Another month, another Intrigue…
But a slightly special one this time, for me at least. Not only was it the launch party for the new D-Bridge album, but second on the bill was Belfast drum and bass deity Calibre. Anyone that knows me in person knows how my appreciation of the man’s production skills borders on the near obsessional, but surprisingly I’d never seen him DJ before, managing to miss his previous, fairly rare appearances in Bristol. Despite a heavy week and feeling pretty whacked out, there was no chance I was going to miss him doing a 2 hour set at my favourite night.
And getting in the club just after eleven, it was obvious I wasn’t the only one - with the place already close to rammed while guest DJ Tasha rolled out the warm-up set. By the time The Insiders themselves took control it was wall to wall in there, with Joe and Ben dropping their usual, precise selection of deep D&B, gulley b-lines and the occasional dubstep slo-mo breakdown. Anticipation for the headliners was visibly building though, with Calibre (featuring newly enhanced hair) and DRS stepping up at just after 1am. Even just a few minutes into their two hour set it was clear they weren’t going to disappoint; DRS chatting over Calibre’s signature mix of dubby FX, soundtrack samples and fresh jazzy breaks. Even with a perfect mix of previews from his new LP Overflow, unreleased dubs and old crowd pleasing classics, I was flagging by 3am, and am embarrassed to say I had to bail before D-Bridge hit the decks. Like I’ve said before, I must be getting old, but I’ll still be back next month…
Big thanks to The Insiders, the chilled as ever Dojo staff and everyone that made it such a buzzing night….as always…
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I had an excellent Easter weekend, but since it ended I’ve had an evil motherfucker of a head cold, with mucus seeping into every part of already feeble brain, especially the parts which deal with blogging, apparently. Hence the brief and sporadic nature of recent posts, and why over the next couple of days I’ll be trying to catch up with events from over the weekend.
First up: on Saturday, despite recovering from Friday’s session at Intrigue, we managed to venture out to see the legendary DJ Derek. For those of you unfamiliar with Derek, the 60-something, white, ex-accountant is something of an institution in Bristol, being one of the city’s leading reggae DJs and hailed as a huge influence by the likes of Massive Attack. Not that he limits himself to just reggae - Saturday’s brilliant set covered soul, funk, reggae and even some house - all played off minidisc. Not someone that’s worried about the vinyl vs CDs debate, apparently. But then he’s not worried about mixing either; preferring to get on the mike and introduce each track in his distinctive, infamous Brizzle-meets-Jamaica patois, harking back to to the traditional sound system style of DJing.
It was actually my first time seeing Derek in Bristol (I’d seen him at festivals before), and also my first time at The Thunderbolt, despite it being within stumbling distance of my home. Seems like a nice enough place, suitably grimy with friendly staff and a decent enough sound system. Ace crowd too, slightly older than I’m used to in student-infested Bristol, but completely up for the beats Derek was dropping. Plus it was nice to find out where the local crusties, ciderpunks and BoHo MILFs all hang out…
Picture courtesy of Tomahawk, because I forgot my camera…
Ugghh, maybe I’m finally getting too old for this shit.
Feeling more than a little battered this morning, after my regular monthly session down at Intrigue @ The Dojo Lounge here in Bristol. Run by local producers/DJs The Insiders, it’s getting a rep as not only the best DnB night in Brizzle but also one of the finest nights for deep, progressive, future-thinking vibes in the country. With term just over and no students around the crowd was perhaps a little subdued last night with few regulars to be seen, but that didn’t stop Marcus Intalex rolling out a blinding set that covered everything from soulful, jazzy beats and the Detroit influenced sound he’s best known for, to dark, glitchy, bass heavy rumblers. Plus DRS on mike duties made for a killer-combo. And not forgetting it was Ben from The Insiders’ Birthday, it was a buzzing night. I set out to take a pile of photos, but I kinda got, erm, distracted. So all I have is the handful below. Thanks to Ben and Joe for a great night (as always), and to Marcus for sorting out the guest list.
Now I’m off to find somewhere quiet to lie down…
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