In the 25 years since its birth in New York block parties, hip-hop has come to exert a global influence.

Yet it is most importantly a style of music, one so broad that it incorporates both the lightweight pop of Will Smith and the expletive-ridden gangsta rap of Los Angeles.

But all hip-hop can be traced back to a handful of pioneers and three DJs above all: Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash.

To judge by the reaction of the crowd on Thursday night, one member of this trinity at least, has not been forgotten.

When Flash announced his intention was to play records "not from 2002, not from the Nineties, not from the Eighties, but from the Seventies and Sixties", the place went wild.

This was, after all, the man who had popularised a host of DJ techniques, most notably the art of scratching.

It may be more than 20 years since he released his The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel but it is still the benchmark against which all aspiring turntablists are measured.

Furthermore, his collaborations with a group of MCs known as the Furious Five resulted in the two records - The Message and White Lines - which established hip-hop as a vehicle for social commentary rather than simply light-hearted party music.

Ever the showman, Flash had the crowd eating out of his hand as he dropped a succession of early hip-hop classics, including Bonita Applebum, Jump Around and the ultimate old-school anthem, Rapper's Delight.

He may be approaching his 45th birthday but Flash proved he deserves his "Grandmaster" sobriquet.

Review by Marcus O'Dair, features@theargus.co.uk