New Bristol Music: 10–16 October 2026

Ill Truth team up with Crook for Colossus on Truth Hertz, bringing another drum-and-bass selection to this week’s Bristol mix. The release sits at the meeting point of the label’s jungle and dancefloor interests: one for listeners following the city’s bass music output.

GiantStates’ Glow gathers three tracks — Spectrum, Fearsome Heart Of His Healing Hand and Amethyst — into a compact electronic release. Its deep-house, electro and experimental tags make this a worthwhile detour for anyone exploring the space between club music and more open-ended electronica.

Virus is our Datkid pick this week, with a bigger date already in the diary: Very Heavy Lead arrives on High Focus on 26 November. The 18-track album pairs the Bristol rapper with producers Illinformed and Dumb Logic, building on boom-bap foundations and a substantial guest cast. This is a preview of what’s coming, and a major local rap release to keep an eye on.

Elder Island’s Snapshot gets a new treatment from Kapote and Arpy Brown, extending the Bristol group’s electronic, funk and neo-soul orbit into a remix package. Bandcamp includes both the standard and extended remixes, an extended instrumental and the original. A useful invitation to compare how the same song changes shape across versions.

Morrow returns to Transparent Audio with What Came Before / Dimension, a two-track release rooted in the label’s Bristol drum-and-bass sound. The label frames this solo outing around funk, groove and rolling bass weight after collaborations with Spektiv and Revan. What Came Before is our pick, with Dimension waiting on the flip.

Same Time Next Week introduces Kevin Figes’ forthcoming Sound Dimensions, due on 20 November. The wider project brings eleven original compositions to a 20-piece orchestra, drawing on Italian composers Maderna, Nono and Morricone. Premiered at Bristol’s The Mount Without, it connects contemporary jazz, orchestral writing and improvisation in an ambitious local project.

echochamber’s dead to me is the Spotify selection here, with the full ten-track album scheduled on Bandcamp for 20 November. The album tracklist credits Love Is Noise on the title song, while the project’s emo, nu-metal and nugaze tags point towards a meeting of heavy music and hazier textures. One to explore now while looking ahead to the full record.

Klinical and LaMeduza join forces on Time, adding a collaborative single to this week’s selection. Klinical’s Bandcamp places the release within an electronic catalogue spanning drum and bass, minimal sounds and dubstep. Follow the direct track links for this pairing rather than letting it get lost in the album-heavy week.

Joseph McGann’s Un Desconocido features Poison Arrow and previews Old Wounds, due on Young Echo Records on 20 November. The seven-track project is co-produced by Amos Childs and also features Bogues. It is a good point of entry into a forthcoming release built around McGann’s writing and a closely connected group of collaborators.

Bruno and the Outrageous Methods of Presentation pair Tire Iron with You Know I Love You on a double A-side that draws on unruly rock’n’roll and garage-punk traditions. The band’s notes pitch the contrast as a wild rocker beside an off-kilter heartthrob ballad. Recorded with Sean Read at Famous Times, this is the week’s invitation to take a different guitar-music route.

PERSONAS pairs S Calibur with Solar, setting orchestral drama against the bass weight of dubstep and grime. The first track takes inspiration from the soundtracks of the Soul Calibur games; its companion pares back the orchestration while keeping the tension. A distinctive idea for listeners drawn to cinematic arrangements in club music.

Dan Pollard’s Voices Of The Avon Tideway brings music from the installation of the same name into an album setting. Recorded with The Tideway Choir at St Mary Redcliffe Church, it places a recognisable Bristol setting at the centre of this ambient selection. Footbridge/Building opens a tracklist that moves through birds, bridges and the rising tide.

Lithuanian artist Onegin brings Television to Tutamen, with No Second Option our Spotify entry point. The label describes the release as outsider acid, and its industrial, lo-fi and techno tags suggest a rougher electronic direction. A label-linked discovery for this week’s selection, rather than a claim that the artist is Bristol-based.

Lexus P’s Lex Education draws together hip-hop, neo-soul and R&B around lessons in love, relationships and self-worth. The Bristol artist moves from self-love on Crazy to vulnerability on Retreat, with NAHS SPNCR appearing on Just Love. Our linked pick is CON-SIGN, with the six-track project offering the broader context.