The Month Ahead: Dubstep and Drum & Bass in London

Image: Mistajam

The dawn of October means that colder, longer nights are upon us. You may groan, turn the heating on and cuddle up with X Factor and an Ovaltine, but I’m here to tell you that autumn is actually the prime of London’s clubbing scene. Excitement from the festival season still hangs in the air, Halloween/Guy Fawkes/Christmas are around the corner and our summer tans are still vaguely visible.

Venues and promoters are upping the calibre of their club nights, as Londoners flock from beer-sodden festival sites back to the urban jungle. If you’re a drum & bass and dub-head, listen up: we’ve saved you the bother of wading through listing sites and tedious mailing lists, with a rundown of the best nights happening in London over October. Aren’t we nice?

Thursdays are the new Saturdays. Oh, no one told you? Well, they are. Now that you know, make sure you head to the Silver Bullet in Finsbury Park on October 3rd, where Heavy Signal promises an epic night delivering the freshest d&b and dubstep beats. With nine DJs taking to the decks (yes, NINE), prepare for a night of no-nonsense quality music that’ll make you dance until your socks have holes in. We won’t bore you with a bullet-pointed list, but sounds include those of d&b connoisseur Rory C, Transition (the founder of Heavy Signal) and Kraze, who you’ve probably heard rocking a dancefloor somewhere around Vauxhall and London Bridge.

Once you’ve recovered, it’ll be time to head south of the river, where a ‘secret location near London Bridge’ will kick your Saturday night into gear. 1989 was a time when many of us were acknowledging the merits of wax crayons as a creative tool and learning about life via Sesame Street. However, something distinctly more profound was occurring in Beckton, east London: Raindance were staging the first ever legal all-night rave. The organisers of this momentous occasion are back with their event ‘Raindance: The Evolution of Rave’, with an eye-watering 35 DJs hitting the decks over 8-and-a-half hours. This is a night hosted by people who know how to rave; expect the eclectic, but they’ll be enough d&b and dubstep to keep fans stomping all night.

If you’re after something that’s more of a gig than a darkened warehouse affair, then hopefully you’ll be one of the lucky people who got a ticket for Sub Focus’ Roundhouse show on October 19th. The show comes shortly after the release of second solo album ‘Torus’, with the 31-year-old having spent the summer tearing up dancefloors, dance tents and living room speakers both nationally and internationally. If you’re prepared to travel there’s still tickets free for his other tour dates; check ‘em here.

Golden Ticket

This month’s golden ticket goes to an event staged at a venue that’s had more name changes than Snoop Otter (or whatever he’s called these days). Building Six (formerly Matter and Proud 2) kicks open its doors for its first ever night on October 12th, and who better to initiate its South London residency than radio legend MistaJam?

His brand Speakerbox has teamed up with LWE to put on a night of cutting-edge beats and breaks, headlined by d&b and dubstep heavyweight DJ Fresh. Throw Shy FX, Stanton Warriors and DZ into the mix, together with 2 rooms of stella tuneage and a newly-refurbished 3,000-capacity venue, and you have the ingredients of a very tasty night out.

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