Defected's Ben Lovett looks at the history - both recent and ancient - of one of the UK's most vibrant and exciting musical cities

"It's all about boats," Christophe mysteriously opens. We're talking Bristol bass music and who better to ask, supposedly, than one of its leading protagonists? Christophe - real name Christopher Rees - hails from the Welsh 'Valleys' but moved to Bristol in 1994 to study and, in turn, work and play. We're speaking following the Welsh Rugby Union team's confirmation as Six Nations champions (they've just beaten France) and he's in a particularly jovial mood.

"It's the boats, definitely the boats" he repeats. "Bristol is a port city, you see, and I think that's key if you're going to try and get to grips with the music that it's producing... that it has been producing. West Indian immigration is a major part of Bristol's history and, long-term, that has helped form this very unique, multicultural community, which has then spilled over into local music-making. Bristol set its musical stall out many, many years ago."

Bristol was actually host to African communities as far back at the early 18th century, Afro-Caribbean people arriving in its port (as well as those in Liverpool and London) as slaves on boats carrying imperial tea, coffee, sugar, cotton and rum. "The multicultural heritage has been there for ages, allowing for a huge melting pot of music ideas and styles" Christophe continues, "I think that's where the bass kicks in."

Bristol's role in the modern dancefloor revolution is well-documented, the vibrant reggae, soul and hip-hop flow of Eighties sound system The Wild Bunch mutating spectacularly into Massive Attack's trip-hop dynamism and a wide range of exciting musical manifestos over the past two decades courtesy of everyone from Tricky and Portishead (more pioneering trip-hop) to Roni Size & Reprazent (strident drum & bass) to Joker, Guido and Gemmy ('purple'-painted dubstep) to the Futureboogie boys (bass-flecked house).

As diverse as Bristol's groove continues to be, bass remains a common denominator. It's something Christophe, closely aligned with Futureboogie, is keen to add to his ever-expanding repertoire. "I pump lots of influences into my music - disco, boogie, rave, old-school Chicago - but house is the over-arching framework and my house definitely has that bass-weight. Not a heavy bass but bass by gradual osmosis; it comes from living round here and the Caribbean connections.

"There's obviously a lot of us now making this distinctive bass house sound and whilst we hate to be pigeon-holed, on the other hand it's kind of nice to have some sort of marker. We feel like we've arrived I guess."

The tightness of Bristol's musical networks should not be underestimated. Christophe shares a flat with Futureboogie co-founder Dave Harvey on whose label he scored two reputation-building hits last year - The Force and Maison De Cheval (alongside fellow Bristolian mate Lukas). Right now Christophe, a designer by day, is enjoying considerable attention for his smart acid-wiggling remix of latest Futureboogie signing The White Lamp (debut single It's You). It is a remix put together with yet another local friend Dan Pearce, AKA Eats Everything.

"It's really hard to define exactly why Bristol is so prominent musically but the strength of friendships is one factor, yes" Pearce says. "Knowing people there is really important but the people are accessible. I always wanted to be a DJ and moved from the outskirts of Bristol into its centre at which point I immediately hooked up with all these key music figures like Roni [Size], Die and Krush. When you're surrounded by success, it rubs off on you. Success in Bristol breeds success."

It's not, of course, been easy for Pearce, who is only now starting to enjoy above-the-line success after some 20 years of DJing, and 10 in the studio. Over the last 18 months, Eats Everything's profile has exploded with a heady surge of new bookings, remix commissions (for the likes of Hypercolour and Leftroom) and productions (debut cut Entrance Song, on Catz N Dogz' Pets imprint, snowballing into notable releases for Claude VonStroke's Dirtybird set-up, The Size and Tric Trac). Ahead, he has new EPs due on Pets, Dirtybird, Hypercolour and Futureboogie; a Hypercolour mix compilation and remix of Jamie Jones for Get Physical.

"The last few months have been weird, crazy and great" he enthuses. "There are exciting new calls, emails and meetings every single day. It's mad. What do I put it down to? I've got a lot better at what I do but I've also found my own deep house niche... a little bit of heaviness, some depth and some old-school flavour."

Whilst Pearce acknowledges Bristol's role in helping him identify that unique sonic blend, he also argues that the city's cast iron reputation for musical progression has had its part to play. "I do think some of my success and the success of my mates is placebo. If people think a city or scene is good then anything it does must be. It is good, naturally, but there is a sense of people blindly following the Bristol scene, whatever. I've definitely been dragged up by my peers; would that have happened in Rotherham?"




Could the popularity and perceptions surrounding Dan's home city start to work against it? "There's always a backlash in the end but Bristol has regularly demonstrated an ability to recycle itself. That said, I don't think many of us Bristolians consider there to be any kind of Bristol house thing going on right now. We're just a bunch of friends making different, interesting types of house music. It's a coincidence that we live in Bristol; the geography should be played down. It's all about a network of friends."

And Pearce really means that, it's clear. "I love working locally with my friends" he smiles. "I’m doing a lot of stuff with Christophe, Lukas and Waifs & Strays for example. Christophe and I are working a studio together; it’s great that we can bounce ideas off one another. Lukas, he’s been a producer longer than I have. I get more satisfaction from my mates’ success than my own really.”

The White Lamp, a mystery combo of high-profile London DJ-producer and Bristol vocalist intending to make “future dancefloor soul” incognito, do think geography remains important: “It helps where Bristol is. It’s so centrally located and the natural choice for such a variety of people from all over the UK looking for a city with a music and arts vibe. That brings influences from all over.”

On the influences from within, The White Lamp adds: “Bristol has great venues and club nights... such a party vibe. The city can have a real gritty edge to it, especially in central areas like Stokes Croft and St Paul’s; there’s something raw about it, almost sinister, but just the right side of the line. Central Bristol kids are streetwise and party young to this kind of music; they need to feel the low-end rattling their rib cages. They want music that growls at them.”

That growling doesn’t necessarily have to be all b-line incited, although it helps. “A lot of us are doing really interesting things with house,” Christophe chips in. “All sorts of influences inform it; there’s a real spirit of anything goes, so you’re not just getting bass music. It’s more complex than that.”




Pearce heartily agrees. “I consciously mix up my music. I can make a really heavy bass track, sure, but I’ll also put out softer, jackin’ house too. Look at someone like Jamie Jones, who sounds different DJing in a club compared to the studio. Everything is so open today, you can hop from style to style and Bristol is no different. Look at what Futureboogie has done in 10 years as a promoter, agent, and label. There are several sounds there.”

The White Lamp concurs, citing Futureboogie’s complete and utter trust in their own very specific musical ideas – so much so that they were happy to sign debut single It’s You without knowing anything about the duo, or their club pedigree: “The guys genuinely believe in the music above all else. They’ve been bringing Bristol some of the best DJs from around the world for years now, their own DJ roster is incredible, and look at how well the label has done in such a short space of time. They’ve continued that Bristol trend of making leftfield electronic music more accessible to a much wider audience, and always with an open mind.”

For all the current industry focus on speaker-rattling West Country stereotypes, it’s hard to see how Bristol can do anything other than move its offering speedily along – as indeed recent history dictates. Bristol’s melting pot of beats is bubbling over as ferociously as ever.

“You’re going to see Bristol widening out loads this year” Christophe confides, “whether it be the international guests flying in for In:Motion or new non-Bristol artists associated with Futureboogie like Maxxi Soundsystem. Everyone I speak to is excited about these changes. Me personally, I’ve embraced the recent hype around Bristol in this initial phase of my career but I’m looking to broaden my horizons now so the evolution of the city is a good thing. Bristol can’t and shouldn’t be put in a box; it needs to be left to its own devices, much like its music-makers. There’s so much happening here....”

Words: Ben Lovett

The White Lamp releases It’s You on Futureboogie Recordings on April 16.
Eats Everything plays the London leg of Dirtybird and Point Blank Online’s ‘Hatched’ Spring tour on April 7, alongside Claude VonStroke, Justin Martin and Julio Bashmore. Tickets via www.theransomnote.co.uk and www.residentadvisor.net