When Alf Nguyen hits the decks, he's powered by a secret weapon: his grandmother's spicy pho. 'There are only some places you can get it properly done, and one of them is my grandmother's,' the man known as DJ A.L.F. says of Vietnam's popular noodle dish. The Vietnam-born DJ, who has made a name for himself in Australia playing everything from dub to hip hop and jungle, is regarded as one of Sydney's top spinners. On May 19, he'll join fellow Sydney turntablists Foreign Dub and soulful drum'n'bass duo B Hopps and Samson at Radar, the second in a series of Hong Kong gigs organised by Kongkretebass. Nguyen has played with some of the drum'n'bass greats, including Roni Size, DJ Hype and Calibre. But most of his stuff is a little more downbeat, with stronger elements of hip hop. He compares his sound to the likes of DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, and Blockhead. 'It's always about finding an adventurous edge,' he says. Food is also key. 'If I have a s***ty meal before I hit the studio or a gig, you know it'll influence my performance one way or another.' For that reason, he's looking forward to visiting Hong Kong, where he's keen to explore the yum cha culture. 'I understand Hong Kong is the motherland of yum cha - it's like what America is to hip hop and the UK is to jungle.' Still, the food doesn't seem to be helping the drum'n'bass scene too much in Asia. Although Nguyen is enjoying the region's boom in electronic music, he says it still has a long way to go. Part of that is due to many countries' attitude to illicit substances. 'These places are so bloody hard on drugs,' he says. 'Those dudes have got to chill out sometimes.' Home for Nguyen is now Sydney, where he works at a computer distribution centre by day. He was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), where he lived until his parents left Vietnam soon after the war, when he was 10 years old. He'll play a couple of gigs there after the Hong Kong trip, but he's mainly looking forward to showing his girlfriend where he came from. When he returns to the subject of food while discussing his first trip back to his homeland, however, he reveals that the Aussie in him has really taken hold. 'I didn't mind an Australian beef steak when I got back.' Radar organiser Richard Chan, aka DJ Wash, is a big fan of Nguyen's music. 'For me, he has always been the No1 DJ in Sydney, no doubt.' Chan hopes the Radar gigs will be a good way to showcase drum'n'bass talent from around the Asia-Pacific region and help raise the standard here. The Sydney scene has a dubwise vibe, he says, but punters can expect a diverse night at Yellow Devil. Whereas Nguyen will probably play low-key beats, you can expect a bit of colour from Samson's trumpet and Foreign Dub's uptempo jungle. Foreign Dub have been on the Sydney scene for about 31/2 years. The group of three DJs and one MC take their name from their international lineup: Chileans Pat Ordenes, Vietnamese Jase Nguyen and Filipino-Australian Michael Foley. Like Alf Nguyen, the Dub crew have a fondness for food - so much so that they instigated a series of monthly summer events in Sydney labelled DNBBQ. The idea was to put on a whole-day event with 12 hours of music and slow-cooked beef ribs. The musicians even provide the food themselves. 'We're all grass roots here. We're hands-on,' says Foley. The crew have put together compilations featuring artists - mainly Australians and New Zealanders - who have played at their events. The next album is due in August, but it'll get a good hearing at Radar, where the crew will take advantage of plasma screens to show off the visuals that have helped set them apart from others in Sydney. It'll be their first time playing in Hong Kong, which, Foley says, must be about as foreign as you can get. 'I just think it's another world,' he says of the city. 'It's like the future. It's like a space station or something.' Radar02 - Original Sydney Drum'n'Bass with DJ A.L.F. & Foreign Dub, May 18, 10pm, Yellow Devil, 3/F, 21 Lyndhurst Terrace, HK$120. Inquiries: 6204 6255
