The local bar and lounge scene is ruled by the funk, soul brother sounds of DJ KFC (real initials), whose feel-good sets never fail to rouse both life and revelry. He graces us with the first set of the night at Midnight Shift x Zouk 02: Future Bound on 25 Feb 2012, plus a special preview mix recorded live at Overeasy that should get your mouth watering for more.

What is your day job, and how do you balance it with DJing?
I'm a freelance graphic designer in the day. I work from home which makes time management a lot more flexible. The DJing bit happens mostly at night so it works out.

Tell us about your musical journey and how it has evolved till today.
My elder brother has definitely been the biggest influence. He was into all kinds of genres and styles. From the late 70s all the way till the end of the 90s, he let rip all the rock, soul, funk, new wave, electronic, hip hop, R&B, indie and everything else in between. This was my music 101. Then came the trip hop, acid jazz period from the mid 90s onwards thanks to a friend from Melbourne. I also went into a major funk and soul phase during that time. Lots of BBE indulgence. In 2001, I caught a serious case of the vinyl bug. Started buying records before I even had a turntable to play them on. Lots of house, soul and funk wax in the box. Right now it's really varied because I play at bars and lounges mostly. Love the edits and remixes and the slo mo nu disco stuff.

Describe one of your most memorable gigs so far.
I love playing especially when my friends are on the floor. Those usually take the top spot for favourite gigs. If I had to choose, it'll have to be a seven hour, no toilet break, set for NYE 2010.

What gear do you use, and which is your favourite?
I use Serato now. With either CDJs or turntables. Depends on what the venue has. I do miss playing vinyls though. I do like the DJM900 mixer.

What do you like or dislike about the local music scene?
In terms of the club music scene…enough of the cheesy commercial stuff. It can be quite disheartening and uninspiring for the DJs. There is so much good music out there and all you want is LMFAO? Shame shame! On the flipside, we have the local collectives and labels like the Pushin'On crew, Bedsty, Syndicate, Darker than Wax and MNS that are constantly striving to keep the music and parties fresh. Kudos to these fellas.

What's in your current top 10?
Of late, it's been music from:

Late Nite Tuff Guy, Tuomo, Todd Terje, Maceo Plex, Drive OST, Echo Park, EJECA, fLako, Julio Bashmore, Zimmer...

What upcoming music releases are you looking forward to?
Definitely looking out for Late Night Tuff Guy's Tuff Edits Volume 4.

What projects are you currently working on?
Project 'Sort My iTunes Out'. It's a real mess. It's been ongoing for three years now.

What are you excited to see in the local and/or international music scene this year?
Locally, a new venue with good sound and forward thinking music would be nice. Keep it simple, keep it fresh. No need for them 'atas exclusive my bottle bigger than yours venues'. And please, enough of the top 40 cheese.

Internationally, Fuji Rock is definitely on the cards. Hoping The Stones Roses can 'tahan' being together long enough so I can watch them live.

What can we expect from you at the upcoming Midnight Shift event?
'Cos it's the early set, probably some groovier nu disco stuff, possibly headed towards the deeper end as the night progresses. It really depends on the vibe and the floor that night.

Tracklist
01. Lovelock - Don't Turn Away (From My Love)
Juno Download (Mp3/WAV) | Amazon (256kbps Mp3)
02. Dream on Dreamer (Satin Jackets Reconstruction) - The Brand New Heavies
03. The Revenge - Looking Up to You
Juno Download (Mp3/WAV) | Amazon (256kbps Mp3)
04. Tuomo - First
05. Sly & the Family Stone - If You Want We to Stay (Funk Ferret Edit)
06. Echo Park - Fiber Optic
Juno Download (Mp3/WAV) | Amazon (256kbps Mp3)
07. Copycat - Sound Library
08. Poolside - Do You Believe
Juno Download (Mp3/WAV) | Amazon (256kbps Mp3)
09. De La Soul - Eye Know (Copycat's Slight Re-Edit)
10. Mighty Ryeders - Evil Vibrations (Copycat's Slight Re-Edit)
11. EJECA - 1000 Kisses
12. Mario Basanov - Lonely Days
Juno Download (Mp3/WAV) | Amazon (256kbps Mp3)
13. Julio Bashmore - Well Wishes
iTunes (256kbps AAC)
14. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse
Juno Download (Mp3/WAV) | Amazon (256kbps Mp3)
15. fLako - Lonely Town ft. Dirg Gerner
Juno Download (Mp3/WAV) | Amazon (256kbps Mp3)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-KFC
http://soundcloud.com/djkfc
http://aligned-agency.com/dj-kfc.html

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