Bristol Dubstep

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Bristol's Dubstep Scene

You can’t spell Dubstep without Bristol

While the first word in Dubstep’s history might be DMZ, the second is surely Bristol. London is the birthplace but the Bristol dubstep sound must be its most iconic regional variant. Bristol acts like Pinch and Vex’d were instrumental in the early days as well as RSD // Rob Smith from Smith & Mighty who straddle Bristol’s trip-hop lineage and its dubstep future. Although this is cruelly left out of the Wiki page on dubstep - Bristol continued to play a huge part, defining an iconic sound sometimes known as ‘purple wow’ or wonky that included Joker, Gemmy, Jakes, Guido and Julio Bashmore through nights like Subloaded. While many of these artists are making house or other club music, their place in Bristol dubstep (and electronic music) history is secured.

What we said in 2015...
Presently dubstep in Bristol enjoys such stellar success that the only thorn in the genre's side is it's quantity. With such a saturated market it only becomes harder to find genuine talent amongst the endless bandwagon of tag alongs. Fortunately for Bristol, the boundaries are being pushed rather than retrodden and Bristol's own dubstep has gained international recognition.

Local talent has been the springboard for Bristol to become second only to London in the depth and range of the offerings of the sound. Joker, Gemmy, Pinch, RSD, Peverelist, Hyetal, Appleblim and Guido are but a few of Bristol's most prevalent exports, while arguably the city's most successful dubstep nights (Dubloaded and Applepips) are products of Bristol's own talent (Pinch and Appleblim) respectively.

The accessibility of dubstep's sound has seen it eclipse drum and bass in its hold over nightclubs and dubstep luminaries such as Skream, Benga and Plastician are regulars in the Bristol. Like drum and bass, the big acts are found at the huge, multi genre raves in Lakota and Motion (aka In:motion) while Bristol houses a mix of dedicated dubstep nights that operate in the mid-sized venues such as Thekla, Dojos, Basement 45 and The Croft.

Promoters such as Crazylegs have sought to expose the UK Funky side of dubstep, bringing artists like Joy Orbison, Deadboy and Roska to the masses. Subloaded at The Croft is another reliable source for forward-thinking dubstep.

Buy tickets for dubstep events in Bristol

Our recent dubstep recommendations

Tokky Horror / Soz Lad’s hxc rotter Mollie Rush comes through for a particularly filthy edition of Queerky. Expect hard and fast dancefloor face-melters in the jungle / tekno / doomcore / donk continuum + dance-positive crowd and queer-friendly vibes. Queer Exploration of Rave Music

Free before 11pm!? Bandulu brothers Kahn and the artist formerly known as Hi5ghost run the BPM range from roots to dubstep for an intimate session in the Green Works warehouse. The cost of living crisis is crippling the club industry. Greenworks pushes back with quality B2B sessions at affordable prices.

Emanating pure dread-grime pressure from his hallowed box of dubs, Riz La Teef lands in Crofters for a night of unrivalled bass science + speedy G from Lily Huu. Remember: every time you go out for a smoke you miss a Kahn VIP ... One Small Step is back at Crofters, showcasing the finest in garage, breaks, grime, and jungle, courtesy of RIZ LA TEEF, DJ Ammi, and Lily H

A no-prisoners showdown of flawless clubwise stimulation from the yung Murmur crew's 2nd clubnight! LCY (fka L U C Y)’s mutant bass bangers meets Lee Gamble’s ballistic trap / broken grime / industrial delights in the depths of the Island’s prison cells. We kick off 2024 with a huge line up at The Island

What our editors say

“Expect two jam-packed days of music, across 3 stages, with some of the freshest artists in the scene right now. We've got DnB, Techno, House, UKG, Bassline, 140, Funk, Jungle, Punk, Folk, Jazz, Indie, Doommetal and much more!”
From: Nowadaze Festival 2024

“One Small Step heads to thekla">Thekla on May 31st for their biggest show to date. Expect two rooms filled with the finest 140, garage, breaks and jungle, headed by the heavyweights that are SICARIA and Zoro. In support we have Fonzo, Rea, Lily Huu + lots more!”
From: One Small Step SICARIA, Zoro, Fonzo, Rea, Lily Huu

“After back to back SELL OUT SHOWS. Join over 1000 other party people for a Multi genre night with the best local Bristol's DJs, delivering an unforgettable experience. From Drum & Bass to Garage, House, Disco, 140, and beyond!”
From: FAAB Presents: ATTIC Thursdays

“Featuring in UKF, “The Inspiring Story of Deep Tempo” an in-depth interview covering what it takes to start a podcast, their thoughts on the dubstep scene & some exclusive news about what they’ve got planned in the future.”
From: 5 Years of Deep Tempo

“BiiCurious George is an Irish drag king and DJ living in Bristol. Their style ranges from UKG, speed garage and 140 to bassline, jungle and the odd trance banger thrown in for good measure. If you love a bootleg and don't take yourself too seriously on the dancefloor, then BiiCurious George is your guy.”
From: LUCID