Carving Out Space: New Black Music Nights in Bristol

A new wave of music events is energising nightlife in the British city of Bristol. Driven by the rolling log drums of amapiano and other electronic sounds from the African diaspora, these parties are the work of a young generation of Black promoters. Their goal is not simply to put on a good night out, however. They are passionate about creating spaces where Black people can hear their music, celebrate their cultures and feel a genuine sense of belonging.

Unkle Mykel, originally from Kenya, moved to the UK in 2005. He started hosting events in his own back garden after arriving in Bristol in 2017. What began as small barbecues slowly grew into a way of connecting people, particularly those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. He now runs events under the names Bristol Barbecue Family and The Aux Social. Mykel has seen the visibility of African music change dramatically over the years. He remembers a time when Caribbean genres were far more prominent on the airwaves than Afrobeats. For him, the growing popularity of sounds like amapiano, a house music subgenre from South Africa, is a chance to broaden the scene. As he puts it, people no longer need to pretend to be someone else; they can simply be themselves.

DJ and promoter Khiah Lou shares this vision. Last year she launched Khaya Nights, an event dedicated to amapiano and other African Caribbean electronic dance music. Having performed internationally, she felt Bristol was lagging behind other cities in offering a range of events celebrating these sounds. Rather than wait, she decided to help build the scene herself. Khiah believes these nights are about much more than just a party. They provide a place where people can connect with their identities and see their cultures reflected in the city around them. Without such community events, she argues, people can feel they have nowhere to go to truly be themselves.

Tazmin Samuels, who DJs as Azumei, echoes these concerns about representation. She is part of Rushtown, a Black-led music collective that champions sounds from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Her motivation for starting the collective came from noticing a lack of representation of the Black music that people were actually listening to at the time. She sees encouraging signs as more Black-focused music brands appear, yet she feels the wider music industry still needs to recognise the value of what these promoters are building.

Building these spaces has not been without its challenges. Khiah has struggled to find venues willing to host nights aimed at Black audiences. Although she considers Bristol an inclusive city overall, her experience as a promoter has revealed a different side. Some venue owners have told her directly that they are worried about hosting a Black event. She finds this fear disheartening. Mykel describes similar tensions, explaining that some venues are enthusiastic at first, only to face objections from people living nearby.

These experiences are part of a much longer history. During the 1960s, many Black people were turned away from existing clubs and bars in Bristol. As a result, communities created their own “blues parties”, unlicensed house parties where people danced to genres like ska and reggae. In 1966, the Bamboo Club opened as a cultural lifeline for the city’s Caribbean community. Glen Crooks, who is now 70, remembers sneaking in with his friends when he was young. It was a place where Caribbean people could go and truly have a good time. Today’s young promoters are continuing that same tradition of carving out spaces to dance, connect and belong.