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!