Industry Insights: Noisy Antics

By Resonate | April 23, 2021

Words By Ruby Lawrence

From dancing rig side in Lakota, to sipping rum and coke in the garden of The Black Swan, there is nothing quite like Bristol’s jungle/dnb scene. Whether it’s our beautiful multicultural community which is prevalent in the sound of the music, or the environment which supports up and coming talent, one thing is for sure, the Bristol dnb scene wouldn’t be the same without the creative minds behind it. We caught up with the managing director of one of Bristol’s most iconic jungle/dnb nights, Rumble In The Jungle, producer, DJ and young entrepreneur Jack Cottle, aka Noisy Antics, to talk to us about the past and future of the scene, and how he navigated his way through working and performing within the industry he loves. 

As Rumble in the Jungle approaches its 7th birthday, I wanted to explore with Jack where it all began. He explained how his family was the route of his passion for music. “From reggae to rock, I was always kicking my legs away to anything that was playing in the car, though the passion for mixing came a little later at about 15. I originally started mixing on vinyl and then by the age of 16 I owned my own soundsystem”. 

Jack is passionate about how Jamaican sound system culture has had such an impact on Bristol’s jungle/dnb scene and suggested they represent a “chance to get your talent out there and create connections within the community. My sound system was called Outlaw and we used to travel round playing parties with other systems like Gyro and Subliminal.” However, eager to do something more formal and expand his professional remit Jack was quick to take advantage of some of the opportunities that have come his way. “I started as a resident DJ for Rumble, just performing and working festivals and things just stemmed from there. Within the last year I have become the managing director for Rumble in the Jungle and twelve34 productions (the production and delivery arm of Rumble In The Jungle)” 

Another strong trait of Bristol’s jungle/dnb scene is its healthy competition, events such as HighRise, Dazed, Briztek and Wide Eyes are all making themselves heard. Jack explains how important healthy competition is for the industry. “It keeps you on your toes, it keeps you fresh and it keeps you moving, because if you’re not, you’re not gonna make it. As much as it is competition it’s also a community, we are happy to help each other out or work together.” 

I was interested to find out who else he thought was bringing something exciting to Bristol’s signature sound, and so he took us back to life before lockdown. “Concept Collective, is a night that used to happen once every month at Crofters Rights. It was basically run by the founding fathers of the Bristol dnb scene. That night just represents the original sound of drum and bass in Bristol”. However, Jack argues that despite these successful retro dnb nights, “the talent is only getting stronger” and the rise in recognition for female DJs has given the scene the variety it needs. 

While we still can’t connect through live music, we spoke about the importance of maintaining a positive presence online. Keeping active through livestreams and social media has kept the energy high within the drum and bass community and Jack is adamant live streams have been a blessing during lockdown. “Everyone has been so deprived of going out, being entertained and connecting through music so I think that something as simple as being able to watch a DJ or MC that you really like, even if it is through a screen, has made this all that little bit easier.” He continues, “It keeps the community together as you still have to network. It keeps the artists busy as well as communicating with managers and promoters, I really think live streams have made their stamp”. 

As the 21st of June approaches, hopefully so does our freedom. With the hope of festivals and events just around the corner, Jack and I began to reminisce about some of his favourite musical moments. We discussed festivals such as Glastobury, Boomtown and Jungle Dam but for Jack, Outlook Festival is the one that stands out. “It was one of those bucket list moments. I have been for four or five years now and the last two years I went, I played which was such a blessing”. 

I was also interested to find out what else had kept Jack motivated and positive during the lockdown and he said something which really resonated with me; “It’s been a very bumpy road, but what actually keeps me going is seeing other people do well. It’s nice to see what you put your energy into, grow and flourish. So seeing the people within the scene doing well encourages me. People always need to encourage each other and not be spiteful. I think in any industry it’s very easy to compare yourself to other people. That’s one of the negatives with social media, people live two lives, one real and one virtual and you only see the good things virtually so you are always comparing yourself to someone ‘perfect”. 

I feel this is a reminder to everyone to stay inspired, stay real and keep working, because in order to succeed you need to create opportunities for yourself.

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