The dance music festival calendar is largely defined by two elements: the summer months and European outfits such as Dekmantel and Dimensions. But No Bounds in Sheffield is putting in the work to maintain a thriving electronic music festival scene in the UK even as the seasons turn and the skies get gloomier.
It’s heartening to see that the organisers have invested care to make sure that its lineup isn’t just a copycat of its European cousins, nor concentrated on big names for maximum commercial success. There’s a particular focus on acts from close to home: Sheffield DJs including Tino, Stevie Cox and 96 Back are booked alongside bigger names to ensure the local scene is nourished by the festival.
No Bounds looks back as well as forward, with many tributes to the legacy of Sheffield bassline – a type of UK garage that originated in the city in the early 2000s – paid over the weekend. Despite making her name as a techno DJ, the Black Madonna plays a headline set on Saturday night that is laden with choice bassline cuts. Berlin-based Ziúr is also a highlight, mixing bassline into the Bug with ease to a readily receptive crowd. In an industry where an artist’s genre becomes their selling point, it is refreshing to watch DJs set this aside to acknowledge the musical heritage of their host city.
Although the Saturday night rave at the Hope Works venue is the big draw of the weekend, Friday boasts an exciting array of performances. The festival takes over Kelham Island Museum, normally dedicated to the city’s steelmaking history, for an evening of live AV sets that leaves the audience with their jaws on the floor. Particularly notable is Lanark Artefax’s show, with strobes and purpose-built screens. It feels like being inside a soundtrack for a Black Mirror episode: an experience that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the final throb of bass ebbs out of the speaker. Over at Hope Works, Shygirl takes the main stage for a live set: played through the Sinai sound system, her hard bars and harder beats shake the room.
It’s easy to get caught up in the late-night sets, but No Bounds’s day programme is just as stimulating. There are talks on topics as varied as cyborg activism and grassroots politics with Leeds-based DJ collective Equaliser. They also give a lot of space over to ambient music experiences, from the immersive light and sound bath, where DJs play ambient sets while you are washed over by intense strobes, to the Black Dog’s set in a swimming pool on Sunday night. It denotes ambient music as something that deserves attention, not just music to be switched on so you can switch off.
In a way, Lanark Artefax’s show sums up the festival perfectly. The decks are off to the right, letting a big screen take centre-stage. While his skill is undeniable, there’s no ego here. This is what defines the festival: big DJs and those at the beginning of their career are given equal validity, with the music prioritised over names and reputations. For DJs, your name is your brand. For one weekend, No Bounds created a festival that left all that at the door.
