This Halloween weekend is shaping up to be one of the best yet. So throw together your best costume, scrounge up that cab fare and make the rounds!

On Friday, Oct. 28, it’s The Flame with hip-hop heavies DJ Niknotiq and DJ Oscillot binging heavy beats and fresh cuts to keep the party rolling. Did I sound like a white guy trying too hard? Guilty! And hip-hop is my guilty pleasure.

Don’t forget Friday is also The Flame’s third annual “Pimp N Ho Ball,” with costume contest, cash and prizes for Best Pimp, Best Ho and Best Group.

Tribal favorite DJ Tony Moran will be making another memorable appearance at Rich’s this Saturday, Oct. 28, for their Salvation party called “Thriller.” I’m hoping he samples Vincent Price laughing over some infectious, percussive delicacies!

Moran credits his freestyle background for the pop sensibility he incorporates into his music today. “Playing music that generates a feel-good energy is what I love about being a DJ/mix master,” explains Moran. He eschews the strict underground house mentality preferred by many of his contemporaries and instead prefers to impart his remixes and productions with a hook-laden commercial appeal that is both radio friendly and dance-floor ready. Moran measures a successful dance floor by the number of hands in the air, dancing and singing along.

“Dance music is where my heart is. Over the last year, I’ve worked on developing dance music that is also pop music. Working with artists like Donna Summer (Universal Music), Kevin Aviance (Emerge Records) and Becky Baeling (Universal Music) has been really exciting for me.”

For more information, visit www.djtonymoran.com and www.richs-sandiego.com. There will also be prize giveaways for best costumes.

Over at Club Montage it’s “Haunted Mansion” with Los Angeles-based Casey Alva making his San Diego debut. Drawing on more than a decade of experience, Alva pilots his audiences through a continuous dance journey. His richly woven tapestry of sound runs the gamut from deep and funky grooves, hard-driving tribal beats and lush trance to progressive house and diva-vocal anthems. As a result, he has built a reputation for delivering high-energy performances in a style that is always on the cutting edge.

With a mind and an ear always open to musical suggestions, Alva infuses the dance floor with an energy and vibe that is consistently on point with the crowd. If you’ve ever caught him at Popular at Here in West Hollywood, you know what I mean. Throughout his sets, he seamlessly blends layers of sound using his expert mixing skills, innovative scratching and sampling techniques, as well as his own remixes and original productions.

His influences read like a pedigree of tastemakers: Masters at Work, Danny Tenaglia, Larry Levan, Sylvester, Giorgio Moroder, Tom Moulton and Junior Vasquez, to name a few. And each of their touches can be heard in his sets.

Alva has opened for and headlined with such artists as Sasha & Digweed (big influence of mine as well), Rosabel and DJ Eddie Baez, as well as working directly with circuit heavyweights DJs Manny Lehman, Kimberly S., Phil B., Brett Henrichsen, Dawna Montel and Thunderpuss.

During the course of his career, Alva has built a solid and loyal fan base which continues to grow with every appearance. Come see him at Club Montage Saturday night and join his ranks.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/ djcaseyalva and www.clubmontage.com. Club Montage’s costume contest begins at 1:00 a.m. First place prize is $1,000! I’m going to go as a Rocket magazine column writer. I hope I win!

Bacchus House sees a return of San Francisco’s DJ Jamie Sanchez, also on Saturday. With an appetite for massive, hands-in-the-air anthems, tough tribal beats and pumping underground house sounds, Sanchez knows how to bring a dance floor to life. Unleashing wave after wave of energy, his natural creativity and ability to connect with his audience make him a dance-floor favorite the world over.

Sanchez crafts a unique experience for his audiences by featuring many of his own mixes in each epic set. Chances are you’ve heard one of his energy-driven, peak-hour remixes on a dance floor. Sanchez and DJ Paulo’s remix of Inaya Day’s “Lift it Up” reached No. 1 in 2005. It was also featured on DJ Abel’s Queer as Folk Season 4 soundtrack. And his remix of Debby Holiday’s “Half a Mile Away” reached No. 7 in January. Most recently, Sanchez’s hugely popular remix of “Bang Bang” by Harrison Crump was featured on Superchumbo’s Afterdark CD compilation. And famed DJ/producer Roger Sanchez placed the song on his top 10 recently.

Bacchus House will have goodie bags as well as a costume contest.

For more information about what’s happening in your favorite bars and clubs, see this week’s clubbing calendar on page 22.

Be safe, and happy Halloween!