Art & Sound of Bristol Underground

Chris Burton and Gary Thompson have compiled a fascinating collection of flyers advertising secret parties on the Bristol circuit in the 80s and conducted a series of interviews with the people behind the leading hip hop crews of the day. The result is a book that covers an area in Bristol’s (and the UK’s) musical development that has never before been documented. Nothing seemed too daunting for the young DJs, MCs and rappers as they took over abandoned buildings, moved in the sound systems and partied all night long. The only publicity was word of mouth and flyers. Many of the artists behind the flyers such as FLX, Inkie and Nick Walker have gone on to gain national and international recognition while some of the crews have become music superstars.