Wild Bunch Sound System (1986) Bristol – DJ Milo, Daddy G, Nellee Hooper, MC Willy Wee at St Pauls carnival.
“Bristol today is synonymous with drum and bass and dubstep, but back in the mid-1980s, it was the UK’s hip-hop heartland. Against a backdrop of Thatcherism and high unemployment, the city’s youth developed a taste for US rap and got heavily into the music, fashion and partying of that culture.
The sound systems, civil-rights demonstrations and parties that Bristol native Andy Beese (aka Beezer) documented in photos were, in fact, the roots of a burgeoning UK urban music scene, which, for a time, was absolutely brilliant…”
The Wild Bunch Crew: Pioneers of Sound System Culture
We love celebrating the roots of music and culture, and few crews are as iconic as Bristol’s Wild Bunch. Emerging in the 1980s, they fused reggae, hip-hop, punk, funk, and soul, creating a unique sound that shaped the music scene.
Known for their genre-defying parties and creativity, The Wild Bunch laid the foundations for what would later become Massive Attack and the trip-hop movement. Members including Nellee Hooper, Daddy G, and DJ Milo became key figures in music production, influencing artists worldwide.
Their story, detailed at Red-Lines.co.uk, is a must-read for anyone who loves the DIY ethos of sound system culture and its transformative power. The Wild Bunch reminds us how music builds communities & helped shape us as DJ’s in those early years. Soundsystem culture like this was a big part of the reason we first launched our jams in 2011 in the park all those years ago at the first SOUL OF SYDNEY picnic. Dive into their history below, and check out this dope documentary on Bristol TRIP HOP science.
Sounds Of The West – Straight Outa Bristol (Wild Bunch/Massive Attack/Tricky/Postishead)
TV documentary series originally aired in 1996, entitled “Sounds Of The West”, which examined the music being produced in the West of England.
This particular episode named “Straight Outa Bristol” focused on the eponymous “Bristol Sound” and features interviews with DJ Milo (formally of The Wild Bunch), Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead. Music journailist, Phil Johnson, who would go on to write a book on this same subject, also weighs in on his feelings regarding the impact that Bristol had on the rest of dance music at the time.
Chapters:
01. Wild Bunch – 00:00-02:46
02. Massive Attack – 02:46-11:25
03. Tricky – 11:25-16:48
04. Postishead – 16:48-25:00
WATCH BELOW:
WATCH THE DOCUMENTARY HERE
http://www.red-lines.co.uk/thewildbunch.html
