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! Chewing Glass top a righteous year ploughing the extremes of soundsystem culture and bassbin metal with Deep Medi’s not-so-secret weapon, Kaiju. Rumbling Stokes Croft to the core a mere 50m from its Subloaded mecca with their Distance / DMZ / Bug-grade no-frills 140 bassweight. Hold onto your hoods, hair, and even your eyebrows, this will be…..HEAVY. One of Deep Medi's biggest and best pieces of sound system artillery comes to level Canteen for Stokes Croft Sub Sessions NYE Special

Bristol meets Paris in the battle for the bass-heavy technoid hybrids ft. the anointed don of dubstep futurism absolutely wrecking the Firmly Rooted substack. We wanna hear those exclusive and elusive Pinch plates as loud as they’ll possibly go, with Bait / Rinse France’s Beatrice M pushing classic Tectonic blueprints into feverish 150+BPM mutations. Amity & Bait present Pinch // Christian Coiffure (LIVE!) // Beatrice M b2b Amaia . Forward-thinking techno & dubstep bassweight explorations on the Firmly Rooted soundsystem

Proper ground-shaking bass bizniz awaits us at the Exchange, intensified by their rumble-to-the-core subloaded system. Furious Styles lays down his body twisting, chopped ‘n’ screwed triple deck vinyl grime tekkers and Yushh’s ultra tight leftfield sonics come engineered to make you whirl. BRING ON THE THUNDER. Dubstep, Garage, Grime, Techno and Breaks inspired by the early sound of the new millennium.

Sell out warning! The roadblock offering in the crown of En Masse topped with some bonafide jewels: Timedance boss Batu going b2b with CCL in total wriggly club wonderment, Azu Tiwaline & Forest Drive West’s polyrhythmical dub technoid hybrids + Patrick Russel’s dank Bunker bass. All powered by Sinai subs for extra hair removal. Brislington might never be the same again…. Your favourite DJ's from near and far step up on Sinai Sound.

What our editors say

“We welcome ATRIP to Clock Factory Bristol, a German-Polish DJ and producer based in South London, crafts emotive electronic music rooted in the city's diverse club culture. Raised in London, he's deeply entrenched in its vibrant music scene, drawing inspiration from genres like garage, jungle, bassline, and dubstep. His debut mixtape, "TANZPARTEI," released in May 2023, showcases his evolution since the launch of the ATRIP project in early '22. With support from notable artists like Disclosure, salute, and DJ Seinfeld, ATRIP is poised for an exciting journey in the music world.”
From: ATRIP + More

“Whether you’re into dubstep, techno, jungle, or anything in between, this is the event that will leave you questioning reality. It’s time to break through the boundaries of reality, it’s time for WARP!”
From: FRACTAL: WARP

“We bring UK Garage and 140 to the forefront at Bristol’s newest underground venue. Featuring the city’s own legend BORAI, known for his electrifying sets and genre-blurring productions, alongside the dynamic sounds of NoFile and the versatile grooves of Ben Daley.”
From: BORAI & Friends

“Calling all UKG lovers! Join us as Soulecta and Jack Marlow, two of the hottest rising stars on the UKG scene, bring their USBs to Clock Factory for an exclusive 360° party. Expect the very best dub-plates in Garage, Bass and 140, all powered by VOID Acoustics.”
From: UKG 360° RAVE • Soulecta, Jack Marlow + More

“Join us, Tuesday 4th February, for a very special birthday celebration at the Crown in Bristol... For Free !!! South West Selectas and Marmalade Productions are teaming up to put on a show you don't want to miss! Come along to find a variety of genres: UKG, 140, Jungle, DnB, Old Skool DnB, 4x4, Tek Trance. Bring your happiest birthday vibes and we'll catch you in there!”
From: SWS x Marmalade: DJ Scum's Birthday Bash