- Intrigue has made its name as one of the leading club nights in Bristol over the past six years. Synonymous with leftfield, underground drum & bass, Intrigue is organised by the Bristol production duo, The Insiders, and has seen high-flying headliners from across the d&b spectrum—from Storm to Patife, Fierce to Fabio, these boys know exactly what they're doing. And this night was no exception—it lived up to its reputation in the underground world of Bristol's d&b scene—and provided a nice Friday night vibe to see us through the weekend.
Dojo Lounge has been the home of Intrigue for the past four years; a dark, cavernous venue with low ceilings, deep wine red walls, minimal lighting and plenty of room for pumping bass: A favourite of students and heads alike, it's pretty much the perfect venue for the Intrigue line-up. With a big outdoor terrace area with benches, patio heaters and overhanging drapes it's a pretty chilled out venue with lots of potential for underground d&b atmospherics. There is, however, a tendency to give in to the allure of the terrace and simply sit outside smoking for most of the night and miss most of the action inside.
We arrived to the sound of Witness on the decks, playing out some mellow and melodic bassline numbers, which set the mood for the night. Living up to the Intrigue "deeper drum & bass" tagline, Witness got the ball rolling as more people arrived and started to fill up the club a bit more. Outside on the terrace, there was some sizzling and smoking going on—but not the usual kind—a Jamaican BBQ was set up at the end, bringing out the jungle flavours nicely; a traditional feature of Intrigue's laidback vibes and a nice unique touch.
Even so, it felt by this point as though the night was looking a bit sparse on the energy front. The music's there, but the crowd wasn't quite on the level yet. I have a chat with Ben Payne, the organiser of the night, "Yeah it could go either way tonight, as the students aren't back yet! I'm sure it'll be alright." Meanwhile, inside on the decks, Witness was repping the new release on Intrigue, as well as some classic tunes by the hosts, The Insiders, getting us warmed up for Friction's 90 minute set.
By the time Friction comes on, Payne was proven right: The dance floor was pretty much packed out. Friction, used to headlining big Random Concept and One Nation line-ups, and catering for the jump up generation, slipped into the Intrigue vibe nicely, playing out a lovely selection of tunes including some late '90s bangers. He moved towards a more liquid sound in the middle of his set with tracks by Icicle and Calibre, and finally ended up with some stompers as his set drew to an almighty close.
Next, The Insiders played a storming set with lots of their own new tunes as well as releases from the rest of the Intrigue crew, including Break, Survival and Random Movement—before handing over the mixing duties to their comrade in arms, Eveson, who finished up the night, and kept the party going until the early hours.
It was at this stage that I decided to call it a night. In contrast to other d&b nights, which tend to peak around the 2 AM slot, the energy, the crowd and the music at Intrigue gradually built up and gained momentum as time went on. It's certainly different from any other D&B night I've ever been to before, and it's a refreshing change from the testosterone and chemical-fuelled commercial d&b nights that I'm so used to.