A matter of phact

Underground hip-hop champion Dan Greenpeace has pulled out all the stops for this month's instalment of

The buzz surrounding the hard-edged rhymes of Non Phixion - which flit between witty, thugged-out horrorcore and socially aware - has steadily grown since their formation in 1996. Rappers Ill Bill, Goretex and Sabac Red's differing rhyme styles dovetail neatly, though their edge is definitely street, with DJ Eclipse's grimy production reinforcing Non Phixion's rawness. Non Phixion isn't the sort of hip hop you can find on your local high street, but it soon will be when you consider their last LP featured contributions from Pete Rock, Gang Starr's Primo, The Beatnuts and MF Doom. Get there early to see support from California's Visionaries, who bring a rock sensibility to their gigs, and Hackney's must-see Klashnekoff.

One of the joys of London is discovering venues where you would least expect them, like NYT, an achingly hip club situated in Leicester Square.

NYT opened early this year but has been building its reputation through word of mouth, rather than by flyers and ads in style mags. It's got a gritty edge, with exposed brickwork and a graffiti backdrop running the length of the bar. But it also has swish cosy corners and a velvet-rope VIP area that overlooks the dancefloor. NYT's 400 capacity keeps it intimate. Musically, it's mainly hip hop and R'n'B with soul, funk, rare groove and club classics - Lovephunk (Thursdays), Million Dollar Babes (Fridays) and Sintillate (Saturdays) - from resident DJs who craft and maintain its vibe: understated cool (jeans and trainers acceptable, hurrah!) rather than in-yer-face bling.

It's going off in Angel and Islington at the moment: last week saw the Academy's Saturday club night (Red Alert) go live, and now there's a new, late night DJ bar, Moloko, on the block. It's a 400-capacity venue split over two floors with an emphasis on quality cocktails and decent music. This weekend it hosts Tukai, a four-yearold house night founded by three friends (including resident DJs Frankie Gee and Johnny Ay), which caters for most tastes with funky and dirty tech-house on one floor and hip hop, soul and rare groove on the other. This weekend, though, it's a winning combination of old-school house and hip hop, from 1988 to 1994. Think epic tracks with rush-maximising piano breaks and speeded-up vocals on one floor, and block-rocking hip hop on the other.

There's going to be a strange split at the ever-dependable FabricLive tomorrow as Wall Of Sound take over rooms one and three. The d'n'b room remains intact, with the hardcore, becapped massive glowering in protection of their white trainers as towering basslines from Andy C, Hype and Doc Scott send the dancefloor into a frenzy. Meanwhile, the other room will be packed with indie-club kids as the highly rated Infadels - a dancefloor-oriented mishmash of Audio Bullys, The Streets and The Rapture - perform live, with DJ sets from Cass & Tom Mangan and lo-fi, scratchy dance, electro punk-funk from Erol Alkan and intergalactic house, disco and funk from Jedi Tom Middleton.

Tonight, All City Live, Scala, 275 Pentonville Road N1, 8pm to 2am, £10 adv. Tel: 020 7833 2022. Tube: King's Cross

Tonight to Sat, NYT, Whitcomb Street WC2, 9pm to 4am, £8 to £15. Tel: 020 7839 4123. www.club-nyt.com Tube: Leicester Square

Tomorrow (Lesson 1) and Sat (Moloko), Tukai, 94-96 Pentonville Road N1, both 9pm to 3am, £5. Tel: 020 7837 5387. Tube: Angel

Tomorrow, FabricLive, Fabric, 77a Charterhouse Street EC1, 9pm to 5am, £12. Tel: 020 7336 8898. www.fabriclondon.com Tube: Farringdon