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

Two of Bristol’s finest amen wreckin’ crews unite! Krunx unleashes his dizzying live breakbeat and bleeping hardtek from a tabletop of rave-ready hardware weaponry. Plus Distant Planet’s esteemed hardcore historians Louise +1 and Hughesee, gabber and raw tekno from DJ Doubt + more raw euphoria. Distant Planet & Dissonance at Green Works.

From Berlin’s Panorama Bar to NYC’s Nowadays to The White Hotel in Manchester, Gabrielle Kwarteng’s infectious style delivers a sweat-soaked dancefloor, no matter how big or how intimate. Her soulful trips through afrobeats, techno and retro US house are crucial FFO: Shanti Celeste, Parris, Peach, Aurora Halal. Embody w/ Gabrielle Kwarteng + Milly On Air at The Love Inn.

We Out Here, Radio 1Xtra and BBC 6 Music mainstay - and Future Bounce label head - Jamz Supernova comes through for a special all night long sesh at the Love Inn. Always focussed on platforming the freshest global grooves, expect everything across house, gqom, baile, breaks, amapiano, UK funky, Rnb and leftfield electronics. Jamz Supernova at The Love Inn.

Thunderous junglist breakbeats and rolling electro rhythms cut through with thick smoggy clouds of eerie ambience. Stenny's sound is a deafening statement of intent rumbling through underground techno. Iconic action inside! Fever Dream w/ Stenny at Green Works.

What our editors say

“DJ Heartstring touch down at The Prospect Building on Saturday 13th September for an open-air courtyard party like no other. Euphoric trance, turbo-charged techno and heart-on-sleeve energy from one of the most exciting duos in dance music. If you’ve seen them before - you know. If not, this is the one.”
From: Open Air - DJ Heartstring, Dr Dubplate + More

“Joining him are X CLUB., known for their high-intensity, groove-driven blend of ‘90s techno, drum & bass, and trance, alongside X-Coast, who fuses rave nostalgia with techno and house for a truly unique sound. Completing the lineup are the dynamic duo BLUMITSU, known for their immersive back-to-back performances, alongside Bristol’s very own, Yours Truly.”
From: Motion Closing Series: Partiboi69, X CLUB. & more

“Lukas Wigflex - Conceived in a Subaru Impreza outside the Stretford end and raised in Nottingham, Lukas Wigflex embodies the hybrid spirit of UK Electronic music. Whether he plays this rubbery, thumping techno then or the sort of low-slung chugging plates one only collects warming-up illegal warehouse dancefloors, Lukas offers a contemporary take on club sonics that actively defy dance music categories. Utilising liminal, mind-altering rhythms he is a DJ both honest as well as unique, who now takes his unwavering vision to some of the worlds’ most exceptional clubs and festivals. If you’ve caught him in the dance, you’ll know what we’re talking about, Duck.”
From: Dismantle Presents: Lukas Wigflex

“We'll have all your favourite stompers in the main room, including trance, techno, prog etc. headlined by Bristol hottest hardtrance producers LOUD BIZ b2b KURENT, and a fast bouncy rinse-out in room 2 featuring hardtek, core, jungletek and more - if it's hard and fast then it's on the menu!”
From: BRISTOL GOES HARD #4

“Under the Priori moniker, Québecois musician Francis Latreille has become a key figure in the underground techno scene. His meticulously crafted dance music features fractal patterns, ear-prickling textures, and crystalline melodies that emerge and flicker with stunning detail.”
From: Down To Earth x Public Affair: Priori & Vlada