Album art from the upcoming Transference by Spoon, about which there is considerable excitement and giddiness. And, there's a new poll up yonder, take a look; we've got five shiny new bands nominated for your perusal. So peruse those mo fos and take a stand.

This is shaping up as what I believe you would call a runaway victory, so if you have a rooting interest other than International Waters, time to get your vote in. Else we expect to crown them shortly. In other bloggy news, our man Neon Indian recently crafted up two remixes of Grizzly Bear's "Cheerleader." And there is much rejoicing.

Over here we are gearing up for our Year End Poll of the Best Emerging Austin Acts of 2009, as voted on by a jury of local writers, bloggers, record shop owners, radio DJs, and all around music heads. More on that to come, for now we wanted to let you know that...

...Ume grabbed the November cover of Soundcheck Magazine; they're accompanied on the inside by fellow Austinites T-Bird (above) and Black Joe Lewis, reflecting what we believe to be a sensible Austin bias on the part of the Austin-based mag. T-Bird and the Breaks, btw, play a Thanksgiving show at Momo's, so you know where to go if you need a little old school, deep funky R&B to get your tryptophan-riddled self moving; they'll be joined by Blues Mafia and Brett Randell, who happens to be the newest addition to our charts. (Climbing?) Over the weekend you'll have Neon Indian with The Tunnels at Stubb's on Friday, and some serious stalwarts on Saturday: Alejandro Escovedo at the Continental, Patrice Pike and Suzanna Choffel at Momo's, and Bob Schneider at Antone's.

Finally, we have to mention that Matt the Electrician & Southpaw Jones will again hold down their Wednesday night Flipnotics gig (the 25th), and they made an offer to offend & horrify any of your visiting relatives - really, they did, I was there last week...so bring 'em on by, the show is free.

Happy Turkey...or tofurkey...

New self-titled upcoming from Yellow Fever, featuring some Beat Happening/Daniel Johnston/Richard Pettibon style artwork and songs that go a little like this. Actually, they go exactly like that. Yellow Fever is comprised most frequently of Jennifer Moore and Adam Jones, although they sometimes increase in number. Yellow Fever is due out a week from tomorrow, Dec. 1st, on Wild World. Track list below...

1. Ratcatcher
 2. Cutest
3. Donovan
4. Psychedelic
5. Donald
6. Alice
7. Cats and Rats
8. Metarie
9. Hellfire
10. Joe Brown
11. Culver City

Chris Klassen - or Prince Klassen, as he's known to civilians - got his first taste of DJing as a teen in San Antonio.  Using his brother's turntables, he started playing gigs at age 14; today, he is a fixture on Austin's electronic music scene, and travels all over the country sharing his requisite brand of percussive, soul-inflected party tunes. He hasn't done too shabbily on the publicity end of things, either: Fader, Wire, Texas Monthly, Austin American-Statesman, Austin Chronicle, San Antonio Current, Tribeza, and Spin have all tipped their journalistic hats to Klassen, so it's about time The Deli did too.  Below, thoughts from Klassen - who, were he not DJing, aspires to be a stone cold killer.  Watch out, hipsters.

DJing.  When and how did you start? 
I started DJing in the summer of 1997. I started because of my older brother, for the most part. He would have me record a house mix show, "House Nation," every Saturday for him on the local college station back in San Antonio. From there, he got turntables and I kind of started to use them more than he did. Now here I am.

I've been hearing your name in Austin's electronic music scene for years, it seems - and everyone raves about your spinning! How would you describe your sound's style?
Well I think coming from San Antonio, there wasn't too much going on at the time (plus I was a teenager), so my "style" comes from being isolated without too much outside influence. Reflecting on the people I was influenced by, my style seems to be an amalgam of them all. I can't really describe my sound, but my good friend always says to me "that sounds like you, I heard this and it sounded like Klassen". So let's say very percussive, and anything you feel the soul coming out of. 

You are one of the DJs who has really embraced the blogosphere, by proactively sending tracks to bloggers to sample online for their readers.  Over the years, do you think this effort has helped you in terms of exposure?
Oh that dang ol' blogosphere. I have always embraced technology, whether if be for DJing, communication, or lifestyle. I do, however, feel that since DJing has turned digital, there is a weird shift currently happening that I am not too sure how I feel about. Blogs are great. I have two or three that I write for, but I feel that blogs have watered down actual personal flavor. I do know for a fact that they have helped spread my tracks/edits/name all over the world. I just wonder if people actually like the songs, or if they like it because it's free, and you can have a bazillion types of music in your pocket/serato now.

What's your favorite venue to play in Austin?  Why?
Does my house count?  Hahaha. That is a hard question to answer. I don't know if I have one that I absolutely love. I love The Parish because they have the best sound in town, but I don't play there regularly. I guess I don't have a super favorite room at the moment.

What's your favorite venue to play anywhere?
This is another hard question. I think the most memorable was one I played recently, which is First Ave in Minneapolis. It is most notable for being in Prince's Purple Rain. The party I played is called Too Much Love, and my friend that runs that night has built a very solid crowd that is up for anything. You hardly see that anymore. The iPod generation wants to hear everything they know, and the DJ isn't "trusted" anymore.

If I had a time machine, The Davenport in San Antonio was a big favorite to me. Again, it had to do with the crowd that was built around it. They trusted everything we did.

Where do you find the songs you sample, and do you have a method for putting tracks together?  Or just kind of mix-and-match, and see what happens?
The tracks I usually put out are edits of long-time favorites for me. When it comes to DJing, I never create sets. I always just freestyle and see what happens. There are songs that always go together, but I never have a whole two hours planned. I think I would get bored because I know what is coming next.

In a recent internship I spent with XXXchange from Spank Rock/ Fully Fitted, he taught me a lot when it comes to producing tracks. Things I had never thought to try. 

Fill in the blank. If I weren't a DJ, I'd be a ______.
Less bitter person, stone cold killer, teacher/ professor, cultural ambassador.

Last remarks?
Thanks for interviewing me, I truly appreciate it. I guess I can be this guy and promote new Fully Fitted releases from Pase Rock, XXXchange, and a group DVD mixtape. I have other edits and releases coming up as well.

(Editor's note: Check out Prince Klassen's latest projects on his MySpace page, http://www.myspace.com/princeklassen.)

--Tolly Moseley