As my readers might remember, one of my absolute favorite discs last year came from Boston MC Moe Pope and Bay Area producer Headnodic. I would further boast about their Megaphone project here (like I often do at the dinner table, in stadium church services, and on the orange line), but I already reviewed it and profiled them for the Phoenix last year.

Yes, boys and girls, it’s time once again for Santastic!, the third-annual installment of holiday mix-and-mash-ups performed and compiled by the redoubtable djBC. (Fresh from snagging the BMA for “Outstanding DJ.”)

As always, this year’s edition is a corker. For kids who’ve been waiting for the red-suited man all December, Divide and Kreate’s “Velvet Santa” sets up a rendezvous between a pre-creepy Michael Jackson and a very naughty Lou Reed on some dingy New York City street

>>DOWNLOAD: DJ Ms. DD, The Trannysphere #1 [mp3]

About once a week, for as long as we can remember, one of the Phoenix's most senior critics, Michael Freedberg, would come into the office to pick up his check, and then, on his way out, as a way of saying "hello," he'd stop by the arts desk and launch into a monologue, often aimed at no one in particular.

When he's not destroying parties as half of the Certified Bananas crew, DJ P. Nice mans the decks for the Providence party-funk trio Miss Fairchild, alongside this little dude who sings like Prince and this big dude who plays the flute. Trust us, it's genius. Combining both talents, P. Nice has just dropped the preview Miss Fairchild mixtape, which spins four new tracks into the hot old-school shit by Tony Toni Tone and Morris Day.

Dance-party holocaust, complete with drops from Spank Rock and Amanda Blank, better than Coachella. Plays like a DJ set instead of some dude's clever mixtape: in case you're wondering, that's a good, good thing. They explain better than we can. From MySpace:

On March 5th, 2007, The Smalltown DJs and Certified Bananas met in an orange colored studio on the other side of the Calgary train tracks to make a mixtape.

Mistaker brings the Rub up to the Middlesex Lounge tonight -- always a good time. And if you happen to notice a bunch of sweaty bloggers with ping-pong paddles, just don't even bother asking.

Speaking of the Rub, those dudes are making history -- more to the point, they're 11 (eleven!) volumes into their "The Rub History of Hip-Hop" mp3-mix series, which is so good we can't believe they're giving it away for free.

That whole DJ Drama mess spooked the crap out of mixtape DJs, to the extent that hometown hero CLINTON SPARKS done closed up shop on Mixunit, started a blog, took a day job at VH1, and is giving away his entire mixtape library for free.

Latest: a collabo with . . . Tommy friggin' Lee?

We give you Hip Pop Rock Star

Ever since we heard about Hollertronix taking root at the Ukranian Club in Philly, we'd been dreaming about a Boston party scene flowering at grimy, non-club-like venues. The obvious corollary was the Elks Lodge in Central Square: two basement rooms, no attitude (unless you count the gentleman's no-cursing rule enforced by the bartenders), a two-o'clock license, and -- dude -- paneling.

IF YOU GO:

• Wayne and Wax
  at "Beat Research"/Enormous Room
  567 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
  9pm to 1am, 21 plus, Free
  617.491.5550

The bad news: Wayne Marshall, the smartest person we know email from time to time, done moved to Chicago. (Dude, there's a hole in our heart that can only be filled by you