The city of Bristol and its contribution to British dance music over the last 20 years should need little introduction. From the early days of rave, through jungle and drum & bass, to dubstep and now house music, the sleepy West Country city’s reputation as a hotbed of musical talent and innovation has never diminished. Bristol’s distinction as a global epicentre for dance and bass music culture is, of course, down to the incredible list of producers, DJs and musical visionaries that call the city home. Whether born-and-bred locals, or culture craving migrants, Bristol’s reputation acts as a beacon for the talent of the world. Among those who laid the foundations for all of this, who first grabbed the attentions of the world and who indelibly stamped the ‘Bristol Sound’ on the history of music forever, is a man who himself arrived in Bristol from Devon back in 1985 and went on to become one of the city’s most cherished musical sons – and one of the jungle and drum & bass movement’s biggest stars. That man is DJ Die, a man whose passion, enthusiasm and relentless energy remains unbridled after over 20 years in the game.
