Alex Lloyd finds some funky tunes to relax to.

IF life is getting you down and you want to make the weekend come along that bit quicker, a Thursday night trip to Judges Bar should do the trick.

What you will find there is Factor, a night of funky tunes with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere guaranteed to ease your mood and cheer your spirits.

The night has been up and running for about two months and has already attracted a regular crowd, despite no publicity.

Organiser and resident DJ is 22-year-old Lucy, a first-year English literature student at York St John College.

She has already organised a number of successful dance nights around York, including Beatroots at the De Grey Rooms in 2000 and the now defunct Wednesday night drum and bass room in Toffs.

Factor is a slightly more laid-back, eclectic affair than her previous ventures. When asked what time it kicks off, Lucy replies: "Usually 8pm - if there's nothing good happening in EastEnders."

It also mirrors the trend which has seen DJs move away from clubs into bars and embrace the records they like to listen to, whether or not they fit into a particular genre.

"Factor is chilled and funky, the kind of music that I like to listen to when I am sitting round drinking," says Lucy. "You'll hear lots of different stuff - funk, reggae, disco, soul.

"Each week is a little bit different and I always bring in a variety of guest DJs. People are becoming a lot more open to different types of music."

Lucy says she is glad that the city's bars recognise the need for an alternative music scene and has noticed a proliferation of new events over the past few months, supported by later licenses.

"It's bizarre," she says. "Anywhere else, you can always find a club that is not playing mainstream chart dance music, even in Hull. Luckily, the bars seem to understand this."

Factor at Judges Bar, The Judges Lodging, in Lendal, Thursdays, 8pm-11pm, free.

NEWS

The Gallery's long-awaited make-over is about to start but the club will remain open for business throughout.

The Lowther has just installed a new "digital DJ" with a memory containing more than 4,000 tracks.

Updated: 09:34 Friday, February 13, 2004