By Joshua Fanning.

Like some inner-city cathedral, the Producers Bar on Grenfell Street took in Adelaide’s impoverished Hip Hop souls last Thursday night so that they might be touched by the healing powers of world-renowned Japanese DJ/Producer - DJ Krush.

Before the gig, I tried to explain to a woman at the bar who Krush is, and why I was pretty excited to be seeing him in the flesh...

"Do you know DJ Shadow?" I asked, half expecting her to slap my face at the sheer impertinence of such a ridiculous question. Of course everyone knows DJ Shadow, I simply thought DJ Shadow might give this woman a better idea of Krush's world-wide influence and importance... Strangely though, her hands stayed their place, delicately clasping the base of her martini glass. As there was no ensuing slap, I opened my wincing eyes and noticed she was smiling - a rather blank bemused smile.

"No, I don't know that DJ. Who's he?" 

It was at that point I realised there is just no saving some people - even for an evangelical soul like me. 

Krush is a phenomenon with true pulling power. Thankfully, Adelaide wasn't full of martini-drinking troglodytes that night, and as I walked into the slightly-dilapidated warehouse on the side of the Electric Light Hotel I had to struggle through a packed house.

Hundreds of pilgrims were crammed inside the venue, all hoping to get their share of the DJ’s healing power. In this era when Hip Hop continues to slide towards bling-studded irrelevance, a good dose of technical BPM brilliance can really lighten the soul. The pseudo-religious vibe I was imagining around the gig was strengthened by flickering electric globes dangling in chandelier formations, high ceilings and the long, narrow corridor-like space that encouraged the crowd to assemble in two groups: those getting loaded at the bar and those getting ready to re-load.

I’ve never seen such a well-lubricated crowd and maybe that’s why the show really hit. Krush took the stage and took our minds with it. The crowd rocked back and forth convulsing to the beat. People looked at those around them with the type of expression that said: “I can’t believe this is happening... and it's awesome”. But Krush's religious experience wasn’t particularly pious or reserved. The DJ remixed Chastity, Poverty and Obedience - those tired old tenets of the faith - and mashed them with Debauchery, Booze and Immunity. 

If there's one thing to say about the music of DJ Krush it's that he hits more than misses and when you're in his presence... give it up - because you're in the palm of his hand.