Bristol has
been tipped by names as big as Beardyman for putting faith back in the UK music
scene and following a trip to Bristol’s intimate Basement 45 for the popular
Carbon night, we can confirm that it’s honestly a pretty special place. A small
two room affair set in the deepest carved out underground caves, complete with
low ceilings and a stretch of bars in both rooms, the atmosphere was left to
speak for itself. Featuring on Friday’s meaty line up were the likes of
Randall, Spirit, Loxy and a mighty b2b set from Klute and Nymfo, which brought
a beautiful amalgamation of people together, all united through pure love of
exceptional and dark d&b.
We arrived
at Basement to be greeted by Loxy dropping Skeptical’s metallic ‘Blue Eyes’ as
the dark, dingy vault started filling up tightly. The fan at the front of room
1 was on full power as Loxy rained dubplates down on the crowd who were in full
appreciation.
S.P.Y’s recently released
‘Bulldozer' had the ‘Now
they will know that they are afraid of the dark’ refrain ringing through the
hollow room. Loxy kept the beats brutal and militant throughout the hour before
Spirit stepped up to the decks. Sweat was near on dripping from the
ceiling as
Moving Fusion’s ‘
Turbulance' saw shoulders wall to
wall shacking out in time to the tearing synths.
Highlight
set of the night was predictably Klute B2b Nymfo who dropped a flurry of
Commercial Suicide beats on the basking crowd. Taking it in turns to
drop the filthiest tunes as quickly as possible, the duo unleashed A Sides’
‘Tokiado’ and Nymfo’s ‘Resolve’ in between several salutes to Capone/Dillinja.
Capone’s ‘Friday' featured at the start of the set as the resurfacing ‘Nasty
Ways' celebrated the close. Guaranteed a rewind every time, the female
vocals resonated through Basement as the shredding bass cut through the murky
atmosphere and the crowd pressed up against the DJ booth in rapturous
recognition. As the set progressed the beats and bass got quicker almost
reaching an impressive climax.
Bringing
the night to a solid close was veteran godfather Randall, who has been
in the scene for several decades now. S.P.Y and Total Science’s ‘Magic
Hour' was nestled in between a variety of classics and unreleased material
for 2012. Room 2 enjoyed a variety of old-school and techno keeping the vibes
fresh and catering for everyone. Though the night ended at 4am, it was nothing
short of a quality evening, packing some of the finest d&b from a host of
the best artists set to break boundaries in 2012. It is more than fair to say
Bristol - particularly the Carbon and Basement family - know how to throw a
party with one of the best atmospheres I’ve seen in the UK in time.