Tag Archives: garage

2025 FRESHERS, WELCOME TO BONGO

08 September 2025 -

Welcome to The Bongo Club, or simply ‘Bongo’* as it’s affectionately known by regulars and locals alike.  We’ve been here since 1996, which makes us the longest-running underground nightclub and live venue in Edinburgh.  Much more info here.

Look out for these flyers, which will be circulating around town over the next few weeks.  Each one has four discount vouchers and a couple of free cloak room tickets on the back. The discount vouchers can be redeemed on the door at participating nights only.  See details of participating nights listed on the website.

NB PLEASE NOTE: This is subject to change, as other Bongo promoters jump on board.

WIN A YEAR ON THE GUEST-LIST + BONGO SWAG

This season, we’re offering you the chance to win a whole year on the guest-list – yup, you’ll be able to come to ALL of our events for the whole of your first year without paying any money – plus a stack of Bongo merch: a hoody OR sweatshirt (your choice which), a cap, a tote bag, even a mug!  In other words, we will give you just about everything you should need to get through your first year at uni, for free….

All you have to do is sign up for our mailing list.  The winner’s name will be drawn out of a hat at lunchtime on Friday 25th September.

NB On average, we only send out about one newsletter a month, so it won’t be a massive PITA and, if you lose interest, you can easily unsubscribe later.

NB2 This offer is open to 2025 Freshers ONLY, so if you end up winning and we then find out you’re not a Fresher, you will most definitely be a Loser.

FRESHERS WEEK EVENTS

Bongo will be open every night (bar Thursday & Sunday) for this year’s Freshers’ Week….

“Back for another 360 at Bongo,” say the Black Flag student crew. “As it’s freshers week make sure to get your tickets early. Tickets will be valid until 1am and you will not be able to get back in with the same ticket if you leave the venue. It’s going to be a big one as always. See you there.”  MORE INFO / TICKETS [Bongo Dollars accepted at the door]

“Van Rouge is back for the first event of the year after a sell-out day party in May,” say the Van Rouge student crew. “Join us at The Bongo Club where Edinburgh’s best will be spinning a mix of house, techno, and beats to get the week started right.”  MORE INFO / TICKETS

“After a string of sell-outs across Edinburgh, London, and beyond – including our recent roadblock at Sneaky Pete’s – we’re back for a Freshers’ Week special at the legendary Bongo Club,” say the Redemption crew.  MORE INFO / TICKETS [Bongo Dollars accepted at the door]

“Alien Disko returns to The Bongo Club to kickstart the new club season with a bang after a Summer break,” say the hard tek champs. “Bringing you two headliners, two lineups of DJs and full-scale rave exploration – we’re going all in.” MORE INFO / TICKETS  [Bongo Dollars accepted at the door]

“After a storming debut with us at Bongo last November, MiNNA makes her much-anticipated return to Club_Nacht x Hobbes Music this September, primed once again to take Bongo on a ride through her kaleidoscopic, effervescent sound,” say the house & disco championing CN x HM crew.  “Her style moves fluidly between deep, rolling house, disco flavours and head-turning curveballs, delivered with the kind of precision and playfulness that keeps a floor spellbound.” MORE INFO / TICKETS [Bongo Dollars accepted at the door]

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Steve Stamp Q&A

26 February 2020 -

We’re buzzing to be welcoming Steve Stamp aka DJ Steves (Kurupt FM) from genius BBC comedy People Just Do Nothing to the building on Thursday 5th March, not least as he’s co-headlining with jungle legend Randall!

TICKETS (SKIDDLE)

TICKETS (RA)

Promoters 23 Degrees caught up with him for a quick chat before the gig.

How old were you when you first started learning to mix? Which DJ’s inspired you to start?

Around 15 I think. I had some basic belt drives and me and Beats would go back to back after school. We were inspired by the West London pirate radio DJs. A lot of the time I didn’t really know who they were but I remember people like Oxide were playing the darker stuff that I was most into. I also had one tape with Deekline where he was scratching over garage, that was the maddest thing I’d ever heard. Blew my tiny mind.

Your sets are on ode to the Garage sound, what are your top 3 Garage slammers?

It’s hard to pick but there’s a few that have stood the test of time. Stuff like Roy Davis Jr ft Peven Everett – Gabriel, Active Minds – Hobsons Choice, Groove Chronicles – ‘Hold On’. They always existed on the classier end of the garage spectrum, very sexy production. They’re not tracks you’ll normally hear in a rave though, what I hope I can do with my sets is introduce some of the less obvious party tunes and show people some classics that they might not have heard before.

With Garage fully back on the map right now, which of the new school producers are you feeling?

Ah there’s loads of people making good beats. Conductah, Murlo… In terms of new stuff I’m more into grime: Sir Spyro, Swifta, Rudekid, Spooky. What I love about the scene is that a lot of these guys are selectors and their music emerges out of the radio and rave culture. It’s all connected and that’s what keeps it so authentic.

You’ve played in Edinburgh before with the rest of Kurupt FM, how was it? Are you excited to return?

Scotland is always messy. Weird shit seems to happen every time I’m there. DJs ending up in ambulances, McDonalds lock-ins. I blame the Buckfast. Need to add that to my rider actually…

We had Danny Rankin aka Decoy perform back in 2019, he had some serious Jungle music up his sleeve, do you ever sneak in some Jungle/DnB into your sets?

I’ll leave that to the pros. We’ve got Randall on the lineup with me and he’s told me that I’m not allowed to go beyond 140bpm. I mean he hasn’t actually said that, but he’s a legend and I know my place.

Any dubplates/suprises up your sleeve?

At some point during the set I sometimes like to surprise the audience by going briefly into character as Steves and doing a bad mix. So if you hear that then that’s why. And you’re welcome.

Finally, taps on or taps aff?

Taps aff. Trousers down. Red Stripe in each hand. Eyes closed.

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DJ Q headlines Distrikt launch night at the Bongo, Thursday 18th Oct

15 October 2018 -

Launching at The Bongo Club, Distrikt is presenting to you some of the best drum and bass, bassline and garage dj’s in the current scene and who better to headline our launch than DJ Q!

Part of the TQD collective, DJ Q is an innovative bassline DJ who is set to raise the roof for the first event. With recent performances at Boomtown and Lovebox festivals earlier this year, this event is one that is not to be missed!

Tickets have been flying, so don’t hang around if you’re keen!  Grab one here.

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Messenger Sound System Re-opening Night Party at Bongo this Sat 1st Sept!

31 August 2018 -

It’s been a long, hot summer…  Have you missed us?  Come show the Bongo dance floor some love!

High Grade Sound System Experience
Original Roots Advertiser since ’87…

Conscious Reggae Muzik / Dubwize.
Full Custom Built Sound System.
Good vibes/ heavy duty bass line…

Room 2 – Sound System Legacies with DJ Skillis and crew playing jungle, dub, garage, dubstep.

2 Floors of music – Don’t miss!
Powered by Messenger Sound System.

FACEBOOK

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Only 50 tickets left for Headset’s Hogmanay event! Don’t sleep!!

29 December 2017 -

Headset_Hogmanay17_banner

Headset tickets have been flying out the door since the event was announced in November and there are only fifty remaining tickets to be had now (4.30pm, 29.12.17), so don’t hang around if you’re keen to come to the Bongo for NYE.

The event features headliner Hodge (from Bristol) plus local star Telfort, with a veritable smorgasbord of local DJ support.

In short, this will be another great Hogmanay party at the Bongo, with everyone welcome!

THE LAST 50 TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE

Room 1 (Garage / Techno / House):
Hodge
Telfort
Ariose (Traum)
Ami K (Hi & Saberhägen)
Shapework DJs
Skillis (Headset)

Room 2 (Hip Hop / Funk / Reggae / RnB):
Soul Jam (Sneaky Pete’s)
Brother Most Righteous
DJ Jonny Cashback
Skanky B & Drowzee (Electrikal)

 

• D&B Sub Sound System
• Licensed Beer / Smoking Garden
• Sofa Room Upstairs

Past guests at Headset: DVS1, Paleman, Hodge, Kowton, Peverelist, Beneath, Sticky, El-B, Groove Chronicles, Scott Garcia, Champion, Parris, Facta, K-Lone, Chris Farrell, Danielle NTS, Murder He Wrote

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Big n Bashy welcomes pioneering grime and UK garage producer Jon E Cash, Sat 2nd April

31 March 2016 -
JonECash
Following President T and Sir Spyro, who played the club in February, Big n Bashy welcome pioneering grime / ‘sublow’ producer Jon E Cash (Black Ops) plus Dread D (aka T Williams) on Sat 2nd April.  More info about the Black Ops label / crew here, here and here. 
More info:
Back back in the day, before Grime there was Garage: too many types to mention, be it Chocolate Sweet Boy through to 2 step through to the darker vibes that started dubtep…….In between these times were DJs, producers and labels boldly breaking ground with new sounds and laying the foundations for future current UK sounds.
One of those producers is the mighty Jon E Cash, who had his own, signature sound and style which forged and heavily influenced the sound we know as Grime today as well as starting the much revered Black Ops label which was responsible for close to 50 releases breaking many new sounds and producers such as: Dread D, Charmzy as well as Jon E Cash’s own productions which are still in demand to this day.
Joining us on the night: Jon E Cash will be on mic hype duties alongside a very special suprise guest of Black Ops fame on decks playing classic Black Ops dubplates to make regular DJs weep.
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Bass music innovator Zomby headlines for Electrikal this Friday 25th March

24 March 2016 -

Zomby

Bass music innovator Zomby headlines for Electrikal this Friday 25th March and we’re super-excited to be welcoming him to the Bongo.

Zomby – a beast perhaps as mythical as Burial in UK bass lore, but with the ability to take the essential characteristics of numerous genres and fold them into a neat origami-like masterpiece. After his ode to carefree hardcore anthems with ‘Where Were You In ‘92?’ and digital dub classics like ‘Strange Fruit’ and ‘Spliff Dub’, he’s now graced us with both the the funky-ass ‘Let’s Jam!!!’ series and a stone cold eskibeat with Wiley (just to tick every damn box).

There’s a good interview with him from 2013 on Pitchfork and this much older one (from 2009) on FACT is also quite revealing.

This mix for Dazed is a good reflection of what he might be expected to play for the club.

And this more recent mix for Benji B on Radio 1 shows a more introspective side.

Tickets and more info here

 

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UK Garage legend Noodles (Groove Chronicles) headlines Headset, Fri 15th Jan

13 January 2016 -

noodles-7.24.2014

Headset’s first guest booking is the original UK Garage legend Noodles (Groove Chronicles). After a series of successful residents parties in their first year, they start off 2016 with a UK Garage Special, headlined by original don Noodles (one half of Groove Chronicles). A big player in the scene for 2 decades, Noodles brings nothing but bass and grooves to the dance floor. Support comes from local garage producer Guised and Witness (Sneaky Pete’s) residents Skillis, Fault Lines & Squelchy.

BIO

Having recently left the hustle and bustle of London in search for a slightly less hectic atmosphere, it is clear when speaking to Steven Jude aka Noodles that music is still his number one priority. Finally getting the vast majority of his record collection out of storage and beginning to get back in the studio.

Ever since playing at one of the original raves in Paris at the tender age of 17, you only need hear him play for a matter of minutes to know that his attitude to music is fundamentally the same and that his objective is to make people dance. His history working in record stores and selling vinyl records has given him the opportunity to get years of valuable face-to-face feedback on the music from the then thriving community that was listening to it.

Adamant that “those who try to be trendy out-trend themselves” he has consistently tried using his label DPR to release the music he loves. With releases dating back to 1997 it was the first outlet for his seminal Groove Chronicles project where began to push his unique hybrid sound. With tracks such as “Angel Body”, “Stone Cold” and “Black Puppet” still in heavy rotation many credit the project as one of the key foundations that musical movements such as 2step/dubstep and grime were built upon.  (Written by Misbah Anjum-James)

More info

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