Well well well… Here we are and summer is in full swing. The heat is all around us and we’re not just talking about the atmosphere. Yes, the summer of drum n bass is going strong. There’s shows abound and loads of new music coming out. So let’s dive in and see what’s happening.
Recent Shows Recap
We had a couple of awesome shows since our last post went out. Our monthly terrace takeover at Myth on the first Friday in July, and just a couple weeks before we welcomed Ben Soundscape and Collette Warren on the last leg of their Summer 2024 U.S. tour.
July’s Terrace Takeover at Myth
Our July edition of the terrace takeover at Myth Nightclub brought more new artists to the collective. One of our special guests was CodenameLeo who currently resides just outside of Jacksonville. We got to meet him back in March when he came out to see his good friend Will Miles. After some conversation we agreed to get him in our rotation and I have to say that we were not disappointed. CodenameLeo brought that heavy Metalheadz style that Will has been known to curate. We couldn’t believe that this was his first time ever playing out live at a venue! Our guy definitely smashed it, and we will be having him back at our shows in the future.
We had another special guest all the way from Arizona who just happened to have planned a trip to Jacksonville to visit one of his best friends. In comes Othello, a prolific DJ and producer in his own right. He played a fluid set that crossed the subgenre barriers and us fully engaged. Both he and CodenameLeo were exceptionally pleasant people to hang out with too. I’m certain we will see Othello again too on one of his return trips to Jacksonville.
We can’t leave out a mention of our locals. Speaking of surprises, Vera Vera came in hot with a bag of tunes we haven’t heard from him before. He typically draws for the smoother liquid tunes but this time he dropped a dose of the heavy funk. Deep hard-style cuts, and a bit of left field tunes made their way through the speakers. We love his liquid sets but we definitely welcome more of this from him as well. Of course XMSN and host Reflections brought some proper warm up selections. All around it was a fantastic night of music and vibes.
Ben & Collette at Fito’s in June
Talk about expectations being exceeded! We knew this was going to be a moment in history not to be forgotten. After we had to postpone the original date from April, we also needed to find a new venue. Safe to say, everything worked out the way it needed to and this show was one of our best in recent years.
We were so honored to welcome back our opening support lineup of Impression and Vixen Stylee. If you are a DnB promoter reading this right now, please take note: you need to be booking these two for your shows! Vixen Stylee is a very talented deejay and vocalist; her track selection spans multiple generations and her energy on the microphone demands your attention. Impression is another DnB veteran dating back to the late 90’s. His discography of music includes releases on labels like Soul Deep and FX909 Music. He’s been hosting a weekly Bassdrive radio show for over a decade. I really can’t say enough about either of these artists, just know that you’ll be seeing more of them in Jacksonville.
What can I say about Ben and Collette? Upon first meeting them it felt like a reunion. They have such a unique and authentic energy both together and individually. Their performance was magnetic and it had everyone in the place in a collective trance. Not a single person could be found just standing and watching, bodies were in motion all night long. Ben’s tune selections went pretty much across the spectrum of drum n bass. Collette’s soul and jazz inspired vocals combined with an emcee presence easily commanded the attention of all in attendance.
This was our first show at the relatively new venue called Fito’s Caffe Sport, just a few minutes south of downtown Jacksonville. Although a bit outside of the typical entertainment districts, this club was just the right size and atmosphere. Since early this year they have been doing shows with other groups including The Wub Tub and Elevate. We are most definitely looking forward to more shows here (wink wink)!
Wes Reed’s birthday party with DnB, Jungle, House, and Techno
Wes Reed is inarguably one of the drum n bass pioneers of Jacksonville’s music scene. He and his colleagues began spinning and hosting DnB shows in the late 90’s. Wes is mostly commonly known as the creator of the Therapy Sessions shows, bringing in some of the major headliners at the time to Jacksonville.
To celebrate his birthday this year he decided to throw a free party at Rain Dogs. The headliner was Circle K from Orlando who is another of the original DnB deejays and promoters in Florida, founding the seminal Torque crew and event series in ’99. Both he and Wes drew deep in their bags and played some deep and forward-thinking sets. Local representation from XMSN and Reflections rounded out the DnB lineup.
The front lounge area was a nod to the original Therapy days which were held at the long-defunct venue called Fat Kat. For this show, Wes chose a cadre of both veteran and newer artists including Dr. Strangelove, Eowyn, Albert Adkins, TC Birden, and PamBam. These artists are all known for bringing a solid combo of high energy and deep grooves. The music vibe included all manner of both house and techno which provided the perfect soundtrack for the overall vibe of the lounge area.
Upcoming DnB Shows in August
Get ready for some hot action as we have two shows you definitely want to know about. The first is the August edition of the Terrace Takeover at Myth, welcoming a Pensacola invasion. The team of i&i and _Logik are the creators of Burn Babylon which is a leading purveyor of DnB and Jungle in the panhandle. These two specialise in selecting the modern jungle sound, full of heavy breaks and bass. Coming with them is DJ Spinzy who has been performing all over the southeast U.S. for many years. As usual, the team at Myth is giving us a guest list for the night.
MC Fava In Session plus guests at SALT
This one is the main event for mid-summer. Fava is a world-renowned musician and has performed and recorded with the who’s who of DnB. He is back in the States for another round of his In Session DJ + MC performance. We got to see him in Austin earlier this year. He has a magnetic personality and he truly loves performing and engaging with his audience. After some conversation we knew that he had to come to Jacksonville. This special show is going down at SALT Jax Beach, an open air venue right next to the dunes. It’s going to be the perfect setting for his vibe.
Supporting this event, we also welcome Dave Shichman from New York for his first Jacksonville appearance. He is the founder of Driven AM, an artist management company and a record label. In addition to touring himself, he manages an artist roster of some of the U.S.’s best DnB talent. His style is the perfect compliment to the night.
Getting both Fava and Dave here has been a long time in the making. So to further support his show we are pleased to welcome back both DarciiDarka from Gainesville, and Caesar Augustvs Bassus III (CAB 3) from parts unknown. Darcii is the founder of Renegade Sound, a monthly event which is closing in on its two year anniversary. You can find her playing various clubs and festivals throughout the year. CAB 3 is a prolific producer and DJ as well. He founded Radhaz Records as a primary outlet for his music, and you can find his original music and remixes on some other labels.
Advance tickets are highly recommended for this show. We use Ticket Fairy and we’re able to bundle the fees with the ticket price. This means you actually save on the door when you buy in advance! Visit our event page for all the info and link to tickets.
So, what’s next?
September keeps on rolling with another two great shows which will be fully announced soon. The first is on Friday 06 Sept. when we partner with Phukheadz to help them celebrate 18 years of The L.O.O.P.! It’s also our two year mark of the Myth terrace takeover! We managed to pull in several of Jacksonville’s long time DnB heads and Phukheadz supports and we’ll be doing B2B matchups all night.
The other big news: we are pleased to be taking over Fito’s on Second Saturdays starting in September! We hope to use this new platform to bring you more of Florida’s amazing DnB talent. Be on the lookout for this announcement as well. Our first show will feature some up and coming deejays from the Space Coast along with some local support.
While we’re at it, we have to throw in a mention for the annual Jungle Bells show in Atlanta. This year they are going all in with a series of events, starting with the official Road to EDCO + Road to Jungle Bells party on 9/28. Then in December, they are doing a whole weekend with an Opening Ceremony on Friday 12/13 and the main Jungle Bells party on Saturday 12/14. All of these parties have insane lineups of worldwide artists. Get all the info and access to tickets at their official website https://junglebells.org/.
That’s it for now. See you all in the dance!