+ Softly Resident: DJ Amber L , Doors open 2.30am / Softly member free +1

DJ Chris read ( BBC Radio 1, Substance DJ Team)

Chris mixes scratches, cuts and pastes with "Substance" the UK hip hop super brand. Latest album released on Different drummer records. He has his own hip hop show on BBC Radio 1 Extra, also does his thing at the Jazz Café's and Cargo in London along side the infamous jazz fudge collective. Up Tempo New Funk breaks and more breaks, Need we say more?

Chris is Substance's resident deejay and promoter and one of the most respected deejays in the Midlands. Chris' studio work under his 'Creative Habits' alias, including collaborations with Mad Flow (Big Dada) and others, was released on the different drummer label, for which he compiled the Substance L.P, in late 2001. As well as holding residencies across the Midlands and in London, notable appearances include a live mix on Radio 1's One World show in November 2001 and March 2002 and appearing on Coldcut's BBC Radio show in July 2002. Chris has signed with Radio 1's new "Radio 1 Xtra" urban music station to appear as one of the station's 2 hip hop mix DJs.

More info: www.hiphopsuperbrand.co.uk

DJ Al Lindrum

Al Lindrum's DJ carrier start was a bit unusual to say the least. To avoid paying an entrance fee of 1,5 £ to the club "Incognito" in Aarhus (Denmark) he started blagging about being a DJ and demanded to talk to the promoter. Much to his surprise the promoter showed up at the door and asked him to come down and do his stuff the following weekend and thus a DJ was born.

This was back in 1994 and since then Al has been one of the major players on the danish club scene. Following his debut he began organising illegal raves in Aarhus but soon found the city to small so he moved to Copenhagen where he could generate larger crowds and therefore hire bigger names. Within the next three years he presented names like Acid Junkies, Miss Djax, Cari Lekebusch, Jim Masters, Abe Duque, Marco Carola, DJ Good Groove and Monika Kruse, all of them some of the finest techno had to show. In 98 after a short break he decided to team up with Varano of Los Chicaroons (TommyTouch UK) to create a club with a different and more laidback vibe than previous experienced in Copenhagen: Club LUST. The residents were to be Atle (BrotherBrown), Nima (Menimax) DJ Schack and of course Al himself.

This constellation of different styled DJ'S was going to create one of the most successfull clubs ever seen in Denmark pulling 7-800 punters with a true UK club atmosphere on a wednesday night! The guest DJ's and act's who has visited this club over the past two years are too many to mention here but they include Francois Kevorkian, Jazzanova, DJ Krush, Mr. Scruff, Money Mark Live, Lo-Fi Allstars, London Eletricity and Proffesor Angeldust.

This summer he created another club called L.I.P.S., an outdoor sunday club at the harbour where people could enjoy food whilst litening to DJ's like Phil Mison and Pete Herbert. Lately Al Lindrum has been focusing on playing outside of Denmark with quite some success.

His schedule has included 303 club and Hit'n'run in Dublin and "Bongo Lounge" and "La Paloma" in Barcelona with nummerous journeys to Sweden in between. His future dates include "Rex" in Paris on the sixth of october this year + once again "La Paloma" by public demand! Alongside all of this Al began to do tracks and his first release was a remix of the Puddu Varano single "I'm going away" which he also co-produced.

Mark Maggoo (Live Percussion)

Mark Maggoo play percussion with the differnt drummer & OverProof Sound System!

About Different Drummer Soundsystem:

Founded in 1992 by Richard Whittingham and Glyn Bush, Different Drummer was never destined to be a "here today, gone tomorrow" label. The desire to release quality music has always been more important than getting involved in the major label race for "the next big thing." Early releases from Original Rockers (now Rockers Hi-Fi), Neotropic and Switchblade Sisters, owed as much to Dub, Hip-Hop and Breakbeat as they did to Acid House. They were releases that were way ahead of their time, more suited to today's musical diversity and cross-pollination of styles.

Early Compilations such as "Bastard Tracks" and "Music Is Immortal" began to show a developing pool of musical talent with acts such as Templeroy, Painted Van and Euphonic. Remixing became an increasingly worthwhile past-time for Rockers Hi-Fi, as acts such as Sly and Robbie, Tosca, Ennio Morricone and Ella Fitzgerald all received the "Rocker's" touch. The continuing success of Rockers Hi-Fi in Germany resulted in a Different Drummer Compilation entitled "Spliffen Sie Englisch". It features the cream of the German Nu-Jazz scene with tracks from Jazzanova, Beanfield and A Forest Mighty Black.

Now in 2001 and rapidly approaching the 60th Release, Different Drummer are still sticking to their guns. Albums from Noiseshaper, G Corp, Pre Fade Listening and Phase 5 are all dub-wise collections in the finest Different Drummer tradition, whilst the Soulful Electronica of Mighty Math and the Funky Hip-Hop of Elementz, Haych and Lyric Superbrand take the label in a new direction. A subsidiary label called "Leftfoot Recordings" is aimed at the more discerning dancefloors with the first two 12 inches being played by Gilles Peterson, Mr Scruff, Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister.

Different Drummer Club Nights are held at The Medicine Bar in Birmingham, an increasingly popular venue for quality music of all genres. "Leftfoot" is a night without musical boundaries which has seen the likes of Jazzanova, Roots Manuva, Carl Craig, Fila Brazillia and Grand Central Records, whilst the Rootsical "Overproof" has featured 100% Dynamite , The Blood and Fire Soundsystem and the resident "Overproof Soundsystem".

The Different Drummer Soundsystem is a collective of DJ's , Musicians and Vocalists which can range from 2 to 6 members. The musical agenda is based around the "Leftfoot" Club Night, basically a selection of quality music from around the globe. The Soundsystem will be playing all over the world this year with shows in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Hungary and Portugal, aswell as clubs and festivals around the UK.