Bristol Blurb...

Internationally known for its diversity in music and culture, musicians such as Tricky, Roni Size, Massive Attack (to name a few) pioneered Bristol into the sound it is today.

In the late 70's, DJ's such as Martin Star, Superfly, Seymour and Dennis Richard played funk and disco in local clubs before playing in more specialised clubs such as 'The Dug Out'.
Based between St. Paul's and Clifton, The Dug Out's laid-back atmosphere welcomed local musicians and attracted a diverse audience from neighbouring communities.
It was places like these that immersed different cultures together. Reggae played a huge part in Bristol music, with major Reggae stars like Greggory Issacs and Dennis Brown regularly touring in the city, other areas of Bristol also swayed to the sounds of Reggae  at less official clubs. St.Pauls, well known for its Caribbean carnival and Bristol based Reggae sound systems, which started in the late 60's (and has ran continuously since), also played part to the influential sounds from local musicians.                         

It was in the early 80's, competing 'crews' like The Wild Bunch (who later became Massive Attack), 2Bad, City Rockers, UD4 (Roni Size's brother) and FBI Crew were battling it out on home-built speaker systems. The Wild Bunch became legendary for their much-attended parties at which their music sets combined punk, reggae and Rhythm and Blues. They played at local events, such as St Paul’s Carnival and in disused or empty buildings in or close to the St.Pauls area.
After the St. Paul’s riots in 1980, the police avoided the area, which made such gigs possible. Young people of all races became obsessed with the emerging hip-hop music.       

Massive Attack, Tricky, Soul II Soul's Nellee Hooper, and Smith & Mighty sprang from the 1980s eclecticism of Bristol sound. Reprazent, a drum n' bass collective including Roni Size followed suit.

With all these different sounds arising from just one city, the Bristol sound is not just one sound but an accumulation of many brought together.

 Bristol is still vibrant within its music and culture. Many current success stories include DJ Mad Cut who won Britain's most prestigious 'scratching'-specialist award from the National DMC Championships. Another contemporary Bristol success story is Aspects.  Their album 'Correct English' has won much media recognition and praise.

Since then, Bristol has seen success from a large number of artists who have been rated highly in magazines and by the British public, although always appreciated and recognised by the local scene. In November 2005 Bristol won the 1xtra Mixtape challenge which involved major UK cities competing with their best talent, each laying down their piece on their mixtapes and on public vote Bristol won the challenge. Since then, local upcoming artists have been making there mark nationally.