April 13, 11pm, Quarter
With his dreadlocks, tribal tattoos and towering frame, Suv could only be a drum'n'bass DJ.
The man born Paul Southey stands out as an innovative and prominent figure who has stretched the boundaries of his chosen genre. As part of the Reprazent crew - along with DJs Roni Size, Krust and Die - he was responsible for the most significant drum'n'bass release since Goldie's debut.
New Forms, released in 1997, not only won the Mercury Music Prize but showed that the uncompromising, underground sound could also appeal outside clubs. 'I think Reprazent proved that drum'n'bass could also be a music on the commercial side with a cool edge,' Suv says, ahead of next week's Hong Kong gig. 'But drum'n'bass will always be a predominantly club sound and that's what keeps it strong.
'It will go commercial when it's ready, not when big record companies think it's trendy or try to lift it up prematurely. It's the strongest club music and the most powerful next to the sound system music of the Caribbean, with bass that you feel and not just hear.'
Suv broke into the British music scene as part of the group Fresh Four, which enjoyed chart success in 1989, but found his own feet during the jungle explosion of the 1990s with a sound that fused drum'n'bass, flamenco and live percussion.