Bristol Techno Nights

upcoming clubnight

Bristol's Techno Scene

Techno is a big deal in Bristol, book the right names or build a strong enough reputation and you’re gonna need a seriously big club to keep everyone happy. And so Bristol has Motion, masterfully converted into a 1200+ capacity nightclub from derelict warehouse via a skatepark. If Motion is Bristol’s techno castle then there’s no denying Just Jack is king. Reigning for over a decade, Just Jack have enough programming muscle to pull names like Ricardo Villalobos and Omar S. If there’s a secret to the ultimate big-room techno experience, then Motion knows it.

On the other hand, if there’s a secret to healthy techno scene, then Bristol has totally nailed it. While tickets for Just Jack, Apex and Tribe of Frog may sell in their thousands, some of Bristol’s most forward thinking techno nights have capacities for just one or two hundred. The Prison Cells at The Island have become an unlikely home to some of the most adventurous dance music in Bristol. Promoters like Room 237 and Timedance are putting out challenging and thought-provoking line-ups with past guests including the likes of Surgeon, Untold, Asusu and Helena Hauff.

If techno had a spiritual home in Bristol, it would be Lakota. With 4 rooms, a back-to-basics yard and a pair of coroners courtrooms for larger events, Lakota is Bristol’s ultimate techno playground. The venue has found favour with pervasive promoters including the electro-techno focused Get Born and bass techno masters Wide Eyes.

Amongst the city’s resident house music djs, many of Bristol’s best techno djs regularly play Bristol’s smaller clubs and bars. Dojos, The Love Inn, The Doghouse and the Small Horse Inn to name a few.

Buy tickets for techno events in Bristol

Our recent techno recommendations

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.

Marco Shuttle makes techno so cavernous and psychedelic you can almost hear the fractal patterns growing on it in the dark. Capable of hypnotising ardent techno heads into fevered, altered states, he’s the logical next step in The Probe’s ongoing exercises in dub-indebted club atmospherics. Total rapture FFO: Donato Dozzy, Deepchord, Sandwell District, Vril, Dino Sabatini. The Probe w/ Marco Shuttle, Ario, Rizla at Strange Brew.

Danielle’s Soft Raw imprint returns with a masterclass in feel-good house and techno elegance from Ryan Elliott. The Faith Beat boss cruises through Detroit-rooted beats, deep house rollers and kinetic electro that’ll have you two-stepping all night long. Soft Raw presents Ryan Elliott & Danielle at Strange Brew.

Sotofett’s annual residencies at the Brew are now the stuff of legend. The maestro returns to the dub stuff with bespoke plates of accelerated lovers rock and oddball steppas running red hot through Qualitex sound system inna all night long Dirtytalk tradition. If you know, you know! DJ Sotofett: all night long on the Qualitex Soundsystem at Strange Brew.

More Photos of Bristol Techno Nights

What our editors say

“This is the princess of pop like you’ve never heard her before. 2 hours of exclusive, first-time-aired edits of all the ultimate Kylie tracks, which will transcend across breaks, acid, trance and of course techno.”
From: Kylie Goes Berghain

“Their latest album, Midnight Forever (2024), marks a pivotal moment in their career. A love letter to the genre that shaped them, the album melds influences from UK rave, melodic techno, indie rock, and electronica into their most accomplished work yet. Midnight Forever has garnered millions of streams and widespread support from tastemakers like BBC Radio 1 and Kiss FM.”
From: Delta Heavy

“Saydou is a DJ and producer blending the rich and organic sonic palette of West Africa with the raw energy of the UK underground. Drawing from his Senegalese heritage and a decade behind the decks, his sound fuses traditional African instrumentation with house, garage, breaks, and techno, creating something both deeply rooted and future-facing.”
From: Dazed Muzic Presents: Yung Singh

“It only made sense to bring both DJ Bone & A for Alpha together to take control inside the subterranean tunnels of The Loco Klub - situated under Bristol Temple Meads train Station - for an eventful night of all things soulful, pulsating techno, housey heaters & futuristic beats.”
From: DJ BONE & A FOR ALPHA

“Delay Grounds puts UK bass/techno through the blender and warps out some wonky af grooves for your brain and hips, plus Swansea's Movement81 will be wheeling out their tower of eurorack power for a delightful double act.”
From: Machina Bristronica After Party w/ The Exaltics, Mark Verbos and more