Now that the rockers have left the Modern Sky stage, the DJ’s take over this weekend with the 2-day Zoo Festival at Haidian Park. Today, we put the spotlight on Beijing’s own DJ Mikey Dee, Obiwan regular and preacher of a new sound he calls UK Funky.

1. For people who are unfamiliar with your sound, give us a quick intro to what you'll be bringing this Friday to the Zoo Festival?

It's deep, dark, tribal house. It's infused with samba, afrobeat and strongly percussive elements like congos with a sprinkle of London "something" and a few surprises. I am going to tear it up and hopefully work outside of people's expectations.

2. You play a style you call UK Funky. What is it and how is it different than, say, UK Garage or Drums and Bass?

UK Funky is played at about 130bpm, which is traditional house tempo and Drum and Bass is way faster (160bpm) and more intense. UK Garage tends to work to a 2-step (break) beat, whereas UK Funky is more syncopated and has more in common with reggaeton from a rythmic perspective.

3. Tell us about how your sound has developed in the last couple years and where you think it's going from here?

My sound is heavily influenced by the UK Producers I work with who give me major support out here in a musical ecosystem they don't yet know about. It's a big buzz for my people back home to hear from me that I'm on the main stage at festivals like ZOO and INMUSIC. What I am aiming at is to create a sound which reflects strong elements of UK House but is also localized enough to have wide local appeal in China, so I am experimenting with pushing more minimal tech into my sets, as this music is much more established.

4. If you had to choose, which of your songs or mixes do you think best represents your sound?

I'm pretty happy with my latest mix which is available for free download or stream here. This is a set which is a heady combination of UK Funky, Dirty, Tribal Tech House, some Minimal and even a Hip Hop vocal at the end. It was recorded at the RIDDIM nights that run every 2nd Friday at Obi-Wan. I made a big effort to put something down musically which reflects my own interpretation of the underground vibes I felt at the sadly missed White Rabbit parties when I first arrived here.

5. Of the other performers at the Zoo Festival, who are you most interested to hear?

For me it's all about @llen's set, who runs The Boat here in Beijing. He's a godfather DJ and a true crowd controller. I know DJ QQ well but I haven't heard her music so I'm looking forward to that too. I like the idea of something which is experimental and not constrained by genre and I've heard she's one to mix it up.

And for those who want to keep partying after ZOO, on Friday night after his set, DJ Mikey D will be stepping out on to Obiwan for some RIDDIM with DJ Slide. This party will go on ‘til morning.

Zoo Festival, Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17. Tickets 100RMB on Friday (80 presale) and 150RMB on Saturday (120 presale).