Bristol's Drum & Bass Events
upcoming clubnightBristol's Drum And Bass Scene
Is Stokes Croft a drum and bass Mecca?
Drum and bass in Bristol needs no bigger homes than Lakota and Blue Mountain. Both on the same street in Stokes Croft - they’ve continued Bristol’s drum n bass lineage from DJ Krust and Roni Size through to Intrigue Music and the more experimental UVB76 crew. Bristol’s place in the history of drum n bass is assured. Figureheads like DJ Die draw the line between the jungle and drum n bass scenes, jungle is key in Bristol - a city with so much Caribbean heritage, roots reggae’s influence on drum n bass comes through the language of jungle. But with both Lakota and Blue Mountain closing their doors soon to developers, is Bristol in a drum n bass crisis?
Drum and bass in Bristol encapsulates the genre in the wider world. Big venues play host to big acts with nights such as Bedlam, One Nation and Shit the Bed offering International stars including Pendulum, Chase and Status, Andy C and Noisia on a regular basis. In addition to this, alternative venues like the Dojo Lounge, Basement 45 and the Black Swan foster the rarefied sounds of dnb's many sub genres offering the city a unique depth to its plethora of drum and bass music. New years eve in Bristol clubs sees the city's venues rammed to the brim with all of the drum and bass's big players djing somewhere in Bristol.
Agro, Dissident and Mongrel offer dnb of a techy, dark variety while the bastion of the deeper sound, Intrigue, continues to push artists such as Marcus Intalex, Calibre and Fabio. Torque, straddling the line between dark and deep is a drum and bass monthly of significant recognition, hosting label nights and affiliated artists from Club Autonomic to Critical and Shogun Audio.
With drum and bass such a popular genre in Bristol, most clubs present dnb of some description at least once per month. Basement 45 has emerged as a consistent venue, with Torque, Abstraction and Nine Tree all on regular rotation at the club. Dojos plays host to the aforementioned Intrigue while Lab is home to Signal which runs as a bi-monthly event.
Of the larger venues Motion has a throng of events that are less frequent but larger in scale. Although many of these nights are multi-genre affairs, Run and Shit The Bed routinely promote dnb artists as their headline acts.
Lakota is another important dnb venue, housing Concrete Beat, Agro and since September 2010, Bedlam. Hospitality's residency at the Thekla ensures dnb is consistent fixture on the ship, while the rave-ready Black Swan is the spearhead for the harder jungle-tek sounds of the dnb genre.
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What our editors say
“United by a shared love of breakbeat hardcore and jungle, Club Glow draws on the foundations of UK rave while pushing its sounds forward. What began as a series of tapes packed with exclusive material has grown into a label, radio presence and party collective, with takeovers at Glastonbury and Boomtown.”From: Clock Factory Presents: Club Glow
“Tokyo-born and London-based special guest Riria brings a high-energy blend of UK Garage, Amapiano, Jersey Club and bass. Rinse mainstay Oneman teams up with PK, pairing his deep knowledge of garage, grime and dubstep with heavyweight microphone energy. En:vy joins for a special 140 set. Known for deeper drum and bass releases on Critical Music, Flexout Audio and Overview, he switches gears to explore dubstep, garage and deeper bass sounds. Another familiar face at Rinse is Dani Whylie, who joins alongside Nu:Motive resident Ryda.”
From: Rinse FM x Nu:Motive: Riria , Oneman & PK, En:vy & More
“Expect rolling breaks, serious bassweight and dancefloor classics across jungle, drum & bass, ragga and more, powered by the mighty VOID Acoustics system and Bristol’s only full-sensory lighting rig. With 28 high-powered LED panels stretching from floor to ceiling, we’re setting the scene for a proper jungle session.”
From: True Junglist Rave - Jumpin Jack Frost + Trafic MC & More
“Sound system culture has shaped UK music, from dub and reggae through to jungle, grime and modern bass music. Rooted in Caribbean heritage, community and craft, it is a culture built on bass, unity and shared experience.”
From: Stack Culture | Rave | Sound System Link
“GiGi FM is a multidisciplinary artist, DJ, producer, dancer, singer-songwriter and poet whose practice moves fluidly between sound, movement and performance. From her beginnings in the underground squat raves of South London to her current home in Berlin, she has developed a genre-fluid musical language spanning techno, bass, breaks, jungle and ambient, carrying dancefloors between intensity, vulnerability and states of ecstasy.”
From: GiGi FM, Jay Galligan & RS Tangent
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