Words by Photos by Marc Spies and

Saturday, June 15th saw the birth of U-Turn, a monthly night dedicated to party breaks, funky nu-skool and ol-skool hip hop. Run by the Beats Working crew, a new collective of breakbeat heads who've been throwing parties since August of last year, the party is meant to be a night where anything goes as long as its funky and broken to the bone. Resident DJs Scotrod and Obliveus hold the fort down every third Saturday of the month, with a rotating cast of characters to help them along the way. Held at the International Lounge Bar, 2 blocks from the Melbourne CBD, the grand opening looked to be a huge night. Here's how it went:
We rolled up a bit early to make sure everything was running smoothly and to our surprise the entire place was pitch black, except for a few makeshift lights on the bar. Well, it just so happened that City Power was having problems that day and the entire block had just lost its juice. After about an hour, the power came back on, but only after about 40 people decided to try their luck elsewhere. Regardless of this mess, the Beats Working boys got on the ball and the music began soon after.

The first 3 hours of the night were a showcase in hip hop wizardry as Crism and Cast dropped ol' skool beats, juggles and scratches for the breakbeat punters who were getting their drink on. They created a seriously rockin' vibe in the place and provided the perfect backing music to those watching England demolish Denmark in the World Cup. Cutting in and out of favorites along the lines of De La, Tribe and the Beatnuts, they held their own and impressed me very much. By the end of their set, the dance floor was beginning to fire up and this opened the door for Scotrod and Obliveus to unleash the breaks.

Opening with some Freestylers, Krafty Kuts and Grandmaster Flash was a good choice, as the dance floor began to shake their groove thang soon after they began their set. Relying heavily upon their house/breaks stable of 12's, these two kept the floor going strong as they went 3 for 3 for the next 2 hours. Not too many new tracks that I hadn't heard before, but some quality slicin' and dicin' from the two. Obliveus dropping "Fight For Your Right To Party" over the new Elite Force 12" caused a few eyes to turn, but Scotrod's use of the "Where's Your Head At" a cappella over "Addicted to Bass" just about brought the roof down. It's nice to hear someone trying weird things and making old songs sound new again.

Quality track selection from the two kept the party vibe goin' strong, though it seemed that a good portion of the crowd could've cared less what songs they were playing. It's funny when you see people dancing to breaks for awhile, then decide to make their way up to the booth to request some Top 40 song they really need to hear. You'd think the song selection over the past hour would've told them what to expect. Regardless, most of the people there were enjoying the sounds from the speakers. Even the Top 40 contingent stayed until the wee hours of the night, as Scotrod continued to fuel the dance floor after Obliveus made an early exit due to illness (not a joke).

All in all, U-Turn was a great opening party for the Beats Working crew. Not entirely packed to the rafters, but a strong showing of support for this new party. The people behind it all set out to do something different from their regular parties and they definitely accomplished this. They went for the block party vibe and there's even talk of them bringing in some breakers and guest MCs in the future. Looks like this could be a night not to miss in the future.

For more info about U-Turn see:
http://www.beatsworking.live.com.au