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

Sell out warning! Club der Visionaere BS1 here we come…it’s the return of Uruguay’s vinyl-only myth-maker and dark prince of trip-tastic techno tessellations, percolating acid, cosmic minimal house and star-gazing electro. Mr Lutz is a total bucket list DJ for the leftfield aficionados and chasers of psychedelic club transcendence. Afterthought: Nicolas Lutz at Strange Brew.

Fafi Abdel Nour’s NYE send-off of spellbinding body music was one for the books. A Dutch underground legend whose radiant disco digs and house bangers have set Europe alight for years, his unmatched energy meets the blissful grooves of Daisy Moon in total victory lap mode after D. Tiffany’s day party roadblock. Off-Kilter Night w/ Fafi Abdel Nour, Daisy Moon, Amber at Strange Brew.

Free entry D. Tiffany!? This is not a drill! Buckle up for high-energy club hypnotism: D. Tiffany’s sets should come with a G-force warning as she journeys through dance music’s legacy, from house and acid chuggers to breakbeat, heady techno and bassline-heavy trance. Pure day party bliss is a-comin’ with the Planet Euphorique boss in special b2b morphing mode with Off Kilter’s Daisy Moon. Off-Kilter Day Party w/ D. Tiffany, Daisy Moon, Marie Malarie, Ben Jackson at The Christmas Steps.

Free entry! Tucked away in the Attic Bar, Void’s giving Bristol's DIY radio scene a real shake-up. For the weekly listeners and unfamiliars, they’re putting their cards on the table with this Croft offering of global booty-shakers: Stormy J cutting shapes to jab house, soca and Caribbean flavas, with WINK bringing the femme bass baile and amapiano NRG + Dowdle’s itchy 140 stylings. At this price, it’s hard to miss... Void Radio: Stormy J, WINK + Dowdle at The Croft.

More Photos of Bristol Dubstep

Crowd at a dubstep night in Bristol 2026

What our editors say

“Join us for our August bank holiday event back at our spiritual home of Basement 45 in Btistol. We welcome back multi award winning mc HARRY SHOTTA as our headline act plus a huge supporting lineup. In the the main room we have drum n bass and jungle all night and in room 2 we have 140 and dubstep from colour of sound. DNB JUNGLE 140 DUBSTEP @ BASEMENT 45 FROM £6”
From: Bass in the basement HARRY SHOTTA

“No Fixed Tempo is a multi-genre party accessible for everyone. Expect dubstep, garage, grime, jungle, hardcore and DnB all night long, with the energy and BPMs building as the night goes on. Made for the people skipping Boomtown this year, bringing together big energy, heavy sounds and good vibes! Come as you are. No Fixed Tempo, no fixed expectations. [A-Z] CUTMESUM.FLAC IZZLA ORCHID SHADDOWS SPINELLI BRAVO Free entry all night - no ticket needed.”
From: No Fixed Tempo: CUTMESUM.FLAC, IZZLA, ORCHID, SHADDOWS, SPINELLI BRAVO

“This summer, Deep Tempo are celebrating 7 years of championing the global Dubstep scene. What started as a passion project in the summer of 2019 has grown from the Deep Tempo Podcast into; Deep Tempo Records, the 140 Zine series, tape cassettes, Patreon-exclusive dubs, the Frozen Tempo label, an online community, events across the UK, Europe and Asia… and we’re probably leaving out a fair bit by stopping there. If you like proper Dubstep, join Deep Tempo and the gang for a £5 summer knees up skank. LINE TBA (SOON)”
From: 7 Years of Deep Tempo

“Jubel and The Full Moon are bringing together a hand-picked lineup of established selectors and local favourites, with a full day of DJs keeping your feet moving! Lineup: Shosh Kippo XDBR Bawler Femme Rouge Contraflow UK Garage, 140 & More! The Full Moon & Attic Bar 2PM-9PM Physical ID is required for entry to this event. If you do not have physical ID, you will be refused entry and a refund will not be provided for your ticket.”
From: Jubel Yard Party w/ Shosh, Kippo, XDBR & More

“Following the release of his first signed album on Iron Shirt Recordings, Prynox brings you a night of reggae/dub, and dubstep/140. Alongside himself, Prynox brings you the likes of Poor Man’s Friend, Rider Shafique, Bea (one third of Lyra 140), Leon Switch (formerly of Kryptic Minds), and Medis. There will be bass, space, depth, and weight And where else would such an event take place but Cosies! - A classic venue, and one of Bristol’s many nightlife staples. £2.50 on Headfirst, and £5 on the door. It’s a steal either way.”
From: Spiral: Prynox Album Launch