Nightlife
Bruce selects 5 tracks that soundtracked special moments on the dancefloor
Ahead of his first ever all-nighter hosted by London party Unbound, the Bristol DJ/producer looks back on some of the biggest moments he's had in the capital's clubs.
It’s been a wild 12 months for Bruce. His debut album, Sonder Somatic, was put out by Hessle Audio last October and was instantly one of the best releases to come out of the UK circuit in 2018. As a result, his bookings at clubs and festivals across Europe have intensified ever since. It's not surprising why; both as a producer and as a DJ, the Bristolian trailblazer can deftly skip across tempos and textures and floor-shattering club cuts with ease.
Ahead of the party on November 2, Bruce and the Unbound crew reflect on the year they've had and why they're a perfect pairing for an all night long party. Read the joint interview below, then scroll down as Bruce lines up the tracks that take him back to the capital's dancefloors.
What was your vision when you first began putting on parties, and has this evolved or changed over the years?
Charles Olisanekwu: Given that I started it as an outlet to cope with depression, the core vision has never changed to be honest. Being a very spiritual, religious person, I knew that I wanted to spread the ideals of love, respect and compassion to other people, using the openness of the music policy to encourage people to be more open-minded.
DJ Winggold, aka Charles Olisanekwu, founder of Unbound
© Laura Jonsson
However, what has changed is the breadth of the music policy and the inherent politicism involved. As a black individual in the scene, our bookings are all within the broad framework of Afrofuturism and channel the spirit of experimentation from the origins of techno in Detroit. We’ve just decided to expand the scope of what this really means, starting with just techno and electro but now bringing together all sorts of angular rhythms. Despite this serious attitude, we also just want people to have fun and take things a bit less seriously!
What have been some of the most rewarding moments in putting on parties, and building up the community that Unbound has?
Charles: When first starting out, I thought I was a bit naïve in my desire to build a community and questioned it loads, but pressed on regardless. To now actually see that community in effect is a bit unbelievable, as is seeing the way we’ve managed to maintain our special vibe as we’ve grown as a platform. In addition, seeing all the crazy opportunities coming up as a result of starting this has been amazing. One highlight for me is taking part in the Horst Music Lab, where it really helped crystallise everything we're doing in terms of using music as a tool to enact change.
In particular, after starting it on my own, it’s been amazing living and breathing the philosophy and forming a team by bringing people together. Shout outs to Olly, Rory and Emanuele (Unbound residents), Chanel, Benny, Ryan (who does all our design and is also a wicked DJ in his own right!) and of course Aidan who was one of the first to believe in the vision.
Unbound’s all about the freeing power of music and how clubs can offer a refuge
Aidan Ray: After helping out with the prep for the first event, I came on board after becoming hooked with the vision that Charles had. This year has been crazy and featured many of our biggest lineups yet, with August seeing a double-header of a 16 hour day and night party with Batu, Peverelist, SHYBOI and Hodge, immediately followed by a night hosting at Griessmuehle in Berlin as part of Killekill’s Summer Camp Series. Given that we haven’t really been running that long, we feel like this is evidence of our philosophy about limitless possibilities when you step out of your comfort zone.
The first Bruce/Unbound collab came last Decemeber. Can you take us back to that night and the vibe at The Cause?
Charles: Oh God, the vibe was simply unreal. It’s really funny, ‘cos Aidan and I had intended for that night to be a lowkey end to what had already been a pretty intense year but it ended up being a huge turning point for us. We knew we were onto something special when we saw how the online response exploded after announcing it.
We had minimal experience with events pre-Unbound, so it was a bit unbelievable selling out 700 tickets in advance and having a ton of media attention from the likes of Mixmag and DJ Mag. Unbound’s all about the freeing power of music and how clubs can offer a refuge in which you can let go of your problems and let loose for a bit – seeing the way people were really going for it was a really magical experience. Big ups to The Cause for being the perfect embodiment of everything that Unbound is about!
Bruce
© Alex Digard
What makes Unbound the right crew to present your first all-nighter, Bruce?
Bruce: Far too often, the people behind putting on the parties and keeping the scene alive are not given the credit they deserve. Charles is not only the hardest working person I know, but he truly believes in creating something special with Unbound. Becoming friends with him over recent years and learning about how much blood, sweat and tears he puts into promoting quality, positive energy and compassion with his events has been inspiring: he has helped shape my own beliefs and endeavours within what it means to be part of dance music culture today.
What are you most looking forward to about playing the full seven hours? Any more crowdsurfing or other curveballs in store?
Bruce: Lol, if I was to make a thing of crowdsurfing at every gig, I'd soon snap more bones than just my wrist! The only thing I really planned with that Boiler Room set was to try and break down the seriousness and toxic bullshit that surrounds a lot of what we have to tolerate in the scene. It means a lot to me to use my platform to show people that if they want to, they can take club culture far less seriously than what is often expected, whilst still fulfilling all the important elements of the dance. So what I'm most looking forward to on Saturday is to party with a room full of people who have got the memo and are willing to get stuck in for all the right reasons!
You’ve had a pretty massive year which seems only to be accelerating faster – and you've even turned your hand to promoting with the Get Loose parties. What have been some of the highlights, and what's next in store?
Bruce: Playing more festivals this summer was really fab. It's kind of jokes how much more you can get away with when there is less focus on maintaining the journey of a club night environment. Also, it has blown my mind to be able to perform in countries I never thought I'd visit; for these dance music communities to love my music and want to host me is such a gift. Most importantly, I really feel like I have come to grasp what it is I want to achieve with my DJing recently. Plus, now that there's a larger following of people who are excited to see what I have to offer, I'm super excited for new experiences to experiment and flex with different sounds and styles.
Bruce's 5 tracks that have soundtracked special moments on the dancefloor
1. Fennesz – Fa (Mark Fell Remix)
Ben UFO played this near the end of an all night b2b he did with Jackmaster. I'd just bought the record myself and was unsure about the purchase because I didn't think I'd ever play it, but seeing Ben do the biz with it really reaffirmed my purchase.
2. Lakker – Spider Silk
Blawan opened with this in the middle of a real journey of a fabric night in Room One. To this day one of the most chilling moments I've ever experienced on the dancefloor.
3. K-S.H.E. – Hobo Train#1 (Skylax)
A very special all-nighter with DJSprinkles lead us along the tracks of this masterpiece. Utterly deep and suspended in sorrow – just how Terre likes us.
4. Universal Robot Band – Barely Breaking Even
I'm not sure who exactly played this during the Three Chairs takeover at FIRE many years ago, but it threw the guy standing next to me and myself into a mad sing off frenzy!
5. Karen Finley – Lick It (UNKNOWN EDIT)
Near the end of another very sweaty and sexy session at Chapter 10, Debonair played this ridiculous edit and sent everyone wild once again. The only other place I've heard this version is in Yoshinori Hayashi's RA podcast (scroll to 1:01:05 to hear it in its full glory)
Bruce plays all night long at Low Profile Studios, London, hosted by Unbound. Click here for tickets.