A day of rest?

Mono Tonic - Launch Party
Sunday 1st March @ LAB (ex-Arc Bar)
Broad Street, Bristol
3pm-1am
£2 before 6pm, £3 after

APPLEBLIM (Skull Disco / Apple Pips / Rinse FM)
What better way to launch our weekly Sunday session than to host someone who is hands down one of our favourite selectors worldwide, never mind in Bristol. Laurie "Appleblim" Osborne is the man, and we've got him down to LAB for not one, but TWO sets to keep you on your toes for the first Mono Tonic party. Alongside his good buddy Sam Shackleton, the pair curated the now defunct Skull Disco label, forging a sound that defied the usual 'dubstep' categorisation. With Appleblim’s heavy, metallic sound providing the perfect counterpoint for Shackleton’s more ethnic and polyrhythmic style, they won legions of fans, and devastated dancefloors worldwide. More recently, 'blim has started up his own Apple Pips imprint, which continues to push the boundaries of modern music with its jawdropping releases, whether they're of a dubstep or techno persuasion. As anyone who's listen to Appleblim's now legendary shows on London pirate station Rinse FM will attest, Laurie's selection prowess doesn't just extend to techno and dubstep - nor does it end with grime, 2-step and funky. Natch, the man Osborne has been working in record shops (most notably Notting Hill's Soul & Dance Exchange) for years, picking up all sorts of aural gems that you might not necessarily associate with him from listening to his sets or productions. House, disco, hardcore, IDM, dub, jazz, jungle, electro... I could go on, but I'm sure that you've already gathered how much of a walking encyclopedia of staggeringly brilliant tunes this man actually is.

Mono Tonic is therefore proud to present two separate sets from the 'blim. Kicking off in the afternoon, Laurie will be indulging us with some of the many gems from his eclectic collection. Digging deep into his racks, he'll be pulling out some obscurities and oddities to play alongside some older classics that don't necessarily fit into his normal club sets. Later on in the evening, he'll be donning his dubsteppin' cap to play us a set of dubstep, techno, funky, and whatever else he's playing at his many gigs around the world of late. What else can we say? Blimmin' marvellous!

ANDY CLARKSON (Payback Hi-Fi)
Andy Clarkson has become somewhat of an institution on Bristol's reggae scene over the past ten years, and we're glad to welcome him to the Mono Tonic fold for our first party. It isn't just reggae that's Mr Clarkson's forte, however. His massive collection of reggae, dub, disco, house, post punk and everything inbetween is pretty damn enviable to any self-respecting DJ worth their salt, and he'll be endowing us with a perfectly blended selection of nuggets from his array of Ikea Expedits. Expect the unexpected...

JACK THE RED (TAPE / Rooted Records)
He might have gone through a name change recently, but Jack The Red is still the same ol' flame-haired turntable wizard that we've always known. You can find him behind the counter at the beloved hub of Bristol's music scene, Rooted Records, where he'll be more than happy to wax lyrical about recent developments in the UK funky scene, or even the finer points of free jazz. Jack The Red will be bringing this genre-hopping free spirit to all of his sets at Mono Tonic, and with his new name and a renewed vigour for DJing, you can be sure to hear some special music during his time on the ones and twos.

RICHARD CARNAGE (TAPE / Resident Advisor)
Bristol's resident dance music journo will be taking time out from slaving away at his laptop to bring you an insight into the hottest electronic sounds of the moment, along with all sorts of wax that he's uncovered from the last thirty years of dance music culture. Whether it's with smacked out balearica or the deepest dub techno around, his mission is to enlighten and enthrall in equal measures.