Beyond the Bassline in Bristol: A Conversation with DJ Krust

As a special extension of the Beyond the Bassline exhibition, Autumn Art Lectures and the Centre for Black Humanities are pleased to host the pioneering DJ Krust, in conversation with DJ and edm researcher Marko Higgins (University of Bristol). As DJ and co-founder of Full Cycle records, member of the Fresh 4 and Reprazent, he is a pioneer of Bristol drum and bass and an innovator who helped push the genre forward. They will discuss past, present, and future of Krust's life and career, and provide a sneak preview of his new jungle exhibition.

The Autumn Art Lecture series is hosted by the University of Bristol's Faculty of Arts, Law & Social Sciences with support from the Centre for Black Humanities and Bristol Ideas.

Autumn is here, and for this year’s Art Lectures we have partnered with the University of Bristol’s Centre for Black Humanities! Bringing together a rich chorus of speakers, our new series invites you to consider the potential for liberation offered by creativity in all its forms. Across five events that will take us from the unexpected intersections of hip hop and gardening to the history and legacies of the Tudor court musician, John Blanke, we will examine the threads of power, protest and art-making that weave together across the work of artists, writers and musicians. Join us as we move from Bristol's Central Library to the RWA’s garden and from the local Jungle scene to celebrated novelist Monique Roffey’s imaginary island of St Calibri to celebrate artistic expression that challenges, uplifts, and liberates.

Find out more about the other events in the Autumn Art Lectures 2024: Creation & Liberation series. If you have any questions about this event or the series as a whole, please contact [email protected].

Bristol-born b-boy Kirk Thompson, best known as DJ and producer Krust, is a pioneering figure in the drum & bass and jungle scenes. Since emerging in 1989 as a member of Fresh 4 and achieving a Top 10 chart hit on Top of The Pops, Krust has left an indelible mark on the music world. A founding member of Full Cycle, the first non-London label to truly mould and manipulate the jungle schematic, and Reprazent, one of the first D&B acts to infiltrate the popular psyche and win critical Mercury Music Prize acclaim, Krust is celebrated for his unique musical style.

Krust's epic experimentalism is exemplified in his 1997 single "Soul In Motion" and the groundbreaking 1998 single "True Stories" for Talkin Loud. An in-demand remixer, Krust has reworked tracks for Björk, Korn, Moloko, Claude VonStroke, DJ Krush, Adam F, Shy FX, Alex Reece, DJ Ron, DJ Rap, and many more. His recent album, Edge of Everything, released in 2020 on Crosstown Rebels, received critical acclaim and was nominated for Album of the Year by the AIM Awards and DJ Mag.

Host or Publisher Faculty of Arts, University of Bristol