One of the seminal artists in the funky disco house scene San Francisco has become known for, Jonny Phelps, under the production names Jonene, Jonny Kaboom and Manwhore ( collaboration with Joey Youngman ), has played a key role as an artist, promoter and producer for more than eighteen years.

His music career started in the early 80's bouncing around in numerous New Wave bands playing keyboard and handling the drum programming. His interest in house music developed into a love of live performance, starting in early Spring of 1990 when he was a member of the band Deep Squared. Jonene made the transition to DJ’ing in 1992, influenced by several friends who were experimenting with electronic music, one being his best mates DJ Dan and also 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 that make you bounce and nod your head. 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 soiree featured such residents as Tasho, Derrick Carter, Mark Grant, Gemini and Mark Farina, and it became a cornerstone of the San Francisco scene.

Jonene’s 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 Invitationals, giving him the spotlight alongside international talent such as Mark Grant, Sneak, Little Louie Vega and Masters At Work.

He continued to add residencies to his growing performance resume, including Thursdays at Kit Kat, a nearly 15-year-old weekly in San Francisco where he has been paired up with such artists as John Howard, Miguel “Migs,” and Garth & Jeno 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 mid 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, South America, Australia and the Far East.

Performing live remains Jonene’s 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 Records, the Midwest’s up-and-coming Muzique Boutique label, Doubledown, Scenic, Afterschool, Panhandle, Safe In Sound, Roam, Cider, i Records, and Tronicsole.

Many of Jonene’s productions have arisen from collaborations with other artists. 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 & Manwhore consists of Jonene and 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”, Rasoul 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 Morgan Geist. Rapidly becoming a hot new outlet for house music, international talent Inland Knights, Tony Senghore, Music for Freaks, Martin Venetjoki and Swirl People would follow suit and release material on the label.

After four years of success at Panhandle Records, Jonene and Tasho cut ties with the label and relocated to San Diego. Looking to pursue a fresh and different direction, they launched Safe In Sound Music in December 2001 as a new outlet for funky house material.

“Tasho and I had an amazing chemistry and I absolutely loved working along side him and making Panhandle what it was. We had a very similar taste in music and it was very easy to create the sound of Panhandle. I am going to be bringing that same sound and vibe to this label,” he says. “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 the majority of the new millennium, Jonene divided his time between his efforts with Safe In Sound Music, creating and launching STOMPY.com with fellow Stompy Chief - Preston Lytton, a new fusion of party and digital download site and extensive touring in North America, Asia, South Africa, Europe, Australia and Mexico. Jonene was recognized and honored in URB Magazines TOP 100 Artists issue in 2002.

After DJing in over 30 countries across four continents, Jonene relocated from the Bay Area to Austin Texas, as he took some time off to focus on his other love of Real Estate. With new remixes out now on Mid West's Photo Records, a new EP soon on DJ Mes's - Guest House imprint and the resurrection of and offshoot of Panhandle Records called "Panhandle Texas" which will be releasing new material from this West Coast native. Back in the DJ circuit and producing wicked new tunes, be on the look out for DJ JONENE in on line DJ store or a club near you.