Sega.

Heading into the third installment of our first-Friday-of-the-month, zero-fucks-given, all-out dance party affair known as Pop That and thrown in collaboration with the great DJ Sober, we can say the following with the utmost certainly: These parties are a real good time.

And we expect that trend to only continue this week, too, as Pop That returns to the It'll Do Club this Friday night with special guest DJ Sega of Philadelphia in tow.

Sega's an interesting character to be sure. He's just 25 years old, but the producer and DJ born Robert Taylor, Jr. has long made a name for himself in club music circles. Not familiar? Well, forget the fact that he actually coined the term behind and almost singlehandedly developed the oft-schizophrenic sound now known as Philly Club Music (actually, don't forget it at all because it's a pretty damn important thing to note), and hang your hat on this bit of knowledge: When the also-Philadelphia-based Diplo launched his revered Mad Decent label back in 2006, DJ Sega was among the first acts signed to the label.

Take even a brief listen to Sega's self-produced sounds and mixes, and you can immediately see why Diplo was so drawn to the young DJ that got his start spinning records and shaking asses in a Philly roller rink that proclaims itself to be the “home of the world's best birthday parties.”

For starters, his clubbed-up take on Philadelphia TV station WPVI's “action news” theme song is insanely great and all sorts of hilarious:

And then there's his mixes, which might as well be thrown up as embeds in Dictionary.com's definitions of “incessant” and “unrelenting.” A perfect example? His recent “The Purge” mix for MTV Hive, which finds Sega blending everything from modern Top 40 to classic hip-hop into an over hour-long, decidedly club-infused, rump-shaking romp.

Listen to either of these Sega cuts and you'll right away notice the urgent, high-energy tones. Works well for us. That's pretty much exactly where we aim to take Pop That on a monthly basis. And this month's affair should be an especially free-wheeling time: In addition to our normal festivities, we'll also have a bunch of free goodies to hand out courtesy of our friends at Scion AV.

So, with that in mind, and in advance of this Friday's affair, our partner-in-grind DJ Sober recently caught up DJ Sega to talk about our guest's past, his thoughts on the club music future, and his hopes for Friday night's set.

Oh, and speaking of Friday: If you want to save a little scratch, consider grabbing an advance ticket here for $8. Otherwise, it's $10 at the door. — Pete Freedman

When did you first start DJing? Did your venture in to production start soon after that?
I started DJin in 2006. It was two years after I started producing club music seriously. I had about 200 songs already when I started spinning what was possibly the biggest teen dance night in Philadelphia.

You are known for club music. What first sparked your interest in this sound?
I grew up on all kinds of music. Classic funk to '90s house music. I was a huge fan of remixes and megamixes. When I came across Baltimore club music, it was all the music I knew and loved, fused together into one. I grew up with this music enough to eventually get the blessing from the OGs in both Baltimore and Jersey to coin the term “Philly Club Music.”

When did you link up with Mad Decent? How did that come about?
Almost two years into spinning and making some serious mixtapes, I ventured out to get my mixtapes into a few stores. In Downtown Philly, I met Dirty South Joe. I had him check out my music for the store, but he loved it so much, he got ideas to link me with Diplo. It wasn't even 48 hours before we had a meeting with Diplo signing me as one of if not the first artists to Mad Decent.

As the lines between genres start blurring more and more people in a club setting seem to be open to more of a variety, are there particular sounds, movements or resurgences in music that you are excited about?
It's all variations of club music to me. I just can't wait till everybody wants to come find the real and raw inspiration behind it all. There's songs in the mainstream that take a lot from club music, so I like to take them and make them more of what they are supposed to feel like. I feel like the festival audiences are calling my name.

Any new projects in the works or upcoming news you want to share?
I'm always working on new music and remixes. All I can say is stayed tuned into me in every way possible. Anything can happen!

Any final shout outs or anything you want to tell the folks of Dallas?
Dallas! It's been a long time! It's rare when I come out and do a show, so you know this is gonna be something really special! Don't miss it!

DJ Sega headlines our next Pop That bash on Friday, November 1, at the It'll Do Club. Doors are at 10 p.m. and, as always, DJ Sober will open the night. Tickets cost $8 in advance (order those here) and $10 at the door. Let us know you're coming herehere