In terms of Drum N Bass and Jungle heavy hitters, this line up pretty much speaks for itself, so I want to focus on some of the other acts this time, starting with a heavyweight Grime B2B in the shape of Chimpo x Sir Spyro x Spooky & Killa P.
Chimpo has definitely proven himself an incredibly diverse producer over the past few years, and although he’s produced some classic Grime in that time, I’m not sure if he’s really been recognised as a Grime artist. With that in mind, it’s good to see him with such acknowledged heavyweights of the scene and I’m excited by the sort of tracks that might come out with this combination. Plus this is one of my favourite tunes at the moment!
Killa P graces another of my favourites from the past year, this time it’s Sir Spyro on the production. A true underground hero, Spyro is undoubtedly one of the most exciting Grime producers out there, and he always seems to get the best out of the MCs he collaborates with. His most recent EP with Capo Lee is a must listen too.
I caught Spooky in a sparsely attended basement in Cardiff 5 years ago. I’m pretty sure everyone else in there was an MC or actively involved in the Grime scene in some way and Spooky certainly seems to have remained as something of a connoisseurs-choice. I’d be surprised if even the most passing of appreciators hasn’t gone nuts for one of his tunes at some point though and Spartan is still one of the all-time greatest Grime instrumentals.
Boomtown has always been a stronghold for Bassline and you will find pockets of it all over the festival, from Off Me Nut to TQD. Darkzy falls into the grimier, Northern end of the spectrum but I’ve no doubt that his set on Thursday night is going to have an amazing vibe (though if any of the Psy-Trance fans make it to the forest early, it probably won’t be the experience they were expecting).
Wonka-Vision have been championing the cause for this type of bass heavy House music way before the likes of My Nu Leng made it widely acceptable, so it’s no surprise that their Thursday night take over should be representing crews like SOBAD (Sly One • Bromley • Archive • Distro). Between them they’ve had some incredible releases on labels such as Black Butter and the Stanton Warriors’ Punks imprint and deserve to be much bigger than they seem to be right now. That said, Boomtown is the perfect breeding ground for music like this and I’ve no doubt the forest will be truly overtaken for their various sets.
AAA BADBOY 