THE humble home of mint cake seems an unlikely stomping ground for a top RnB DJ.

But in a strange-but-true scenario Kendal club Tinto's is all set to play host to none other than Trevor Nelson of Radio 1's Rhythm Nation.

The superstar DJ has agreed to play a one-off night at the club, which appears to have been earning something of a reputation in recent months after Radio 1 Breezeblock presenter Mary Anne Hobbs played a guest slot at the town centre venue late last year.

Tinto's Block Party promoter Clyde Mason said after months of phone calls, set backs and crossed wires he finally caught up with Trevor's agent and pinned him down to fix a final date.

"Trevor Nelson isn't DJ-ing in clubs as much as he used to. He seems to be concentrating more on his radio and MTV shows. It was all up in the air for a long time but I am confident now a date has been set that it will all come off."

The booking is quite a coup for South Lakeland and with Kendal being so far of the urban DJ circuit apparently Trevor's agent wasn't quite sure where it was.

Trevor Nelson, who cut his teeth in warehouse parties, forged a national profile when working with Kiss FM. After more than a decade with the show he moved over to Radio 1 to present The Rhythm Nation.

His show's success was such that he was offered another slot, which developed into Britain's first national RnB Chart Show.

A recent winner of the MOBO awards DJ of the year accolade, the Hackney-born DJ was also presented with an MBE for his services to young people at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace last December.

Clyde, who has a ten-year history in the music business, said the exploding RnB industry had seen his Tinto's night -RnB, Street Soul and a little Hip Hop - really gain momentum over the last five months.

"Recently RnB has really taken off and become more commercial. People like Ashanti have made it more main-stream. You even get 13-year-olds buying an Ashanti CD. We have had so much interest already in Trevor's booking."

Trevor Nelson has been booked for March 8, doors open at 9pm and his two-hour slot begins around 12pm.

Tickets look set to be priced at around £15. Look out for flyers for further details.

January 16, 2003 10:30