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Ruf Dug

The original tropical cyberpunk, Manchester’s Ruf Dug makes tunes that find their way into A-list record bags and has built a reputation for jamming out highly energetic DJ sets that reflect his wide range of influences.


DJs from Moodymann to Ben UFO to Jose Padilla reach for Ruffy’s tracks on labels as diverse as Unknown To The Unknown, Golf Channel, Music For Dreams and his own highly collectible Ruf Kutz imprint – not content to stay still stylistically, Ruf Dug’s sound is tough to pigeonhole.


Blame the esotericism on his nomadic background – brought up in Manchester with summers in Ibiza, Ruf Dug moved to Australia and got caught up in the post-millenial Sydney underground warehouse scene,earning his DJ stripes (and staying a step ahead of the riot police) at squat jams, lesbian sex parties and 3 day mushroom-fuelled bush raves. He’s back in Manchester these days, holding a residency at award-winning club the Soup Kitchen and is one of the minds behind the infamous Wet Play parties. He’s a regular guest at Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section (they called him “The epitome of everything we stand for and an inspiration for all we aim to blossom into,”) presents a monthly show on NTS radio and has a knack for bringing the vibe to any room.

It's now the premiere club in Manchester. It’s an old mechanics building in Salford in an absolute Wasteland - uber drivers are scared to go down there! But it’s just this amazing, world famous place now. It’s a great club that goes all the way through til the morning, sometimes the next day. They just champion anything that isn’t normal. Any night is a great night there because it’s all about the venue and the crowd.


It’s the crowd that makes it special for me, and for a while there it was the only spot in Manchester you would go to.


This place was like an atomic bomb that decimated the entire Manchester nightlife scene and that needed to happen. They had signed up all the good DJs so no one else could book them so it forced Manchester’s music scene to look inwards again, not to be booking names but to booking parties, to bringing communities together and developing parties within the local music DJs. 


It‘s not a michelin star yet but it should be. It’s run by a local chef from Manchester called Sam Buckley and they grow all their veg and leaves on top of the car park just next door so they’re sustainable. It’s in an old coffee warehouse and they have about 9 tables, with the kitchen right there, so you’re in and amongst it all. It’s a classic 12 course tasting menu, whichever chef is cooking your food will bring it over and tell you the story about it. It’s just really next level food!

It's the best Chinese pancake. You’ve got the egg, spring onions and the pancake and you just fold it up. It’s right in the middle of the city by the metro link - it’s an old ice cream/hot dog vendor and these guys have just taken it over. 


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Ruf Dug's Guide to Manchester 

Renowned Mancunian MC, Philip Box otherwise known as Fox, is one of Manchester’s long-standing connoisseurs of taste and music. Born in Manchester and raised in Kingston, Fox has been instrumental in defining a new and authentic Manchester sound; working with the likes of Estate Recording and Skittles to platform local artists.

Despite his time living abroad in Jamaica and the U.S, Manchester and its music scene have a firm grip on Fox. Producing the likes of The Smiths, Bugzy Malone and Macus Rashford, Manchester’s mark on British culture is indelible. Britain’s third largest city, it boasts an unrivalled creative scene, both counter-cultural and mainstream, that puts Manny firmly and squarely on the map. Not forgetting Manchester’s fine selection of street food and cosy restaurants that serve its ever-growing population. Below, Fox introduces us to his long-time favourite spots, both indoors and outdoors.

A long time fav spot for yard (Jamaican) food. You might not think its proper because unlike a lot of other yardie food shops, they often do have what you want and serve it with no bad attitude lol. The jerk wings, festival and fritters are great.

Been playing at and having mad raves in Soup for well over 10 yrs. Swing Ting, a collective I'm part of has had its regular monthly nights there. Its just a cool spot with vibrant nights on and serves food upstairs.

Can't skate for shit but I'm fascinated by it and the garms are fresh. Joe Gavin who used to work there shot my first ever video The Eyes 'Harder' and I've made tunes with Think Tonk who works there. Also, played a few 'pop up' Street raves outside the shop with Levelz and its always a vibe.

Another great venue with loads of sweaty drunken memories. Estate Records used to do Ballin On A Budget there.

My bredrin just took over this spot, formerly Kim's by the Sea, and its a proper slice of Manchester. Foods great, lots of local community characters/artists/creatives passing through and just a cool warm vibe.

I play a lot of gigs here, mostly Hit&run nights. The gigs vary but I've never had a bad night there.

A lot of these spots I've mentioned are in this area of the city centre. It's filled with a lot of bars, clubs and creative hubs. Pic of a video shoot with Equiknoxx, Swing ting, Tarnish Vision.

On a good sunny day you're liable to find people playing music, usually Bloc2bloc crew, and lots of people chilling. Photo of a video shoot with Sparkz, Jhest, Layfullstop and Pitch.

If you wanna book in some recording time at a professional local studio, look no further. Ask for Darius. Photo of B. Cass, Diemond and myself from a recent recording session for Squang Dang, from my album 'Squang Dangs in the Key of Vibes' OUT NOW.

SOUP

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