Breaking out of the bedroom: Student DJs on making it in Bristol

Breaking out of the bedroom as a student DJ in a saturated scene can be tough, and while the stereotypes are true, real success can still flourish in Bristol. The Bristol Tab spoke with two student DJs juggling university with their side hustles in the underground music scene, showing how breaking through is more possible than it seems.

I spoke with Tommy Dymock who runs the collective Dismantle, pioneering a tech-house sound in the Bristol scene. Dismantle currently have a residency at The Love Inn showcasing local art and talent, alongside the launch of their zine on the 26th November. I also spoke with Tai Bolger, STUBBS, who runs crossroad records, a Bristol-and-Guildford based drum and bass label. You can catch them next at The Croft on the 27th November. Both spoke about getting involved in the scene and getting onto Bristol stages.

There is a stereotype of moving to Bristol and becoming a DJ, what are your thoughts on this?

Tommy: “It’s very true, everyone in Bristol is a DJ or at least likes music, it’s a city known for it. But I can see why people DJ because they want to be that guy, you know. You see it everywhere, if there are a pair of decks, Jesus Christ everyone’s got a USB; it’s like moths to a lightbulb.”

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Tai: “It is a a reasonable stereotype. In fact, I’d argue it’s not a stereotype, it’s a reality. Music brings people together. You’re literally like putting songs together that you like and like making your own sound out of it. People get into it  because they love music. Some people would get into it because they like standing in front of people watching them. But either way, what I do know is that it does build community, it creates networks, which is cool.”

Was there a specific Bristol venue or artist that inspired you?

Tommy: “I have never really been to a night out and been like, okay, this is what I want to be. It’s my friends around me that have really inspired me, Charlie and Rudy who run Stretch Collective, going to Club Blanco nights and The Love Inn’s birthdays. But your friends motivating you and putting on good events makes it all seem possible”

Tai: “We had started before I came here for uni, but when I started pursuing things in my own time and booking artists, Bristek is what really inspired me. I really liked what they were doing, they ran such a diverse range of music. It’s what first introduced me to sound-system culture”

Do you feel community and collaboration played a big role in getting noticed?

Tommy: “The community around me is definitely what inspired Dismantle and helped it evolve. It is always hard to get noticed, especially as a DJ, because the scene is so saturated. But if you get good at your craft and put the hours in, it gets noticed. I started out under Mothers’ Ruin at the Rat house, look at Dismantle now. But putting on good parties really helped with our name. Sending out promo mixes and getting no response is definitely part of the process. But I get to play at some of my favourite parties now.”

Tai: “Building community in Bristol was probably the biggest thing for us, building a network builds your reputation and people are more willing to take a risk going to your event if they know its reputable.”

What would you say the sound of Dismantle/ Crossroad Records is? Would you say it fits into the current scene? Have you faced any barriers?

Tai: “I think we are still finding our sound, we love drum and bass, all kinds of drum and bass. But we are doing HexA and Leaf at the end of November and that is Bristol rollers sort of sound. That’s why we are doing it at Crofters, it just works and the launch went really well for it too.”

Tommy: “Yeah, there are barriers. Growing an events company, staying true to authentically what you want to sound like, what you want to do and not compromising gets you somewhere, very slowly. Not saturating yourself for the specific sound of the scene means it takes it time.”

What advice would you give to someone trying to get out of their bedroom and onto Bristol’s stages?

Tommy: “Yeah, when you first start out, you’ve got to take all the steps you can. Just take every set you can, when you first start out. You play so many whack sets to empty rooms. But you have to, but now that I’m three years in, I’m starting to get bookings for people that I want to get booked for. You just have to get out of your bedroom, record promo mixes, go and network as well. That is probably how I’ve got every opportunity I’ve ever got. Networking is so important.

If you like their party and you want to play, you should be going to parties. Get your friends to go. They’ll be like, who is this guy, bringing in all their mates? They will notice that. I’ve noticed it before in my own events, and it definitely makes a difference to getting recognised and is such a fun way to do it.”

Tai: “I know because of being here how saturated the scene really is, it makes it a lot harder to be unique. With that being said, it’s just a new challenge. It comes down to creativity and you can stand out, you can run events that people will remember.

I always tell them to just leave their anxiety at the door. You’ve got to learn to network, you’ve got to learn to be extroverted and to speak to people. Put yourself out there because no one’s going to come to you. Just take every gig you can get. Just showing people that you’re playing, you’re available and putting yourself out there is always positive. To be honest, I think that for a lot of these smaller collectives or smaller brands, they will book you more on if they think that you can sell tickets than your ability, they put those two things in equal standing.”

Lastly, what are your favourite Bristol night outs?

Tommy: “If you are just dipping your toes into Dismantle, Club Blanco nights are a staple, Stretch Collective, Charlie’s nights are always a good night. Strange Brew is also such a nice space. You can never go wrong at the Love Inn too.”

Tai: “I would say the Love Inn would be one of my favourites, but they don’t really do drum and bass, so probably Lakota but also loving Greenworks, it’s wicked”

If you fancy a couple of weeknights out to cure your winter blues make sure to check out The Love Inn and The Croft on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th to support your local scene.