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HIT & RUN, OXFORD.
 Oxford, university town, stronghold of learning, and home to some of the finest academic minds on the planet; not the sort of place you'd expect to find a thriving Drum 'n' Bass scene, right...? Wrong; and its best kept secret, DJ Fu, is set to become one of the fresh new stars of '06. Now the cat's out of the bag, we thought it was time we caught up with the man himself and checked out his fortnightly Wednesday night extravaganza, Hit 'n' Run.
Traditionally the pariah of the promoters' calendar, Wednesday nights seem to be too far away from the weekend to persuade the part time members of the junglist massive to go out and get their swerve on. Moving into its fifth year Hit 'n' Run has been holding it down on the Oxford club scene, providing consistently packed venues by serving up the hottest local talent, with liberal dollops of good vibes.
 Speaking to DJ Fu, one third of the promotion team behind the night, it's clear that they place an emphasis on covering the entire spectrum of D'n'B, and pushing new talent. "...I find it a bit boring if you just stick to just playing liquid or jump up or the darker stuff."
"We have had a lot of talent pass through our doors...Nu:tone, John B, Logistics, Unknown Error, but we try to support the local scene as much as we can. I am very keen on pushing new talent and brining something fresh to our night. We are in a good position to push new people as we have built up our name so the crowds will come down even if we haven't got big names playing."
It's always refreshing to visit a night outside London. The capital's crowds seem to have become rather spoilt for choice. In the smaller towns and cities, the vibe and energy of their nights often eclipses the biggest London parties. As the mid week crowd at Hit 'n' Run begins to fill out and Charris steps up to the decks, it's clear that this night is no exception. Spinning a selection that's aimed squarely at the dance floor, Charris, along with the host for the night, MC Mantmast, got the early heads in the mood for a groove.
 By the time DJ Fu got on the ones and twos at twelve, it was a one in one out affair. Mixing it up in true Fu style, he scratched and smashed his way through a set of dance floor bangers. With Mantmast hyping the crowd, and a crazy bongo boy (Rich Reason...?), providing extra beats on demand, it was clear why Hit 'n' Run has become a regular feature for the Oxford Junglists. A quick scan of the room showed people had left their frowns at the door. The crowd was obviously out to enjoy themselves, and was a pretty mixed bunch, trendys, fashionistas, old school metallers and even the odd hippy were all bouncing round in unison.
The eclectic stance of the night was best summed up by the last few tunes of Rich Reasons set; a perfect blending of Nu:tone's remix of Hardkandy's Advice with Miracle and South Star's Omega Amen. Anything goes down Hit 'n' Run, so long as its got the funk!
But what does '06 hold for the man of the moment DJ Fu? A hook up with the one and only, Mr Jungle drummer has led to a new incarnation of the DJ vs the Drummer project, featuring... yup, you guessed it, Oxford's finest on turntable duties!
"When London Elektricity were on tour I was playing the set after them, Jungle saw me play and said he was impressed and really wanted to work with me... we've been in the rehearsal rooms recently putting the show together."
 So keep your eyes peeled folks, he'll soon be scratching up a storm near you, and if he's got Jungle's stamp of approval, it won't be long before he becomes a permanent fixture in our clubs.
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Dogs On Acid > Comments > 
03-25-2006 10:52 PM
Orange at the Rocket Every Saturday!
