BOOMTOWN 2018:
10 ACTS TO SEE
The 9th of August sees Boomtown Fair takeover the Matterley Estate to unfold the 10th chapter of it’s incredible journey. With 11 districts to explore and hours upon hours of diverse music and sounds to delve into, you really are spoilt for choice. If you are attending or just want to discover new sounds, we have picked out 10 acts that deserve a mention.
1.
Kaotik Kartel
The Kaotik Kartel can be found firmly rooted in the Bristol underground circuit, demonstrating a fine mash up of hiphop, dancehall, garage and jungle with a reggae influence. UK hiphop badmen Mistafire and Jman provide those hard vocals that flip up any chilled one into a mash up; all of the various DJs and producers, from the likes of Ed Cox to Gurnsey, do well in projecting the diverse sounds coming out of the depths of Bristol’s underground.
2.
Amen4tekno
Unsurprisingly another Bristol-based collective: Amen4tekno. For those who don’t know, this label branches into the more hectic side of the musical spectrum. Founded by the jungletek queen that is Mandidextrous, the label is home to many artists representing the raggatek and jungletek sound from T-Menace and Vandal, to Civs and C3B, and they are no stranger to festivals, club nights or parties. This is one is not to be missed if you are there for an absolute mash up!
3.
Shpongle
Simon Posford and Raja Ram team up to bring you the down-tempo, psybient experience guaranteed to leave you astounded. Simon, aka Hallucinogen, and Raja, aka 1200 micrograms, bring inter-dimensional sounds and a whole new world of musical possibility. Catch these guys in the forest for a trippy time.
4.
DJ Marky
Brazilian DJ and drum and bass pioneer, DJ Marky is globally recognised by drum and bass lovers for his soulful approach and his impressive scratching skills. Catch the dnb legend at Sector 6, no doubt a powerful set will take place.
5.
Ed Cox and E-Coli
This Bristol-based duo have had their names praised for quite some time now, their Balkantek style has crowds bouncing from far and wide. The sun is shining, Ed’s accordion is banging and only happy skanks are taking place, definitely a shout for Boomtown. They are playing at Oldtown Square so make sure you catch the unique and different sounds coming their way!
6.
Too Many T's
MC’s Ross Standaloft and Leon Rhymes bring that raw hiphop, keeping it strictly mashup style. DJ Savage Henry keeps up with their clever wordplay with badman beats and crispy production, these guys know how to rock a crowd with a Beastie Boys influence, so definitely check them out mashing up the dance at Hotel Paradiso!
7.
Children of Zeus
Following their recent album release ‘Travel Light’, these guys are certainly blowing up across the UK soul and hiphop scene. Echoing from Manchester, Tyler Daley has that pure soul and passion in his voice, with man like KonnyKon rocking those beats with smooth bars all day long. Catch them soothing out the Poco Loco stage with pure blissful tunes.
8.
Coops
Following his signing with High Focus records, Coops has been constantly churning out banger after banger! Jordan Cooper, aka Coops, is a London-based hiphop artist, guaranteed to set the vibe and provide you with some lovely hiphop. Catch him amping up the dance at Poco Loco!
9.
Goldie and the Heritage Ensemble
Goldie has been on the forefront of the junglist movement for quite some time now; forever pushing the jungle and drum and bass scene, inspiring a new wave of DJs and producers, and has released tracks that will remain in the history books forever. He is joined by the Heritage Ensemble, a 30-60 piece orchestra full of talented musicians and voices, here to bring you the performance we didn’t know we needed. You won’t want to miss this iconic performance at the bad boy Lion’s Den!
10.
Off Me Nut
The Job Centre, and undoubtably more venues across the city, are welcoming the Sheffield reppin’ label Off Me Nut: a haven for scattiness and proper wonky basslines. Phatworld, Charlie K-orse N Basshound and Thorpey are all taking part in the takeover, expect nothing less than pure wobbly synths and bouncy vibes! Off Me Nut are always releasing an eclectic range of sounds, with many impressive producers on the cards and never fail to bring a bad boy party!
Matthew Knight
August 4th 2018