Reflecting on En Masse 2024
At The Cube Microplex on the evening of Wednesday 13th November, En Masse 2024’s music programme is about to begin. The festival really began two days before, when Flash of Joy – an exhibition compiling photographs taken by Bristol photographer Mark Simmons – opened at the bar, café and home of Noods Radio, Mickey Zoggs. Depicting the period between 1990 and 2016, the exhibition chronicles the birth, assimilation and re-imagination of styles from from jungle to trip hop; and how their evolution has materialised via communal gatherings.
The exhibition reminds us of the richness of Bristol’s musical heritage, one so saturated that you can often find yourself accidentally doing a walking tour of its landmarks. Smith & Mighty’s infamous Ashley Road studio, Andy Scholes & Jack Lundie’s 2 Kings Records studio and St. Paul's Advice Centre where Black Roots rehearsed for ten years, will be your backdrop to a 25-minute walk from Montpelier’s Star and Garter (also noteworthy in Bristol’s musical legacy), and Bishopston’s the Prince of Wales. For people who live here it’s easy to take this for granted, so the exhibition offers a welcome reflection on what the term ‘en masse’ means in the context of Bristol history.
Elliot Hingston
There’s a subdued buzz as people shuffle into The Cube. Many people have come from work, and that familiar winter chill has just begun to fall on the nights. It’s the task of the programmed acts to break the ice. Evo Ethel – best known for their part in beloved Bristol bands Ex Agent, Foot Foot, and Zalizo – is up first, with an exclusive improvised solo performance. They take to a stage cloaked in mesh curtains, shrouded in smoke and scattered with instruments: a clarinet, bells, a grand piano. Over the 45 minutes that follow, they loop the whisper of each instrument, shrouding them in effects, and intricately contriving moments of light and shade. Like a play, it is a tale of three acts, beginning with enchantment, descending into mayhem, and ending with a tenuous resolution: a display of deft storytelling and the chameleonic artistry that has seen Evo become a staple in the local scene.
Next up is an exclusive collaboration between multi-instrumentalist Bethany Ley and spoken-word rhythmist ELDON, who come armed with an equally extensive acoustic and electronic set-up. It's fair to say that no one can predict quite what this performance will entail; and their ensemble of CDJ’s, an electro-harp, wind-chimes and various microphones suggests that it might not be until the very end of the show that we find out. This sense of intrigue is exactly where their performance thrives. Over the course of the show’s 70 minutes, ELDON leaves no square meter of the stage untouched. His dreadlocks cast a striking silhouette against the backdrop as they bob to the rhythm of dancehall instrumentals before he traverses the stage to nurse a shruti box – a drone instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent. Ley, on the other hand, switches between gently caressing her signature electro-harp and performing real-time-manipulated vocal trills. Even having seen the show, it’s not easy to describe it: a singular tapestry of dance music-indebted motifs (yes, even hoover sound effects), birdsong, poetry, mantra singing and wailing. The lights rise to an overwhelming ovation, including teary eyes and cries of ‘damn!’. It’s the first of the festival’s exclusively-commissioned collaborations to leave us awe-inspired.
Simon Holliday
The second of those materialises the following evening at Loco Klub – the subterranean setting where electronic post-punkster Autumns is set to perform alongside local dubstep pioneer and Bandulu Records co-founder, Kahn. They share a programme with France-via-London violinist and vocalist Vanessa Bedoret and Bristol’s own experimental multi-instrumentalist Silver Waves who, for the first time, will play in a trio.
Setting the stage for what’s to come is a discovery session of a different kind. In one of Loco Klub’s tunnels, local hero and Idle Hands boss Chris Farrell is poised for a talk with Dennis Bovell MBE. They’ll discuss a topic on which the legendary guitarist, bass player and record producer is well-versed: Bovell’s own life in dub and reggae. His boundless charisma and inimitable humour make for a memorable recollection of times spent in Bristol, as well as those with Lee Scratch Perry and post-punk outfit The Pop Group. It’s a fitting preface to Kahn and Autumns’ live collaborative show which will explore the interconnectedness of punk and sound system cultures’ lineage.
First though, a pummelling bass lures us to the next tunnel where Vanessa Bedoret has just pitched her violin and synths. We enter from either side of the stage to an occult red-tinged landscape where Bedoret can just about be made out against a backdrop of mist. Even for those who’d been to Loco Klub before, the staging sees the space completely transformed, and there’s a strong sense of being suspended in time and place. Our sensory experience, then, is solely rooted in Bedoret’s sonics, which flit between the corporeality of her violin & vocals and the otherworldliness of their synthesised instrumental. We’re immersed in delicate melodies which are swallowed up in rigorous swirls of noise, and crushed by the metal of machinic teeth.
Simon Holliday
Next to deliver their take on the night’s de facto theme of sonic abstraction is Silver Waves’ eponymous trio. Percussionist Dan Johnson and bassist Jo Kelly accompany him – real name Dylan Mallet – in a brain-melting amalgam of orchestra, pop, noise and drone. The unconventional use of traditional instrumentation which serves as Malett’s artistic MO is in full force, cultivating immersive soundscapes that rapid-switch between the hellish and heavenly.
By the time Kahn and Autumns take to the stage, there are few sonic stones left unturned; but their show brings a unique energy into the tunnel. Over the next hour, we’re mobilised by the evening’s first identifiable pulse. Its propulsiveness and synth-heavy sound palette situate the performance comfortably within the realm of Autumns’ ties to the Regis and Female-founded Downwards Records imprint. At once groovy, urgent, punky and rapturous, it combines drum machines, dub sirens, Kahn’s bass guitar and Autumns’ inimitable vocals in a dynamic show that did exactly what it set out to do: demonstrate the marvels that can come from looking past genre to explore a shared musical consciousness.
“Even those who live in Bristol are able to experience the same novelty as if they were visitors”
The weekend schedule is packed. Before the music even begins, there’s the opportunity to partake in a whole host of activities. Magpie, a sound installation composed by Peru-born, Bristol-based Angela Ugarte awaits those visiting the crypt of St John’s – a remarkable church built into the medieval wall that once divided Bristol’s city centre. Elsewhere around the city, production workshops are being delivered by the likes of Pinch, Flora Win Yong and Manuka Honey (to name just a few). The more epicurean amongst us can have our senses stimulated via a gong bath led by one-third of the Thursday night-performing Silver Waves trio, Dan Johnson; or by the East African food provided by local joint Jikoni at the official En Masse social. On Friday night, our nourished bellies and stimulated brains left all but one of our needs attended to. Enter: En Masse 2024’s first club night.
An ex-industrial warehouse located on the outskirts of Bristol, Green Works holds the same kind of delinquent energy that you might find at a squat rave, one that’s hard to engineer in a purpose-built club space. Even those who live in Bristol are able to experience the same novelty as if they were visitors. Its remoteness not only breeds a specific sense of community amongst fellow ravers, but provides an opportunity for Sinai – the sound system that’s been drafted in from Sheffield especially – to be put to the test.
Elliot Hingston
Mish sets the tone on the dancefloor with the sludgy, bizarro club cuts for which the local DJ, producer and Noods Radio darling has become known. There’s a certain skill implicated by half-time DJ sets, one that Mish has mastered after years of practice on dancefloors around the city. His blend of majority-100BPM-or-thereabouts chuggers make for a kinetic warm up which paves the way perfectly for what’s to follow. The night’s only live show comes courtesy of Azu Tiwaline and Forest Drive West: the first performance of their debut collaborative EP released this year on Bristol label, Livity Sound. It’s a deep, introspective journey through the hidden corners and meandering wormholes of an occult, mystical landscape. But despite the music’s hypnotic quality, dynamic polyrhythms and low end throbs are enough to awaken us from any daze and galvanise us for the next set.
It’s just as well. Patrick Russell has just flown in from New York to play for his first ever Bristol crowd. He takes us on a whiplash tour through his idiosyncratic strain of crunchy techno, muscular electro and tripped-out braindance. Having played his part in animating the crowd even more, he hands over to those whose role it is to see it all off. It’s a job to which neither En Masse founder Batu nor Berlin’s Subglow boss CCL, are a stranger. What ensues is a fun-first foray through bubbly techno, breaks and dubstep that sends us home – some of us, anyway – with love in our hearts and *that* Pinch and Yolanda tune in our heads.
By this point, we recognise the majority of our fellow dancers, and pockets of conversation manifest amongst those who arrived to En Masse as strangers
The dawn of Saturday brings new hangovers and fresh opportunities to ease them through musical discovery. The first of those materialises at The Island, the intimate city centre venue where local flautist Tina Hitchens has just taken to the stage. The sounds Hitchens breathes into various wind instruments take on a life of their own as they pass through her mixing desk and effect pedals. At times eerie, at others humorous, the theatre of her show equates to that of a full instrumental ensemble and if you close your eyes it’s difficult to believe she’s on stage alone, behind a setup so modest. A characteristically not-so-modest setup accompanies the next performers onstage. Long-time collaborators, founders of Freerotation festival and general underground heroes Steevio and Suzybee delight in their now-iconic live AV modular techno show. The experience of watching it unfold is akin to a free jazz jam, as the two collaborators improvise, drift in and out of sync and synergise in real-time.
Elliot Hingston
As is now tradition, DIY gig, club and exhibition space, Strange Brew houses the closing event. By this point, we recognise the majority of our fellow dancers, and pockets of conversation manifest amongst those who arrived to En Masse as strangers. Bristol locals will be familiar with the night’s two opening acts: Red Wax label boss and house & techno connoisseur R.E.D. and analogue dub extraordinaire Sunun. R.E.D delivers a masterclass in opening sets, delving into the subaquatic depths of dub techno, making stops at groove-laden breakbeats and upbeat steppers. Her tracks meander effortlessly through genre, honing in on specific motifs to form a cohesive thread that subtly mutates before our eyes. She generates a captivating energy that can often be left out of opening sets, and primes the dancefloor perfectly for what’s to follow.
Sunun is by no means a newcomer to the scene. Bokeh Versions, Young Echo, Slack Alice – her affiliations lie with some of its modern-day cornerstones. Having taken a years-long break from performing live, tonight marks the eagerly-awaited return to her mammoth mixing desk. Sunun’s ability to follow a DJ set and hold the crowd with even the sparsest of compositions, stands testament to their magnetism. She integrates her own live vocals into meticulously-crafted dub configurations, and even incorporates jungle breaks in an unexpected turn. It’s a joyous homecoming for a local legend.
Elliot Hingston
There’s a certain vibe En Masse’s curators seek to cultivate on the festival’s closing night: one that captures the festivities of the past four days, as well as providing the space for incipient connections to more fully develop. The third artist entrusted with that duty hails from Milan: Paquita Gordon takes to the Strange Brew cage, armed with a crateful of twelve-inch delights. We bear witness to a true master at work, as her selection of tracks which are equal-parts high-powered and groovy, sends the crowd into a frenzy. It’s an energy which the next DJ – the very final act of this year’s edition – is eager to harness. But instead of following suit, Jon K does exactly what it is he’s known for: throwing curveballs. He takes the pulse and slows it right down, bending and stretching it in a way that sparks intrigue and suspense. Before we can settle into anything too comfortably, he screws it up and starts again. By the end of the set, gqom and footwork have exploded into jungle, and rounding it off is ESG’s U.F.O.
It’s a cliché to romanticise the lights-up moment at the end of a club night, but this is truly one to behold: a moving interpretation of a Mark Simmons photograph; a flash of joy; bodies en masse. There will be many more to come between now and next year, but for now it’s time to close the chapter on a truly spectacular edition.