As January closes with Chase and Status shutting down the O2, those involved in the electronic music scene here in Bournemouth will have much to anticipate this February as some of the biggest names in drums and jungle arrive on the South Coast.
On Friday the 10th, Rewind Events bring Nicky Blackmarket and MC Bassman to The Vault for a night of jungle and breakbeats, supported by a host of local talent such as Chemac and Excessive. Josh Critchley, event organiser at Rewind is trying to “implement more of a jungle type line up” as he looks to push the scene with the two-room takeover this weekend.
Moving away from the more common place jump up played in Bournemouth, the local DJs on show will offer sets of UK Garage and Jungle for the night, providing a unique motive for those in town looking for something different. Names such as local MC High Tech Terror will feature as well as DJ Ol Lee, testament to Josh’s desire to promote “talent in Bournemouth”, comparing the town to Bristol where “people look at the upcoming DJs and love them. With Bournemouth its quite hard as people do just look at the names, the thing about Bournemouth is that you have to have that big headliner”.
Equally on the Friday, Halo will play host to an immense line up from Zone 1 consisting of Gray, Crossy and Sota. Gray returns to Bournemouth after supporting the DnB Allstars event at the O2 in December whereas Crossy, who was last in town a year ago, recently played on a DnB Allstars 360 featuring Hedex and Amplify, where his set stood out and gained him many a new follower.
That very same weekend, Macky Gee returns to Bournemouth on Saturday the 11th February after last being in town in October. His set will be played at Cameo, undoubtedly drawing many a clubgoer and raver. Recently announced for the Rampage line-up this summer, the jump up producer and DJ will be a highlight for Bournemouth this weekend for those looking to see established names rather than upcoming local DJs.
On the 17th, The Vault hosts Horizon Audio’s Valentine Ball with jump up sets from Infrared and Kendrick not being ones to miss on the Friday.
Gareth Davies, event organiser for the record label has recognised the big push for event nights this month and said: “It allows artists to develop themselves within the scene but also creates good business. With more events being Drum & Bass orientated there will be less club nights, there will be more ravers brought to the scene, people who have never been to a rave will go to events and hopefully enjoy them.”
The Valentines event also showcases plenty of local DJs and MCs such as the label POV Audio and Chemac.
Whilst the highlight of the weekend will undoubtedly be Bladerunner and Mozey taking to The Old Fire Station, the 23rd and 24th act as strong of a prelude as ever with the Vault playing host to Glitch and Anubis Records on the Thursday and Friday. With an unannounced headliner, we so far only know of the local talent Glitch is presenting on the Thursday such as Artefact and Pinky, as well as Zapya who will also play the next night for Anubis. On the 24th, Zapya and Gino headline the vault for Anubis alongside the Bournemouth duo of Order & Kaos for a consecutive night of Drum & Bass at The Vault.
In what already looks like a heavy month of jungle for Bournemouth, the 25th of February stands out with a night boasting one of the best line-ups the south coast will see this year. The Bristol based Rumble in the Jungle won the title of ‘Best Event’ at the Jungle awards in 2016 and is coming to the Old Fire Station with names such as Bladerunner, Mozey and 4 am Kru. In collaboration with the Bournemouth based Vibez Eventz, who ran Jungle Cakes in December, the Saturday is not one to miss. Mozey, just announced for a B2B with Serum for the July WAH In the City Festival should prove to attract many a raver to the student venue alongside Bladerunner whose status in the Jungle scene alone may make the night a sell-out.
Those in Bournemouth may also do well to keep their eye on Secret Shopper Parties with an upcoming announcement looming. After a sell-out New Year’s Eve event that took place in a new unused venue with many a local DJ, those who love the electronic scene must keep their ear to the ground for the potential of a new motive in the coming weeks.
And finally, after a February heavy with drums, one of the UKs most established DJs and Producers, Shy FX, returns to Bournemouth. Needing no introduction, Shy FX’s influence on the electronic music scene is unrivalled and it will be March the 4th that Shy FX headlines the Bedlam event at the O2 with a supporting cast of Clipz and the jungle DJ Randall. When Jungle began maturing into Drum & Bass, he continued to nod to the Jamaican influence over the genre, paying homage to his reggae roots. The veteran DJ was last in Bournemouth in the March of last year where he performed to a sold out Old Fire Station yet this time round he will be added to the unreal list of names to have played at the O2 in the last six months including Hybrid Minds, Hedex, Bou and Chase and Status.
