CHAINSKA BRASSIKA
Lost Horizon, Bristol
Chainska Brassika, the fully-suited London-based ska and reggae band, are busy with preparations for their debut festival Bounce and Groove, With a full line-up announced featuring the likes of Joe Armon-Jones, Roni Size, K.O.G, Prince Fatty, Zion Train, Sisters in Dub, and Dr. Syntax to name a few, expect the sounds of ska and reggae, as well as dub, hip-hop, jungle funk, soul and jazz.
With the festival set to take place on the 26–28th of July 2024 this year at Breedy Farm on the coast of Dorset, Chainska’s lead vocalist Ash (Shman), reveals all things Bounce and Groove while stopping on tour with his band in Bristol.
Born out of a London collective of audiophiles inspired by funk, soul, and folk in their earlier years in London, Chainska Brassika have evolved into a reggae and ska spectacle with a promise to get the masses ‘bouncing from start to finish!’
As a result of several successful club nights with the eponymous name and promise, Bounce and Groove festival takes the very same spirit to the fields of Dorset this summer. The band are still touring, sharing the Tales of a Londoner, but (since hitting 30 and gaining kids and losing hair) they have come to realise that even the thing they most enjoy needs sustaining and requires preservation.
‘This is our first festival, and we want to make sure we can deliver’, Ash remarks… ‘It’s a small festival with a cosy, intimate feel – around 1000 capacity.’ As he went on, with the cost of living crisis in full bloom, he is set on making ‘an affordable, but quality festival accessible to all to enjoy.’ This means bouncing and grooving, making friends with strangers, and maybe getting to know your neighbours, all while listening to great music and without 'breaking the bank'.
“Bounce and Groove [will be] a spectacle, but with that that cosy feel at the same time; it’s entertainment and relaxation together.”
TALK TO NOBODY - Ashley Davis
“We want to preserve what we do and make sure it is something we can maintain… we love it!”
- Ashley Davis
This includes wonderful K.O.G who brings the sounds of Ghanian folk, hip-hop, funk and reggae with unmatched energy. As Kweku revealed to us at one of his recent stops in Bristol, ‘there is a symbiosis between venues and event organisers, and artists themselves, that creates beautiful sacred spaces.’ We look forward to seeing how K.O.G transforms Breedy farm into a site of healing and meditation this summer!
Headlining is jazz, reggae and dub inspired virtuoso Joe Armon-Jones (Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia), followed by the heavy dub and jungle intensity of Zion Train, soft rock reggae with Prince Fatty, the quick-witted hip-hop rhythms of Dr Syntax, and the legendary drum ad that is Roni Size. On a small site, it’s hard not to imagine a bubbling musical melting pot – performing, listening, watching, and working together – on the idyllic coast of Dorset this summer.
As Ash reveals, the eclectic musical inspiration among the members of the band has directly inspired the line-up, offering a varied yet cohesive soundscape. This is new and familiar music for music lovers and families to enjoy alike, and we look forward to bouncin’, groovin’ this summer.
“Bouncin’ smoothly, groovin’ nicely, just relaxing… it’s music for musicians and music for everyone.”
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