Bristol Techno Nights

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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

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.

The dreamiest Bank Holiday Sunday vibes at the Brew! Cosmic house, Detroit electro, resplendent soul and hypnotic EBM….Tama Suma and Lakuti are a duo who know how to craft a truly embodied, transcendent and loose-limbed dancefloor experience. Get ready to ascend. SB Presents Tama Sumo & Lakuti + Tender T at Strange Brew.

Sell out warning! Where else are you gonna hear Coil on a Friday night? A new venture from Dark Alchemy's occult ambient and harsh industrial ghouls. Throb promises intimate-capacity 80s pulses straight from the EBM / power electronics heartlands. Dark Alchemy Presents: THROB. industrial night 4.0 at Zed Alley.

What our editors say

“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

“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

“Guy Brewer casts a long shadow over the extended network of techno, d&b, noise and ever more concrete electronics. His latest offering as CARRIER presents a fairly peerless vision of these intersections.”
From: The Probe w/ Carrier & Lynne

“Support comes in the form of a boisterous B2B from local scene heroes dj_2button and georg-i, and promoter/label head/party starter/all-round-boss R.E.D expect heavyweight edits, fresh techno cuts and weighty subs.”
From: Trust Exercises x Dynamics - Henzo

“Kwarteng’s sets always light up the dancefloor whilst showcasing her encyclopedic knowledge and impeccable taste and skill, stylishly blending house and techno and everything in between; percussive passages sit alongside boldly broken beats with an undeniable acid undercurrent and irresistible groove.”
From: Embody w/ Gabrielle Kwarteng + Milly On Air