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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.

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Our recent drum and bass recommendations

Sell out warning! Tokio Station take jazz junglism to the next level! Pairing Artificial Red’s cloud-gazing breaks with a five-piece live band plucked featuring sax supremo Dave Colebourn and P.A.B. MC clutching the mic. Tokio Station - JUNGLE JAZZ - TS009 at The Croft.

A bonafide acid legend’s in the building for the old skool operators at Vinyl Destination. Longtime Stay Up Forever fiend and Chris & Aaron Liberator collaborator, Sterling Moss knows a thing or three about 303 belters. He’ll be pounding the dancefloor at another dopamine-fueled Dare2 day party alongside deviant free-party juggalo Pierrot the Acid Clown. Vinyl Destination 15 at Dare to Club.

The Jungle of Eden at its original resting place! After bringing mahooosive names to the mid-week Crofters crowd like DJ Hybrid, Ray Keith, Samurai Breaks and Mandidextrous, Exodus returns to The Croft with a top secret lineup of heavy-hitting junglist styles and amen-fractured footwork-outs. Exodus Records: Return Of Jungle Of Eden at The Croft.

Prepare for rip-roaring and deep junglism packed with gritty textures, rolling breaks, and serious bassweight. After a festival-heavy summer VXRGO returns to keep us on our toes, delivering soulful, high-energy selections with her signature sound system sorcery. For fans of: Mantra, Yemz, DJ Flight. Rekonize Presents: VXRGO + Support at The Crown.

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Crowd at a drum and bass night in Bristol 2025

What our editors say

“With a career spanning decades and a reputation as one of the most electrifying voices in jungle, ragga, and DnB, General Levy is set to tear the roof off the boat with his signature energy and timeless anthems. You already know the vibes — "Incredible!"”
From: Dazed Muzic presents: General Levy

“The Future Arena looks forward with some of the UK’s most exciting underground talent: Borai B2B Mani Festo, Carter B2B Miggs, Dani Whylie, DJ Twisted, Dwarde, Fez the Kid, Mixtress, Time to Rush, Toby Ross, each bringing high-energy selections from jungle, breaks, garage, and beyond.”
From: Fantazia: New Horizons | Bristol

“Every Boiling Point throws you headfirst into sound-system culture, with Kelvin’s sets cutting across drum and bass, jungle, 140, dancehall, reggae, and garage - building intensity from start to finish.”
From: Kelvin 373 Presents Boiling Point

“So many of you asked for Takuya Nakamura back or missed the event - DON'T WORRY! We have you covered. He's coming all the way over from New York City to bring you that juke/jungle/footwork vibe mixed with his illustrious trumpet playing ability - this is nothing like you've seen before.”
From: Takuya Nakamura - Jungle Jazz - TS010

“'With over a decade of defining drum and bass, Ben Hall and Simon James (better known as Delta Heavy) continue to innovate and inspire. Blending Simon's rich musicality with Ben's technical sound design, the duo has crafted a legacy marked by their signature, boundary-pushing sound.”
From: Delta Heavy