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FUNK IT UP: BANG BANG

Southampton's reaction to the bass music explosion, every thursday

As rolling eyes clock the camouflage draped ceilings with bug-eyed ravers lining the leather clad walls the new soundtrack of future house and bass that fills the dancefloor marks the arrival of Junk's latest night Bang Bang. Arguably the South’s answer to Fabric and the proud nominees of DJ Mag’s Best Of British Best Small Club Award are excited to offer their latest take on the ever-evolving dance culture. As Junk director Louis Lawrence describes the new addition to the Junk family,  “The music is slightly more underground/future-sounding. It spans more than just house music; we’ve coined it 'Future Beats & Bass'”.

Junk Department (the team overseeing the club and its various promotions) is known notoriously for holding some of the slickest house parties in Ibiza, Serbia, Berlin and gigantic warehouse bashes in the capital. This reputation is one that has rubbed off on Junk Club, solidly placed as one of the South’s hottest weekend haunts. It is this weekend haunt status, however, that Junk wanted to build on, and the new Bang Bang has done just that. 
“With the explosion of house/future sounds, it allowed us to split the genres normally catered for on Saturdays at Junk [Junk Love — the Saturday session spanning the breadth of house and techno],” explains Bang Bang promotions manager Rich Visionobi, “and amalgamate some of the more bass-driven sounds that were heard in the one-off parties we were putting on at Junk, creating a new weekly concept and potential for more than just a night.”


The one-off parties were not just throwaway moments, however; the nights allow those that appreciate more than just a cheap drink deal to come out of the woodwork and bask in the technical glories of the likes of Eats Everything, Seth Troxler and Dusky. Bang Bang has allowed these gigantic house nights to evolve into a weekly pilgrimage for the clued-up heads.

With the pace and constant diversity of the dance scene, a clear vision needs to be held to keep these heads happy.“You need to evolve and change your parties and bookings to keep up with and cater for demands whilst exciting the people in the scene,” Visionobi notes. 
And excite Bang Bang does, proudly showcasing anything bass-driven and cutting edge while welcoming all kinds of walks of life into the Bang Bang family. “With such an open forum with everyone involved, and with such a passionate team behind the project, everything is done to a really high standard,” muses Rich. “It glues together what may have been considered a fragmented scene/set of parties and combines them into one really strong series of parties... no stone (in the atmospheric sense) has been left unturned. It just works!”

Many could be forgiven for wincing at the thought of travelling miles to the deepest depths of Britain to party, but that’s okay, Bang Bang have this covered. Hosting sessions reminiscent of Boiler Room, Junk feeds a live stream direct from deck view so you can watch the magic unfold anywhere in the world. “Online media is becoming so big; it’s only a matter of time before clubs become more accessible over the internet,” Louis explains. “With Bang Bang going online, more [people] than just the South Coast and London [clubbers] can visit Junk, we open up our audience to an infinite (ish) sphere of influence.”

In terms of future listings, Louis and Rich are keeping tight-lipped, but the standards set to follow are high, after the appearances of DJ EZ, Ben UFO, Koan Sound and Woz. With this, slowing down does not seem to be on the horizon. Following the announcement of Fabric's Houndstooth label, the development of Bang Bang Recordings in February marks Junk giving something back and providing “a musical outlet for some of the amazing unsigned talent on the South Coast. It’s very, very exciting,” states Louis. Some of whom are bound to crop up on the Bang Bang residency list in good time and play to the people who offer “[a] relentless fount of energy in the crowd on Thursdays, there is absolutely nothing that they can’t take!” Match the description? Then get down or log on because things are about to go Bang!