Music
8 UK clubs carrying the torch for drum’n’bass
Looking for somewhere to get your d’n’b fix? Take a tip from some of the biggest DJs, producers and MCs in the scene.
Drum’n’bass is on fire, and don’t just take it from us: take it from scene godfather Andy C. “There’s so much diversity in the scene – the party music, the techy, the dark, the soulful,” he tells Red Bull UK. “All I see on social media is all of the parties jammed out – and they’re all vibing!” So where should you go right now if you want to hear the best drum’n’bass? We asked the experts and here’s what they told us.
1. Soul In Motion, London
Picked by: Friction
“I've only been once, but it's a small club night, and they get a lot of producers in there playing music. I went down there with a load of new music with me that I really liked, and I ended up getting up and playing myself – a much deeper, underground set that I'd usually play. By coincidence, Goldie had phoned me that night, and I told him I was playing – so he ended up coming down and we played back to back! It felt very organic, like something the scene really needed. It reminded me a bit of the old days… I think it's really important to keep the underground element of things moving nicely.”
2. Fabric, London
Picked by: Sub Focus
“Kind of an obvious choice, but my favourite club in the UK has to be Fabric. It’s where I first heard my music being played in a club – by Andy C back in 2003 – and I’ve had many of my formative clubbing experiences there. Seeing the likes of Andy C and Bad Company there in the early '00s had a huge effect on my music and I remember seeing special sets from the likes of Justice and Ricardo Villalobos there later in the decade as I got more into house and techno. I’m also really feeling what they are doing with their record label Houndstooth, releasing inspiring stuff from the likes of Special Request and more. It was a relief to see them reopen earlier in the year – at the opening party, people in the crowd were spontaneously cheering just from the excitement of the club being back.”
3. Run, Bristol
Picked by: High Contrast
Run at In:Motion
© Sarah Koury
“A consistently great night with big, varied line ups of d’n’b's finest and always interesting bass music in the other rooms. The warehousey feel of Motion lends itself well to the no-nonsense dancefloor d'n'b that reigns supreme at Run. The crowd is always really up for it when I've played there. And since the club got refurbished, I particularly rate their new DJ booth which is unusually sunken into the stage floor, meaning this quite large venue now feels a lot more intimate to DJ in."
4. Warning, Cambridge
Picked by: Mollie Collins
"My personal fave in the UK would be Warning. The line-ups always cater for all sub genres of drum’n’bass. They have jump up artists regularly, they have big headline artists like Noisia, Andy C and so on, and then they have Room 2, powered by producer T>I bringing the newest, sickest talent through. It's a great vibe: it always seems very professional, the staff are very welcoming, and the club itself is pretty sick – it reminds me of a smaller Electric Brixton.
"They gave me one of my first breakthroughs over there – threw me in at the deep end with a 1am set with Evil B. Absolutely pooing bricks I was, but it was insane! Maximum respect to Pete and the gang over there – they have something really, really cool!"
5. Wire, Leeds
Picked by: ANT TC1
"I picked this because it's a venue close to my heart. It's sustained it's life as a nightclub as long as I've ever known it – I earned my first residency there playing jungle and drum'n'bass at the age of 16 or 17. I'm 39 now and I luckily still get to play there to this day occasionally. I can honestly say it's still one of my favourite venues in the world – it feels almost like some kind of sanctuary every time I enter the place.
"It houses a belting Funktion-One system and, strangely, it's one of the places I always feel I DJ the best. So many memorable sets there – Randall doing a History set for us a few years ago, Goldie's set at what was our final regular Momentum night and High Contrast when we first booked him in 2003 – the venue was questionably over-sold and the sweat from the roof kept making the dubplates skip!"
6. Next Hype, London
Picked by: Harry Shotta
"I love the Next Hype parties, as they've given new and upcoming drum'n'bass acts a massive platform to showcase their skills to a lively and energetic audience. Eksman put the concept together four years ago and it's gone from strength to strength.
"The first time I MC'd there, I couldn't believe how rammed it was and how hyped the crowd were for my set. It's very much a young crowd representing the future of drum'n'bass and I'm always happy to be booked to play there as the vibes are electric! A recent highlight for me would have to be myself, Eksman and P Money all going back to back over a blistering set from Sub Zero. That was madness!"
7. Watersplash, Jersey
Picked by: DJ Hype
"My all-time favourite club for drum'n'bass would have to be Fabric – I had a 15 year residency there and it’s been instrumental in the development of d'n'b in the UK. But one of my favourite clubs that I’ve played at this year has to be Watersplash on the little island of Jersey. I first performed there 20 years ago in 1997 and I have been there many times over the years. This year we did a Playaz night that was an amazing sold-out show, and I felt quite emotional at the end of the night to still be selling out shows all these years later. I suppose it just sums up how strong the drum'n'bass scene is right now – hopefully it’ll still be going in another 20 years too."
8. Spearhead, London
Picked by: Conduct
"We’ve followed Spearhead for years and it's been a huge privilege to be at so many of their events, both as DJs and fans. The vibe's always what we like, a focus on more melodic d'n'b and an open-minded crowd that's always up for a party. We can dig deep with our selection and take risks, knowing people enjoy hearing something different."
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