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.'