CLUBS

Bristol’s eclectic party collective go back to where it all began.

“It was really a way for a group of bedroom DJs to play their records out,” says DOP’s Ross Chester. “It started as a one-off event to raise money for a charity bike ride – but people wanted more.” The Detectives of Perspective have come a long way from that 2001 session at Bristol Comedy Pub – since renamed The Croft. They’ve brought DJ Shadow, Herbaliser and Roots Manuva to town, and taken their sensory overload of turntablism, live music and video to Glastonbury, Croatia and beyond.

The heart of their nights is a shifting collective called The DOP Allstars, whose selections are famously eclectic. “It’s grounded in the hip-hop movement,” explains Ross, “which in our opinion takes in pretty much all genres of music that are sample-based.” DOP’s broad outlook and audio-visual experimentation made them natural partners for one of the world’s most progressive labels. “We’ve been digging Ninja Tune since the early Coldcut releases,” Ross recalls. “When we looked to book our first out-of-towner, DJ Food – the Ninja flag bearer – seemed the obvious choice.” Food enjoyed it so much that he approached DOP to host the label’s only residency outside London. It ran for five years.

This month, DOP return to The Croft for their 10th anniversary bash. DJ Food will be there with fellow Ninja DK, as will Kormac, whose “full-scale audio visual assault” blends “hip-hop and nouveau swing”. Crucially, it will feature the biggest DOP Allstars line-up so far. “We’re bringing back all of the members from over the years for the turntable tag-team event of the year – including Snafu, United States of Audio, Grandpapayellaman, Meadon, Task and DJ 4Higher.” They’re not all veterans, though. “The freshest DOP recruits are even younger then when Snafu first joined us (we think he was about 16),” says Ross. “So with the enthusiasm of youth, I’m sure we have another few years of investigations left in us.”

DOP X WAS AT THE CROFT, BRISTOL ON SAT 9 JULY.