DJ Jonene (Jonny Kaboom)

One of the seminal artists in the funky disco house scene San Francisco has become known for, Jonny Phelps, under the production name Jonene, Jonny Kaboom & 65th St. Hustlers, has played a key role as an artist, promoter and producer for more than ten years.

Jonene first became involved in music in the early 80’s as a member of several New Wave bands, including Deep Squared. He made the transition to DJing in 1992, influenced by several friends who were experimenting with electronic music, including one of San Francisco’s most beloved house DJs, Mark Farina. He was immediately drawn to the soulful sounds of house.

"It is infectious," enthuses Jonene. "It gets into your veins."

Well known for his deep, funky house laden with disco beats and smooth grooves, Jonene says, "I see my music as dark and sexy…I go from laid-back vocals to heavy bass lines to bouncy stuff. I like to keep it flowing and energetic."

In 1996 Jonene landed the residency that helped launch his career, performing monthly at Stompy Stomp, one of San Francisco’s most famed house events. The monthly deep house weekly featured such residents as Tasho, Derrick Carter and Mark Farina, and it became a cornerstone of the San Francisco scene.

His exposure skyrocketed in 1997, when he landed a major sponsor in the form of Extra Strength DJ Company (ESDJCO). He became a resident at their Invitational events, giving him the chance to play alongside international talent such as Mark Grant and Little Louie Vega.

He continued to add residencies to his growing performance resume, including Thursdays at Kit Kat, a nearly 13-year-old weekly in San Francisco where he has been paired up with such artists as John Howard, Miguel Migs and Garth since 1997; Wednesdays at Bug N' Out, the longest-running Wednesday night house weekly in San Francisco, where he has maintained a residency since 1996; and the celebrated Saturday night event Release at 1015 Folsom, San Francisco, CA, where he has maintained a monthly residency since 1998.

During the late 90’s as Jonene was beginning to amass residencies; he also began touring extensively, picking up club dates all over the U.S. and around the world, including stops at venues in Europe and the Far East.

Performing live remains his first love, "I absorb everything that is around me, and I put that into what I am playing," he notes. "I really love to feed off the energy of the crowd."

Always balancing a steady stream of releases with a hectic performance agenda, Jonene has released material through numerous U.S. and European outlets since 1992. His tracks have appeared on such imprints as Belgium’s celebrated Aroma His most frequent partner has been Tony Senghore, whom he teamed up with on several remixes and EPs, along with West Coast house DJ Wally Callerio, under the moniker "Shady Agents." 65th St. Hustlers consists of Jonene and newcomer Joey Youngman who are taking the scene by storm.

In 1999 Jonene and Tasho, the innovator behind Bug N' Out and fellow Stompy resident, joined forces to form Panhandle Records, because he felt there was a "definite void to fill of domestic house, and I thought we could really contribute to that." The label’s first press, "San Francisco DJs come home", featured a mix of some of San Fran’s finest house DJs, including Lance DeSardi, Miguel Migs and Gemini.

A flurry of releases followed, showcasing the funky, chunky West Coast beats he was becoming famous for, with critically acclaimed tracks from U.S. artists Mark Farina, JT Donaldson, and Tony Senghore. Rapidly becoming a hot new outlet for house music, international talent Inland Knights and Swirl People would follow suit and release material on the label.

After three years of success at Panhandle, Jonene cut ties with the label and relocated to San Diego. Looking to take a fresh and different direction, he began working on two new outlets for his musical vision; a lounge that would provide a new venue for house music, and his solo imprint for funky new material, Safe In Sound Music, which he launched in December 2001. After a breif stint in Southern California, Jonene returned to his home city of San Francisco in late 2003.

"I did most, if not all, the music selection for Panhandle. I am going to be bringing that same sound and vibe to this label," he says. " But I will venture into some deeper music as well. It is not going to be all floor-filling, 2 AM music."

With only six releases to its credit, the fledgling label already has a hit record: the track "Dem Bitz," collaboration between Jonene and Senghore that has earned widespread radio play. The popular track has been licensed twice: by East Coast Boogiemen for their 2001 mixed CD "Live at M3," and by DJ Sneak for his 2001 mixed CD "DJ Sneak's Ju Ju Beats."

In 2004 Jonene will divide his time between his efforts with Safe In Sound Music, the newly revamped Stompy.com and an extensive touring in North America, Asia, South Africa, Europe, Australia and Mexico. In 2004 Stompy will be relaunching its website with a score of new talented Djs added to the Stompy family, a new record label titled, Stompy Sounds and a digital download section titled, Disko-tek. Within the site, Disko-Tek will feature all the latest dancemusic from your favorite DJs and producers, which can be downloaded for a small fee. Stompy.com will also include all the past sets from your favorite Stompy DJs over the years, and will be available streaming on StoMP3y Radio.