We address the dynamics of the partonic degrees of
freedom in the deconfined phase on a microscopic basis. We report
about results from an extended dynamical quasiparticle model
(DQPM$^*$) in which the effective parton propagators have a complex
selfenergy that depends on the temperature $T$ of the medium as well
as on the chemical potential $\mu_q$ and the parton three-momentum
${\vec p}$ with respect to the medium at rest. It is demonstrated
that this approach allows for a good description of QCD
thermodynamics with respect to the entropy density, pressure etc.
above the critical temperature $T_c \approx$ 158 MeV at $\mu_q =0$.
Furthermore, the quark susceptibility $\chi_q$ and the quark number
density $n_q$ are found to be reproduced simultaneously at zero and
finite quark chemical potential. The shear and bulk viscosities
$\eta, \zeta$, and the electric conductivity $\sigma_e$ from the
DQPM$^*$ also turn out in close agreement with lattice results for
$\mu_q$ =0. The DQPM$^*$, furthermore, allows to evaluate the
momentum $p$, $T$ and $\mu_q$ dependencies of the partonic degrees
of freedom also for larger $\mu_q$ which are mandatory for transport
studies of heavy-ion collisions in the regime 5 GeV $< \sqrt{s_{NN}}
<$ 50 GeV.