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Bristol's Drum & Bass Events

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Bristol'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.

Buy tickets for drum and bass events in Bristol

Our recent drum and bass recommendations

Draggernauts demands your wildest club fantasies! Their lurid cocktail of immersive sword & sorcery performance art and post-Balter/Bangface dancefloor silliness can only get weirder with Bristol’s undisputed queen of jungletek, Mandidextrous. 190BPM amen breaks, pounding kicks and drag princesses all night long. Draggernauts: Pandora's Box - A queer immersive Fantasy rave- Drag,Donk, DNB, hardcore and more

Connoisseurs of all that’s grotesque and glamorous in drag cabaret, Slaughterhaus are turning 5 years young! To celebrate, they’re throwing a party in true goblin showgirl fashion. So get your glad rags out and get ready for a lavish serving of sass, drama and pop bops from Drag Race UK’s Banksie + the family. Bristol's iconic drag collective celebrate 5 years!

All on one bill? You’re joking? Is this a day festival or something? No, it’s just Accidental Meetings; hailing the return of 90s IDM/ambient heroes Higher Intelligence Agency, OG digital hardcore alchemist Christoph de Bablon, Chicago’s ghetto footwork prince DJ Clent + Laila Sakini’s smudged live dream-ambient to get you warm. Melting pot of footwork, jungle, jazz & techno in a 8 hour gig/club spree, get down early!

Crowned grime royalty Killa P meets the swaggering, stuttering footwork/halfstep bass mutants of Fixate for a hella fwd exploration of 160BPM eski / jungle genetic modification. Gun fingers at the ready! Interference Join forces with Doner Beat for a night of 160 grimey jungle carnage

What our editors say

“A brand new collaboration uniting our neighbouring drum and bass scenes, Bristol’s Keeno Music and Bristol Mix Sessions are excited to welcome Bath’s PTRNS to The Cider Box for a long overdue link-up this July!”
From: Keeno Music x PTRNS x Bristol Mix Sessions

“New multi genre event off your bass will be held at dare to club in Bristol we are teaming up with DejaVu for the first event the main room is off your bass and is multi genre hardstyle, hardcore and drum and bass room 2 is hosted by DejaVu and will mostly be hardcore it will be £6 on the door and the doors close at 1.30 soo make sure you get there before this is gunna be a night not to be missed get your tickets from here https://skiddle.com/e/38289292”
From: Off Your Bass & DejaVu. Mike Antix birthday Stomp

“"Immerse yourself in the pulsating rhythms and electrifying energy of a daytime drum and bass rave with FullyGassed where the beats are fierce, the basslines relentless, and the vibes absolutely electric. Get ready to dance under the open sky as the sounds of drum and bass keep you moving from dawn till dusk.”
From: FullyGassed Summer Day Party

“Expect the unexpected, as she pulls unruly jungle and hardcore selections out of nowhere, blending them seamlessly with euphoric hard house. Holding down a monthly show on London based Aaja Music, and a residency with Bristol based label Exodus records, there’s only one rule when it comes to Yours Truly - keep it fast, and keep it rolling.’”
From: Higher Level: Yours Truly x Borai

“As a DJ, he shared the booth with some of the brightest stars of today, such as Chippy Nonstop, MarcelDune, Sherelle, and many more, delivering his multi-genre sets ranging from hardcore jungle techno and groovy techno edits to the dance floors across the UK and Europe. Not to mention numerous radio support with guest mixes for NTS, Balamii, Reprezent, and tracks being played on BBC Radio, Boiler Room, HöR, and prolific clubs and festivals across the world."”
From: Nova Cheq + Support