Strap yourself in because there’s a lot to talk about in this edition of the newsletter.
What went down in March
It’s a great time to be a Drum n Bass fan in the U.S. and in Florida in particular. Here in Jacksonville we were blessed to have two headliner parties: one with Will Miles, and one with a U.K. trio who came for a whole round of dates on a four week tour.
Terrace Takeover at Myth
First off, our guy Will came to the monthly Myth takeover. He took us to school on some DnB tunes, as well as Lt Reid who was on the road with him for a few dates. Both of these guys are super cool just to hang out with. But watch out when they hit the decks because you’ll be nodding your head and moving your feet almost instantly.
Will’s last time in Jacksonville was probably in the mid 2000’s with his production partner as the group Style Control. After this show, he told us that he’d come back anytime to drop some more knowledge on us. Vera Vera, XMSN, and Reflections rounded out this amazing night.
Out Of Ends Tour at SALT
Just a few days after that, we got a dose of U.K drum n bass via the Out Of Ends tour. This group consists of Monroller and Martial Taktiks b2b slinging tunes, and Rivibes on the mic with the rhymes and hype. These guys were really friendly and just grateful for the opportunity to come tour the U.S. These artists have music signed to Ram Records among other labels. It was awesome to have them come represent for both the old school and the new school.
Now that they’ve broken into the stateside market, we have a feeling that we will be seeing them again. Their success is sure to entice other touring artists from overseas. This event was a co-production with Fractalliance and Underground Emerge who brought most of the crowd. The attendance was great, the vibes were high, and everyone enjoyed the opening sets by CAB 3, Reflections, and Mystyk Forest.
What’s coming in April and May
In our last newsletter, we hinted at another special show coming in April besides our monthly takeover at Myth. Well since then there have been some major developments that we’re excited to share with you.
Terrace Takeover at Myth Nightclub
First off, the April takeover at Myth is on Friday 05 April and features three special guests. You may be familiar with the artist Sub-Lo, formerly a Jacksonville resident. In his early career focused on dubstep and other bass music. He was also part of the We The Plug team promoting shows at Myth, as well as playing at Bangarang events and more. He’s been living in Orlando for the past few years and has since caught the DnB bug.
We reconnected with him at the end of last year and talked about getting him up here for his Drum n Bass debut. Well the time has come and he will be bringing some fire tunes as our main featured guest.
In addition we welcome back multi genre artist Awesomus Prime from the Bass Street crew. Fellow crew member Scott Calvin will be joining to make his first JaxDnB appearance. You can get free entry all night by signing up for our guest list via our Ticket Fairy page.
Ben and Collette tour of Florida
On Thursday 25 April we’ve teamed up with Underground Emerge and Invasive Ceremonies to bring you the amazing duo of Ben Soundscape and Collette Warren. We are so excited for this party because they bring a unique vibe and soul with the combination of deep liquid, heavy rollers with amazing vocals. Together, they have been doing live stream sets sometimes reaching four hours or more.
Ben is also the label owner of Intrigue Music, and founded the Intrigue nights in Bristol around twenty years ago. Collette, a prolific musician in her own right, not only performs vocals with other artists, but has also released her own music including an album with friend and vocalist Riya. Collette also started a band called Collette The Dots, which allows her to perform her music 100% organically.
Additional supporting artists
Our support lineup had to be equally special for this occasion. For this one we are welcoming back our friend and St. Augustine resident Impression. If you don’t know, his music career has really taken off in the past few years, now having his music released on several labels including Fokuz Recordings, Soul Deep, and FX909 Music.
Also on the lineup, we are happy to welcome to Jacksonville for the first time Vixen Stylee of The Geishaz and a frequent performer with Torque DnB in Orlando. She will be performing a deejay set and will be emceeing thoughout the night along with our good friend Blak who is coming all the way from Tampa.
Our locals XMSN and Reflections will be opening up the night. We also have local artist Shannon Wirth showcasing her current collection of art and jewelry. On top of all that, we are happy to have our sound system provided by 8th Bridge Sound & Production based in Jacksonville.
This really is going to be one for the ravers. Tickets are available now via our Ticket Fairy page. Being at Rain Dogs we have a limited capacity so make sure to secure your spot.
Other DnB Events in Jacksonville
The night before Ben & Collette, our friends at The Wub Tub are providing a little warm up. If you’re not familiar, the team comprised of brothers Stupid Thick and Wook Doctor started their event brand to help showcase more of Jacksonville’s underground deep dubstep artists. After some time off they recently restarted their Wub Tub Wednesdays at a newer venue in Jacksonville. Wook Doctor has been getting more into DnB and even played a set for us back in December. Fast forward, and now he’s bringing Drum n Bass to the Tub! Look out for an announcement for this party on Wednesday 24 April which will feature a couple artists from our roster dropping the 160bpm+ beats and basslines.
Aphrodite returns to Myth
That’s not all! Back over at Myth Nightclub, the I Love Florida House team is bring the legend Aphrodite for another appearance on Sunday 28 April. This is quickly becoming an annual tradition, and every time he smashes up the dance with his four deck mayhem.
More info and tickets for Aphrodite at Myth
Imanu makes Jacksonville debut
Then just a few days later, Elektronic Group and Brass Knuckle Booking have pulled a wild card. Their Thursday nights are usually dedicated to dubstep, riddim, and bass house, but on 02 May they are bringing the prolific artist Imanu. This is a really solid booking and should do well as a crossover artist. Don’t be surprised to see a few JaxDnB deejays on support for this one.
More info and tickets for Imanu at Myth
Massive tour with Bensley, Justin Hawkes, Kumarion
But they aren’t stopping there. At the end of the month on Thursday 30 May they are going all out with the Carry The Fire tour featuring U.S. heavyweights Bensley, Justin Hawkes, and Kumarion. These three are arguably at the forefront of the stateside resurgence of Drum n Bass. Justin Hawkes in particular is one that we’ve had on our list to bring to Jacksonville for quite a long time and have been putting his name out there to anyone we could. This might just be THE DnB show of the year in Jax.
More info and tickets for Bensley, Justin Hawkes, Kumarion at Myth
Worknight Sessions with Invasive Ceremonies
We’d be remiss to not also mention that our colleague XMSN and Invasive Ceremonies have brought back the Worknight Sessions, this time at Myrtle Avenue Brewing. This chill event is going on every other Thursday from 4pm to 9pm. It’s a mixed format and usually open decks, meaning it’s not limited to Drum n Bass even though that is the primary music being played. This is a free event, and the venue is family friendly with a kids play area.
Here’s a recap of all the great Drum n Bass parties coming up that you don’t want to miss.
- 04 April – Worknight Sessions at Myrtle Ave brewing (open format, open decks)
- 05 April – JaxDnB Terrace Takeover at Myth with Sub-Lo, Awesomus Prime, Scott Calvin, Reflections
- 18 April – Worknight Sessions at Myrtle Ave brewing (open format, open decks)
- 24 April – DnB warmup at Wub Tub Wednesdays (artists TBA)
- 25 April – Ben Soundscape & Collette Warren plus guests Impression, Vixen Stylee, Blak at Rain Dogs
- 28 April – Aphrodite, plus support from Reflections, Basilisk, The Manti at Myth
- 02 May – Imanu, plus support (TBA) at Myth
- 03 May – JaxDnB Terrace Takeover at Myth (lineup TBC)
- 30 May – Bensley, Justin Hawkes, Kumarion, plus support (TBA) at Myth
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Bookmark our Links page which will be updated periodically with links to events and quick access to other info about Jacksonville Drum n Bass.