Gainesville, Florida USA – As summer starts to edge its way into 2023, electronic music events, concerts, nightclubs, and festivals have been on the rise to the delight of fans across the country. There has been a noticeable recent surge in dance music events and in particular house, techno and drum and bass music events and it appears that the sunshine state of Florida is really starting to reap the benefits.
For years, Florida has been home to some of U.S. DnB music’s most iconic legends, such a Dave Minner (aka AK1200 from Orlando Florida) and Kevin Harrell (aka Circle K of Torque Drum & Bass Orlando) who have been involved in the U.S. DnB community since the start. Each credited with their involvement in event production and for their skills on stage, behind the decks.
Over the years, the entire United States of America has spawned some legendary Drum & Bass artists such as R.A.W./6Blocc (aka Raoul Gonzalez of Los Angeles), Dieselboy (New York City), DJ DB (New York City), DJ Dara (NYC), Phantom 45 (Chicago), Danny the Wildchild (Chicago), Rob Machete Gonzalez (Junglist Platoon, Respect Drum & Bass Los Angeles), Pish Posh (New York), LOGAM (DJ/Producer from Atlanta signed to Ram Records), Nick Couch (360 Degrees of Mississippi Drum & Bass), APX1 (Los Angeles), Sean Blakey (Mr. Deeds/SDF1 from Los Angeles) and many, many more.
These legendary drum and bass DJs, producers, and promoters of Drum N Bass music, have witnessed the evolution of Drum & Bass music and the community who supports it and have been delighted with the way the community has grown, while never losing connections with the true and loyal fans of DnB.
“Drum & bass has always had a dedicated underground following in America…” says Torque Drum & Bass founder Circle K, “…it’s just been gaining more traction in the mainstream lately, which is a good thing. More people being introduced to the music we love is needed to maintain and grow our scene. And when the mainstream moves on to the next “hot” genre, the underground d&b heads will still be here like we always have been. Only we’ll gain some new d&b fans in the process.”
Whether you are an old school jungle diehard or new to the drum n bass genre, now is a great time to be alive as the increase in DnB events with stellar lineups have all fans in a position to become very, very spoiled.
One such event sure to satisfy even the most scrutinous of drum and bass music followers in America, is the upcoming Science & Sickness event being produced by K0NTR0LLED KA0S in association with veteran event producer and marketing consultant David King of David King Marketing Solutions on Saturday, November 18th, 2023 in Gainesville Florida.
This very special Drum & Bass event will feature two legendary nightclubs (Simon’s & Signal) merged into one to become two rooms of legendary drum n bass artists, many of whom have never appeared on the same lineup together. The Science & Sickness Drum & Bass event in Florida will comprise of talent which was carefully curated by people extremely passionate about Jungle, Drum & Bass, and their roots, as the lineup includes many of the originators of Drum N Bass Music and Rave Culture in America.
Eric Rogers of KONTROLLED KAOS stated “We want it to be known how absolutely proud we are to have assembled such an incredible lineup, one that has been specifically crafted for the true drum and bass fans out there. I truly feel that this lineup is one that could only be hosted at a legendary venue like Simon’s nightclub in Gainesville. I hope that this show starts a rebirth of what Simon’s has always stood for in the dance music scene in Florida.”
The full details regarding the lineup for Kontrolled Kaos presents: Science & Sickness is still being kept tightly under wraps. This very secretive lineup has everyone within the community buzzing about which U.S. DnB legends will be headlining this event. At the time of this writing, only approximately 40% of the official lineup has been leaked. This is what we know so far:
Event: Science & Sickness by Kontrolled Kaos
Date: Saturday, November 18th, 2023
Where: SIMON’S + SIGNAL in Gainesville Florida USA
Lineup: Special Guest Headliner | Special Guest Headliner | Special Guest Headliner | MONK | ODI | CIRCLE K & MC COLLABORATOR | MTPockets | ILLTERROR | HELLMAN
With Special Guest MC: MC Collaborator
*** FULL LINEUP TO BE ANNOUNCED ***
“David King and the team at Kontrolled Kaos definitely have my full endorsement and I love that they all are so incredibly dedicated to the health and wellness of the drum and bass scene here in Florida and all of America.” –Dave Minner (AK1200).
If seeing prolific names like MONK and ODI on this lineup is any indication, then it could be expected to see some additional legendary names who have also helped shape American Drum N Bass music when the full lineup is officially announced in the coming weeks. It is also a strong indication that this special one-off Florida Drum and Bass event is something that shouldn’t be missed.
“It’s honor to see events include names like this in the lineup like we are seeing with what Kontrolled Kaos is doing in November. DJing alongside these legendary originators of the US D&B scene over the years has been very special to me personally. The talent they have lined up for this event has truly helped pave the way for all US D&B artists today and their mixing styles and tune selections were big inspirations for me. Some of their early mixtapes helped introduce me and countless others to drum & bass music and are still straight fire to this day.” – Circle K
It is clear to see just how special this event will be when an artist credited for founding one of the longest running drum and bass collectives in America (Torque), and who has booked the biggest names in Drum and Bass spawning across over 2 decades, is this impressed with a lineup, DnB fans across the nation should take notice.
“Being able to bring some absolute drum and bass legends together under one roof, at one of Florida’s most legendary electronic music venues, for a single night of drum and bass to showcase talent of this caliber, who without, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation, is rewarding in-it-of-itself. Since 1993, I have watched the Jungle and DnB community grow and couldn’t be more excited than I am right now for the state of U.S. Drum N Bass.” says event marketing expert David King about the November 18th event in Gainesville Florida and the current state of drum and bass in America.
When it comes to drum & bass DJs who are also outstanding well known for their outstanding event production skills here in the States, no one knows better than Rob Machete of Los Angeles’s Respect Drum & Bass. Respect is one of the longest running Drum & Bass weekly events in America and the Respect crew has played host to literally the who’s who in the genre of Jungle and DnB music.
“Since the early 90’s I have had the honor to contribute to and watch the Jungle and Drum N Bass music grow and evolve. Since the very early days the love and passion I have for this music and the community has been unending. Having had opportunities to host some of the biggest names in the genre over the years has shown me just how loyal the fans are and how many new fans are being introduced to Drum N Bass music each year. Honestly, it is both motivational and humbling all at once. Seeing so many new events happening across the nation really show just how bright the future of Drum N Bass is and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.” –Rob Machete (The Junglist Platoon, Respect Drum N Bass Los Angeles).
Regardless of how you look at it, it truly is a great time to be a fan of drum and bass music and events in America. With so many amazing concerts and events across the nation right now, you really can’t go wrong.
Drum and Bass lovers throughout North Central Florida as well as UF Students looking for something to do near the University of Florida this year, will not be disappointed with all the top tier events coming to Gainesville in 2023.
Gainesville local and drum and bass DJ Paul Hunt (DJ Illterror) stated how excited he is to see all this talent come through his beloved city. Being included on the lineup for this year’s Science & Sickness event is a special moment for him for a multitude of reasons, as Paul said earlier this week “I’m really excited to play this show in my hometown of Gainesville Florida at the legendary Simon’s nightclub where it all began for me. My first show at Simon’s was with Usual Suspects back in 1998. So, this event is going to be a legendary night for Drum N Bass in Gainesville, for Drum N Bass in Florida, and for U.S. Drum N Bass as a whole. As I have watched the Drum N Bass scene grow in Gainesville, especially over the last few years, I am just so honored to be a part of this event going down at Simon’s and Signal by David King and Kontrolled Kaos this November.”
Being able to take part in something this special and to be booked to play alongside a lineup of groundbreaking legends in the Jungle and DnB community is a rare opportunity that should easily create memories that will last a lifetime not only for the DJs themselves, but also for everyone in attendance to watch it all firsthand.
Simon Semrani, owner of Simon’s, Signal, The Loft, and his soon-to-be reopened rooftop venue is no stranger to hosting some of the biggest names in electronic music dating back to the very early 1990’s. This collaboration between Mr. Semrani, David King, and Kontrolled Kaos’ Moe & Eric Rogers, is a dream come true for many fans of underground electronic music events. With any luck, we can certainly hope to expect more event collaborations between veteran event producers like this, who pay homage to the roots and culture of the underground, throughout the U.S. in the future.
Anyone familiar with the rich history of the legendary Simon’s Nightclub as one of the first nightclubs in America dedicated to underground electronic music understands the significance of this collaboration between all of these long-time electronic music industry professionals. The word around the campfire is that the lineup for this upcoming all Drum and Bass event is said to be something that American drum and bass events haven’t really done as frequently as one might expect.
If you are unable to attend, what is to be an historic event for U.S. D&B music, then stay tuned to the non-profit Public Broadcasting Music Television (PBMTV.org) who has expressed a serious interest in wanting to re-broadcast videos from this event, albeit a few months after it happens. It goes without saying, it won’t be the same as being there firsthand, but it is good to know that there may still be hope for those unable to travel with there being streaming and livestreaming platforms like PBMTV as available options for artists these days.
However, if you will, in fact, be anywhere near the Southeastern United States on November 18th 2023, you may want to look into making your hotel reservations now, as this legendary drum and bass lineup for “Science and Sickness” is absolutely stacked. Not to mention that the entire Drum & Bass community nationwide seems to all be anticipating this particular DNB event in Florida to be talked about for some time to come.
If the current state of drum and bass continues its progressive growth patterns as it has over the last several years, and if we continue to keep seeing more and more amazing drum and bass lineups popping up on the calendar, then we very well may truly be getting a taste of what to expect for the future of U.S. Drum & Bass culture. Frankly, there isn’t a better time than right now to be a fan of Drum & Bass music.
For more information check out Kontrolled Kaos Events.
