WHAT: Transmission WHEN: Wednesdays, 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. WHERE: Clubhouse Jager, 923 Washington Ave. N 21+, free Guest DJ Mary Lucia When Jake Rudh DJs a Wednesday Transmission dance night at North Loop bar Club Jager, itâÄôs like the perfect mix tape. ThereâÄôs a little bit of âÄô70s post-punk, some current indie pop like Phoeni x and plenty of perfectly chosen new wave âÄî always exactly what you want to hear. This is probably the reason City Pages has chosen Rudh as the âÄúTwin Cities Best Club DJâÄù for years, and the reason he can claim a place on METROâÄôs list of âÄú100 Reasons to Love the Twin Cities.âÄù A&E chatted with the DJ via telephone one sunny Sunday to learn just what makes his wheels âÄî and turntables âÄî spin. What influence has music had on your life? Were you a musical child? What did you listen to growing up? Music has been a staple in my life for as long as I can remember, glued to the radio and especially when MTV first came around. As a first- and second-grader, I’d sit with my cousin and watch MTV all day long and catalogue the videos that came on. âÄúOK, here’s Duran DuranâÄôs âÄòGirls on FilmâÄô followed by Men at WorkâÄôs âÄòDown Under.âÄô âÄù It was weird that a 7-year-old would do that but it had that impact on me. I think that’s where my love of new wave started, back in grade school hearing MTV bands. Also, diving into my parents’ record collection. I’d sit and listen to their record collection rather than go outside and play or watch TV. My first cassette was âÄúSeven and the Ragged TigerâÄù by Duran Duran. I was a huge Durannie when I was a young kid. That came out in 1983, so I was an 8-year-old third grader. We rocked the Pamida and bought âÄúSeven and the Ragged TigerâÄù with my own money. What was the first band or song you heard that you really adored? I’ve been through different phases in my life as far as artists go. In grade school I really fell in love with The Beatles. While my buddies were listening to Guns âÄòN Roses, I was infatuated with The Beatles. It was 1964 all the way over again, but it was the âÄô80s and I was experiencing falling in love with John, Paul, George and Ringo like some teenage girl. A specific song that hit me was similar to the way it hit America: âÄúI Wanna Hold Your Hand.âÄù That was their first single on American radio, and that’s the first song I probably heard on the radio where I was like, âÄúWow, who are these guys?âÄù Which, if any, musicians did you identify with? For some reason I took a liking to the Talking Heads. I remember seeing their videos as a young kid âĦ âÄúOnce in a Lifetime,âÄù âÄúBurning Down the House,âÄù seeing these videos and going, âÄúWow, these guys are really weird, but weird in a fun way.âÄù âÄúSpeaking in TonguesâÄù was the second or third cassette I bought. When did you start DJing? Do you sing or play instruments? I started DJing, legally, going out at bars the moment I turned 21. I’ve been a club DJ in the Twin Cities since I first turned 21. I’ve been here for 14 years. I finished off college here. I was a Radio K DJ for three years. I actually was a freelance writer at the Daily, strictly music. I’d interview bands; I remember interviewing some great bands after gigs and writing CD reviews. ItâÄôs always a shock to everyone that I’ve got so many friends in local bands but I’m just a guy who loves music and loves to play it. My high is making people dance. How did Transmission begin? Has it always been at Club Jager? Has it always been your pet project? I created Transmission four years ago. It started at the Hexagon Bar and moved to Clubhouse Jager two and a half years ago. That’s where things really started taking shape, but I really have to thank MySpace and Facebook. The social networking sites have been so huge that I can’t thank the Facebook father enough. [The Facebook group for Transmission] has just grown; it’s like 1,050 people now. How many songs are in your iTunes library? How do you go about choosing songs for each night at Transmission? Where do you find music? I’ve got about 10,000 CDs and records, so on my iTunes I think I’ve got 40,000 MP3s loaded up so far. As far as Transmission, it’s kind of what fits into the category of âÄúindie rock, new wave, post-punk, Brit-pop.âÄù I do have very fun theme nights, like Yachtrock Night , and it’s fun to go outside of the boundaries. But the core of it is probably ’80s. Besides Transmission, you DJ around the Cities at other events. What other things have you done in your career? Up at UND, I was a jazz and big band DJ. I had a lounge cocktail jazz show with an NPR affiliate up in Grand Forks. I was on there for two and a half years. I’ve literally probably DJed at every venue in town because I do get hired out for private parties, corporate gigs and weddings. I’m the wedding DJ that people hire because I’m not the cheesy guy. I don’t automatically play âÄúThe Chicken Dance,âÄù âÄúThe Macarena,âÄù âÄúThe YMCA.âÄù I own that in case the bride and groom have to hear it for their uncle or cousins, but I do get hired for most of my weddings by being the non-cheesy wedding guy. I don’t come out with rubber chicken head on, don’t wear black and white Zubaz. Is there any sort of music that you don’t like? I am not that much of a fan of âÄúnewâÄù country. I know that might turn off some readers; I have to play it at weddings. People who are real good artists, I can see through that. It’s bubblegum country, the throwaway country hits. Every genre has crap. I’ll listen to Alison Krauss ; she’s a true artist and she gets played on K102. ItâÄôs hard for me to swallow opera. That’s a work in progress. Everything else exists in my record collection. With 10,000 records, you have to like everything. I’ve worked, in my day, at three radio stations, five record stores, two record companies. My mind has always been in music.