Groove digger

The world of drum'n'bass is generally dominated by black English guys, but there is one name that hits harder than most: Fabio. Born Fitzroy Heslop, the DJ, radio host and producer has been there since the birth of the frenetic movement in Britain in the mid-1990s and, along with his partner-in-crime Grooverider, has become one of the main faces of the global musical movement.

Generally considered the godfather of the genre, Heslop will be appearing in Hong Kong next week at newly opened club Heat in Wan Chai. 'It will be my first time out there,' the co-host of BBC Radio One show Fabio and Grooverider says. 'Grooverider's been out there, but I haven't got a clue what it'll be like. I go into places blind.'

Heslop's bravado shouldn't be confused with a lack of preparation: he has the sort of confidence that only comes with more than 20 years of experience. He first emerged in Brixton, London, during the 80s, originally playing funk, electro and early house on pirate radio stations, including the now-famous (and now-legal) Kiss, and playing after-hours parties.

It was at this time that he met the man who would become his partner-in-crime, the equally famous and influential Grooverider (Roger Bingham). Pulling shifts at Phase One, a pirate radio station in the mid-80s, the two DJed together at the station and at after-parties, forming an instant rapport.

During the early years they experimented with electronic music, through acid house and breakbeat, creating what would later become known as drum'n'bass, and built an enduring reputation as being on the cutting edge of dance music.

During the course of the genre's history, the pair have developed, reinvented and developed again to become indispensable, whether it be through their jointly hosted radio show, their live shows or their respective record labels.

So no Grooverider this time? '[These days] I play live by myself 90 per cent of the time. Me and Groove, we don't play live together that much any more. We do like what we do, separated.'

Although their style has basically evolved in tandem with each other, and together they perform almost as one unit (Grooverider describes it as a 'telekinetic link'), Fabio is enjoying DJing solo.

This fierce independence is evident in his own musical growth, particularly with the development of his own style of drum'n'bass. The 'liquid funk' style that he is credited with developing took a different direction to the mainstream, bringing in elements of jazz, funk and disco to create a sound that was more experimental and a little mellower.

'In the 90s, I played this jazzy style. What I'm playing now is probably harder than what I was playing a year and a half ago.'

However, like many DJs, he hates being pigeonholed. 'Drum'n'bass moves too quickly to ever say, 'He plays this'. That's one of the reasons I've lasted so long - because I'll move with the times, and if musically it's not moving on, I'll move it on.'

The future is moving quickly, but Fabio is keeping up. With Creative Source, the label he founded in 1994, Heslop is constantly championing up-and-coming artists such as Lynx and Survival, who he says are the new breed. 'There's no golden age now, and they're hungry,' he says. 'These guys are like, 19, 20. They're fresh, they're cutting new ideas.'

After a slump in the late 90s, producers saw the need for drum'n'bass to evolve, and for new artists to emerge. Heslop says the emergence of new faces has been positive for him as an artist.

The sound has now come full-circle, embracing some of the less-sophisticated sounds that Heslop pioneered in the early 90s.

'There's a lot of old-school jungle coming back.'

The sound is harder and rawer than liquid funk, and portals such as MySpace allow access to new talent and new directions that, in the past, would never have been imaginable.

Heslop's optimism about the genre is reflected in his recent ventures into unknown locales, seeking out new scenes rather than waiting for them to find the music. In recent years he's gone to outposts such as Lithuania, Estonia and Slovakia, where he has been able to galvanise local drum'n'bass communities.

It's for this reason that he's not worried about Hong Kong's relatively small drum'n'bass scene. 'I understand small scenes, and it's no problem. I'm more into the more instant vibe anyway.'

Going further afield opens up opportunities, he says. 'In London, when I do my night at Swerve, there are four other nights on within 10 miles. You'd be lucky to play for an hour. In places like Brazil, you tend to play two to three hours.'

Overload and saturation can lead to lethargy, and this is one of the reasons he's so happy to come to play Hong Kong for the first time. He's no stranger to the region, however, having visited Tokyo in 1991 to play one of the first raves in Asia. He's since returned to Japan 13 times where crowds, he says, 'are very appreciative, so if Hong Kong is anything like Japan, I'll be up for it'.

At tomorrow night's show, where he'll be accompanied by the vocal talents of MC Joker D, Heslop will expose the Hong Kong crowd to an array of new sounds. He promises it'll be 'very fresh, very up-front. I'll be playing all the new stuff'.

Hong Kong is just the start of this evangelical mission - from here, the tour will take in Singapore, Bangkok and Shanghai.

Magnetic Soul 10 Year Anniversary Handover Party with Fabio and MC Joker D, tomorrow, 11pm, Heat, 54-62 Lockhart Rd, Wan Chai, HK$200. Inquiries: 9099 1930