Five of the best at Detonate

Image: Detonate Festival

Detonate Festival is back on Saturday 4th June with another explosive line up that celebrates grime, drum&bass, garage and more. Last year the festival in Nottingham's Colwick Country Park was headlined by Nas with the likes of Sub Focus and Skepta supporting him on the bill.

This year is no different with some of the finest urban acts around bringing dynamite performances to Detonate's five stages. We put our finger on the big red button and chose five acts that will blow you away.

Giggs

One of the most genuine grime artists in the country, Giggs has been a part of the scene for almost a decade now. The likes of 'Look What The Cat Dragged In' and 'Talkin' The Hardest' are typically grimy but listen out for Giggs' humorous lyrics, they're often overlooked if you're focusing too much on The Hollowman's gangtsa exterior. His live shows were shut down by the police for years so you know things will get heated when he takes to the main stage. 

Craig David's TS5

Craig David brings his old skool party to the main stage with a selection of garage, R&B and bashment classics and of course, the mandatory '7 Days' sing along. The man himself will of course be adding his dulcet tones to the mix and frankly, what else could you ask for? TS5 has gone from strength to strength since it first started at Craig's Miami Penthouse and has become a staple across this summer's festival line ups. 

Big Narstie

Comedian, Svengali and grime artist, Big Narstie is perhaps more of a cult figure than an MC but in many ways that makes him even more unmissable. Expect the crowd to lose their shit completely when he takes to the main stage and even more so when he inevitably hollers "Bentekkers" for no apparent reason at all. With Craig David further up the bill it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect them to collaborate for 'When The Bassline Drops' would it?

Mala

Despite being over a decade into his producing career, new Mala material continues to command as much anticipation as it did when dubstep was emerging as the next club music superpower. Whilst many bandwagon riders have long since jumped off the dubstep train, there's a zealous core that have stuck closely to its spiritual roots, maintaining the sparse depth of its dub foundations, of which Mala is the Jedi master.

From the sounds of 'Kotos' above, the Digital Mystikz member is in the best form of his life, and the new Peru-inspired LP on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood label, due for release any day now, is rightly one of most eagerly awaited albums of the year. Prepare to meditate on bass weight.

Hodge

Outstanding releases on labels like Hemlock, Hotline, Berceuse Heroique and Livity Sound over the past couple of years have seen Hodge elevated to one of the most revered Bristolian producers operating at the moment - no mean feat considering how incredible the scene in the city is.

With a sound that sits somewhere between bass music, house and techno, without necessarily being any of those things, expect to witness a set that takes in all the best elements of forward-thinking, underground dance music in the UK. Trip out to 'Recall' above.

Head here for the full Detonate line up. Get Detonate tickets here.

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