The DJs impressed with their usual variety at Ug Beats last Friday at Transit. What began as a birthday party gig has turned into a Canberran legacy, with Ug Beats playing at various venues – most notably Toast – for the past 6 years. Jemist, along with Alistair and Pornstylus, are the core Ug members, amd they’re pretty much guaranteed to be at the decks each and every month. The rest of the line-up varies, ensuring the sound is always evolving, which keeps the crowd on their toes (often literally).

Sadly, I missed Jemist’s set (yes, I am blaming my girlfriends for taking too damn long to apply their mascara), but from all accounts he was up to his usual best, with electronica, funk, soul and disco. Alistair and Pornstylus took the decks next – something they have not done in years – and they provided a chilled combination of underground funk and soul, with a bit of hip hop thrown in for good measure. The crowd was relaxed, sitting in little cliques and circles, chatting over Coronas with lime, pints of Coopers and a few gin and tonics.

Buick, the current ACT DMC Champ, picked up the pace with his renowned hip hop mixtape approach. Buick is still relatively new to the Ug Beats fold, but he looks sure to return. Under Buick’s reign the crowd started to shift from their seats, as the alcohol met the blood stream with a warm welcome, so the mood became a lot more energised. Buick demonstrated a fine array of skills, with samples and smooth builds making him a sure crowd pleaser.

Rubicon (previously ninjacharlie) dramatically changed the feel and beat, playing electro house to the flavour of Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. By now, people were well and truly up and moving, and Transit was still filling out. The bad news? Canberra has now lost Rubicon, as he’s headed off to the UK for study! Exit (aka Milton) is an old Ug favourite, and he started his 2am set with a serious display of skills, adding weight to claims he may become a serious contender for Buick’s DMC crown. He belted out phat basslines in his hard to define style. For the sake of this article, I’d call it breaks, but progressive – a change from the previous electro, house, funk and soul.

Alistair and Pornstylus finished off the night, bringing a whole heap of “trashy remixes” (Alistair’s words, not mine) which had every face in the room beaming. Alistair calls it the “drunken last set”, and together with Pornstylus they managed to turn even Abba into some wicked drum and bass. Alistair and Pornstylus are a great team and I look forward to more collaboration. Alistair says that Ug Beats is about having fun – the DJs do not have to be technically perfect, as long as they are having a great time. That’s what the crowd picks up on.

Ug Beats claim some Canberra’s finest DJs as residents, such as Bec Paton. A kid to look out for, and one of the hottest up and coming talents, is DJ Peekz. Fingers crossed we may be able to hear him at an Ug night soon. See you there next month?