{"id":2230323,"date":"2026-10-31T07:23:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T04:23:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2230323"},"modified":"2026-10-31T07:23:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T04:23:26","slug":"how-bristol-became-the-home-of-drum-and-bass-and-jungle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2230323","title":{"rendered":"How Bristol became the home of drum and bass and jungle"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/branded_news\/182d\/live\/e28a1e90-d11f-11f1-a701-fddedf244c16.jpg”]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"HackerHacker<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Members of music label Full Cycle said jungle music was something that “felt like home” to them<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

It has been more than 30 years since Bristol with a “rebel” mentality ventured into the unknown, giving birth to the global phenomenon that is jungle and drum and bass music.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

The city is still a heavyweight on the scene, inspiring generations of artists to continue pushing boundaries in dance music.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Jungle continues to be developed by artists across London and Bristol, but in its beginnings the sound from Bristol was more expansive and experimental.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

It all started in the early 90s, with a DJ collective called Full Cycle. They were influenced by Jamaican sound systems, acid house and hip hop, which led to a new sound explosion in the city.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

DJ Krust – who was part of the collective – said the music was about “finding expression through our artform which was DJing and producing”. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“Rave culture was a huge factor in speeding the tempo up. Once it got to 160bpm and now it’s 170bpm, that felt like home for us,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

The jungle music they had a hand in creating is still to this day characterised by its speed, syncopated rhythms, breakbeats and ragga, funk and reggae samples.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

The Full Cycle collective showcased their new music on the streets at St Paul’s Carnival and when they saw people liked it, they made more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Krust said the beginnings of jungle and drum and bass were a partnership between the open mindedness of the city, the creativity of these DJs and their proximity to rave culture at free parties in the West Country countryside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“We had to explore and dig deep to hear and see how this experiment can work in real time – that was huge to see,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“When we finally figured out jungle we found our voice,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

The collective was made up of DJ Krust, DJ Die, producer Roni Size and DJ Suv – from Krust’s original band Fresh Four, best-known for the top 10 hit Wishing on a Star.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\"HackerHacker<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
DJ Krust said jungle music was catapulted to a worldwide audience after the city’s artists started getting played on radio and doing international gigs<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

By this time, Full Cycle had a show on commercial radio station Galaxy Radio – something Krust said became a really “pivotal moment” for the collective.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“It was like the calling for the youth – here you go, here’s your new soundtrack, it’s British and it’s the sound of the streets,” Krust said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“You could feel it in the air that we’d got something and it was travelling through word of mouth – something was brewing and we could all feel it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“This was the movement, this was the shift,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

In 1997, Full Cycle formed the live act Reprazent and released the album ‘New Forms’ which included the hit track Brown Paper Bag.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Later that year they made history by becoming the first drum and bass group to win the Mercury Prize – firmly putting Bristol, jungle and drum and bass on the musical map.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Jungle went on to become the precursor to drum and bass music which is also fast, but has a signature simple kick and snare pattern that sits over rolling basslines. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

The two genres are sometimes used interchangeably, but both still have a distinct sound.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\"HackerHacker<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
DJ Die said Bristol’s legacy of jungle and drum and bass music shows no signs of stopping<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

DJ Die, who was also a member of Full Cycle, said Bristol was at the heart of the movement because of its “rebel” and “do it yourself mentality”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“It hasn’t seemed to have died yet, it’s more healthy than ever. A lot of people move to Bristol for the music scene,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“There’s so many great producers here, there always have been – it’s a hotbed for production,” he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

DJ Die attributed the longevity of the city’s jungle scene to sound systems that have been passed down through generations and new talent inspired by Bristol’s artists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“You’ve got these grassroots soundsystems handed down from old ravers like Spiral Tribe,” he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“You’ve also got to shout out St Paul’s because that’s had such a big influence and the Jamaican community there.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\"HackerHacker<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Jungle music has since given rise to drum and bass music which has become synonymous with Bristol<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

The scene is thriving now more than ever as new artists such as Nia Archives – who was discovered by DJ Die – make waves in the industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Nia’s second album was shortlisted for the Mercury Awards, she headlined Bristol festival Love Saves the Day in 2025 and had also played a number of the biggest festivals in the UK, including Glastonbury.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

‘Rich cultural undertones’<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Another artist continuing the city’s legacy is Sherelle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

She said DJ Die and DJ Krust were direct influences on her high-tempo music, which includes a blend of footwork, jungle and drum and bass.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“If you were to separate Die, Krust and Roni from everyone, they have their own individual sound and when they come together, it also builds on another sound,” she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“Bristol is such an off-kilter place. It’s a place whereby exploration is so expansive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“The city is rich in cultural undertones and you can tell that they’re making music from the heart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

“There needs to be a lot of focus and emphasis about actually how special and important Bristol is to the current music, culture and climate that we’ve got now,” she said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Roni Size and Reprazent will perform their seminal album New Forms live across the UK next year to celebrate 30 years since its release.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Follow BBC Bristol on <\/i>Facebook<\/i>, <\/i>X<\/i> and <\/i>Instagram<\/i>. Send your story ideas to us on email or via <\/i>WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cmly09y5l0r0o”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/branded_news\/182d\/live\/e28a1e90-d11f-11f1-a701-fddedf244c16.jpg”] Hacker Members of music label Full Cycle said jungle music was something that “felt like home” to them It has been more than 30 years since Bristol with a “rebel” mentality ventured into the unknown, giving birth to the global phenomenon that is jungle and drum and bass music. The city is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[35,226],"class_list":["post-2230323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-bbc-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2230323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230323\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2230323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2230323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2230323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}