The Bristol Sound: Bass Oddity....Dazed & Confused

Last month my home town of Bristol, UK was featured in one of five music documentaries broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK. Luckily, for the rest of us outside of the UK Dazed & Confused Digital has made it available online. Check it below.



This 22-minute program really captures the village-like cultural melting pot of '80s Bristol. The audio of the jam where M.C. Krissy Kriss (aka Kinsman) freestyles over the Bob James "Mardi Gras" beats is like a time capsule. Even today it sounds so fresh! Culture clash moments like this made Bristol so special for a teenage hip hop fan. The city's party scene was matched by the underground graffiti scene. It wasn't quite New York, but everything London had, Bristol had too. This allowed all hip hop fans to develop a true love of the culture. That has lasted 30 years to this day.

In the late '80s, the city was bustling with spontaneous parties all across the city - St. Paul's, Clifton, Bedminster. My crew - Plus One - had parties in student apartments, garages and warehouses. This was the blues club mentality. The official clubs were still raw with energy: Dug Out, The Rummer, The Thekla, Lakota and Moon Club!

Me DJing my first blues party, St. Pauls, Bristol. c. 1986. Felix Braun by my side!

Here's a great soundtrack for the Bristol scene from DJ Die.

If you want more Bristol history, check out this Tangent Books publications: Art & Sound by Chris Burton and Gary Thompson. On the cover is Krissy Kriss and Nick Walker. It captures the unique Bristol scene through party flyers and photos from that era and recognizes the main crews from that time in the city. It was a magical time!


Today, Bristol might be infamous for Banksy, but I know Banksy himself would say that the Bristol scene before him influenced him greatly!

Reminisce, reminisce (about Bristol)

Over the holidays I took a stroll down memory lane when I went with Christian to meet Chris Burton, the author of "Art and Sound." The book documents the '80's DJ scene that blossomed in Bristol, England when I was a teenager and captured my imagination.



After a Jack and Coke to warm us up from the Bristol chill I got my book signed and some pics from my new Nikon D5000 camera which I'd been carrying around religiously. Surprise guest at Chris's home was Krissy Kriss who was interviewed for the book and I hadn't seen for many years! Good times.

The Reunion Party at the Arnolfini on New Year's Eve brought together FBI, UD4, KC Rock and Krissy Kriss. Even the flyer was an old skool design done by Felix (aka FLX)

Mis-spent British/Bristol youth

Ian Dark hit me up about a new book called "The Art and Sound of the Bristol Underground" on the Bristol club scene of the late-80s and early 90s. He's a pioneer of the scene that helped make Bristol what it is today...nothing to sniff at!

The book features flyers, pics and interviews with my '85-'88 crew, Plus One. The cover (above) is a pic of Krissy Kriss and Nick Walker aka Ego aka Apish Angel.

Amazon says: "Chris Burton and Gary Thompson have compiled a fascinating collection of flyers advertising secret parties on the Bristol circuit in the 80s and conducted a series of interviews with the people behind the leading hip hop crews of the day. The result is a book that covers an area in Bristol's (and the UK's) musical development that has never before been documented.

Nothing seemed to daunting for the young DJs, MCs and rappers as they took over abandoned buildings, moved in the sound systems and partied al night long. The only publicity was word of mouth and flyers. Many of the artists behind the flyers such as FLX, Inkie and Nick Walker have gone on to gain national and international recognition while many of the crews have become music superstars."

Big up to Chris and Gary...Cop yourself a copy - only 10 (s)quid!