The recent closing of his DV8 Boutique in Midtown was rough. But Michael Afshar doesn't have time to dwell on that. He's too busy DJ'ing his way through Europe right now. Considered by some to be a pioneer of San Francisco's underground house scene, Afshar — who entertains under the name DJ Skittles — is in St. Petersburg, Russia, after gigs in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Soon, he'll be spinning tech and electro house music in Moscow and Ukraine. "I have been playing in different countries every week now," he e-mailed in between gigs. "I had played in many venues in the world in the past. This is me going back to one of the things I love the most: music and flying in airplanes." The former

Michael Afshar, owner of midtown Sacramento clothing store DV8 Boutique, which has won local best-of kudos for its trendy threads, is closing shop. Sometime. Soon, he hopes. Afshar, who was born in Iran and opened DV8 in Hawaii in 2002 after he was laid off as a pilot by US Airways, moved to Sacramento and opened the store at 26th and J Streets in early 2004. He was one of the first tenants in the MARRS Building, at 20th and J Street, when it opened in September 2007. But now, he's eager to pursue his other passion: DJ'ing. Spinning under the handle DJ Skittles, Afshar plays progressive and deep house, as he has for 20 years. "I've been DJ'ing since 1989," says Afshar/Skittles. "I star