Subset Festival 2026

Sub Focus

Over the course of a 16-year career, Nick Douwma aka Sub Focus has risen through the ranks of underground jungle to become a global dance music superstar. First building a reputation around air-punching, dancefloor-dismantling drum & bass, he now draws from all corners of the electronic landscape - epitomising the ‘anything goes’ mantra of today's scene. His journey began in 2003, when he signed his first tunes to drum & bass’ biggest label Ram Records, off the back of a CD:R handed to label boss Andy C by one of his friends whilst drunk. Despite this inauspicious introduction, so impressed was the legendary DJ by the content, he duly signed every track and invited Douwma to join the Ram family. Sub Focus’ tunes - expansive, fiercely creative, but made with the scientific precision of a military warhead - immediately stood out from the crowd and were soon being rotated by every major DJ in the scene, garnering airplay on mainstream radio, and drawing fans from throughout the globe. The next logical step was an album. But as he’s shown throughout his career, Douwma wanted to push himself further and create something that was more encompassing than the often insular confines of drum & bass. Drawing on his love of all strains of dance music, from 80s synth pioneers Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre, through dance leviathans The Chemical Brothers, to futuristic house and techno acts like Lindstrom and Matthew Dear, his eponymous debut album released in 2009 featured not only drum & bass but dubstep, old-school breakbeat, bumping house and lashings of electro and rock, all brought together in a taut collection that could only have been made in the 21st century. It was an instant hit. Rather than taking his foot off the gas, the decade since has been similarly successful for one of dance music’s enduring stars. Sophomore album Torus was released in 2013, channelling a dancefloor-focused, floor-filling vibe. The 13-track release included ‘Endorphins’ and ‘Turn Back Time’, singles that both made it into the UK Top 10, whilst three others made it into the Top 40. Douwma has spent the past few years perfecting his stunning, immersive live show, joining Pendulum on tour, wowing the bulging Glastonbury crowds and selling out Brixton Academy on two occasions. He has also linked up with a slew of international chart-toppers, including Rudimental, with the link-up leading to the stunning ‘Trouble’ with Chronixx and Maverick Sabre, and Chase & Status with the iconic ‘Flashing Lights’. Reaching the pinnacle of the drum & bass world, Douwma would go on to become a mentor for the scene’s new school of exciting talent - forging boundary-pushing collaborations with the likes of Wilkinson and Dimension. Sub Focus and Dimension’s 2018 single ‘Desire’ has clocked up over 30 million global streams, signifying a new chapter in the story. Moving into 2019, the release of double-single ‘Solar System’ and ‘Siren’ conveys an artist who’s stayed true to his musical roots throughout his long career - a career that he doesn’t look like curtailing anytime soon.

Hybrid Minds

UK duo known for beautiful, atmospheric liquid drum and bass.

Tempza

Netsky

Belgian drum and bass producer and DJ known for massive, euphoric, pop-crossover liquid DnB.

Pendulum

Formed during 2002 by three musicians from Western Australia with similar visions and musical backgrounds, Pendulum’s mission has always been to pull together their production resources, ideas and influences from various styles of music, to create a new sound that they felt was missing from dance music. The individual members behind Pendulum had been active in Perth’s live music scene for several years: producer / vocalist / keyboardist Rob Swire and producer / bassist Gareth McGrillen played together in the acclaimed Perth band Xygen, while Paul ‘El Hornet’ Harding was a veteran of the Perth DJ scene. The initial result of the collaboration between the three was the seminal 'Vault', released on the highly respected 31 Records. 'Vault' went on to become one of the biggest anthems of 2003. This was confirmed when the track received the much sought after Knowledge Magazine award for 'Best Single of 2003'. ‘Vault’ was followed by a series of brilliant tracks including 'Trail of Sevens', 'Spiral' and 'Ulterior Motive', 'Back to You' and 'Still Grey' and a remix of 'Tonite' by Concord Dawn. Two heavyweight DJs that have supported the Pendulum sound ever since its creation were the legendary Adam F and the renowned DJ Fresh who asked Pendulum to join their recently formed Breakbeat Kaos label in order to form a tight crew of like minded musicians. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity; as a result towards the end of 2003 the trio relocated to the UK and have been touring the world extensively ever since in an attempt to generate further awareness around their unique sound. Pendulum’s debut single for Breakbeat Kaos, the epic 'Another Planet' backed with 'Voyager' exceeded any prior expectations. The single made its debut at #1 in the UK’s National Dance Chart and even went Top 40 in the mainstream chart. 2005 saw Pendulum release their debut artist album on Breakbeat Kaos, the highly acclaimed ‘Hold Your Colour’ that has gone on to sell in excess of 300,000 copies and spawned their first Top 30 hit in the shape of the single ‘Slam / Out Here’. The band’s full live experience (which adds guitarist Peredur ap Gwynedd, drummer Kodish and MC Verse to the core trio) also became an exciting prospect with a defining headline performance at Glastonbury’s Dance Stage being a particular highlight. By now the biggest artist on the underground, Pendulum aimed to continue their rise by signing a new deal with Warner Bros. Records / Ear Storm. Re-emerging with the fan favourite single ‘Granite’, it was the Radio 1 A-listed follow-up ‘Propane Nightmares’ that enabled Pendulum to leap into the mainstream. The band then followed a defining performance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend by seeing their second album ‘In Silico’ debut at #2 in the UK album charts. The album was certified Gold within a month of release and its success continued unabated over the summer months with a diverse array of festival appearances including Linkin Park and Jay-Z’s Projekt Revolution, Download, Creamfields, Reading / Leeds and T in the Park. Following a succession of sold-out London shows and a memorable performance on Later with Jools Holland, Pendulum’s momentum continued with their biggest UK headlining tour to date before an audience in excess of 50,000 people. Radio 1’s continuing support also included a special documentary on the band that aired over the Christmas period, while ‘In Silico’ approaches 300,000 sales in the UK alone. Pendulum have also been making huge strides towards breaking through in America having earned praise from the likes of Billboard (who described the band as a “breakneck brand of aural dynamite”) and the LA Times (“The electro-rock band evokes the Prodigy's sense of screaming, face-crushing bombast with savvy beats straight off the contemporary low-end-heavy zeitgeist”). Their debut US live tour featured thirteen sold-out shows from coast to coast, including a date at Los Angeles’ 1300 capacity Mayan Theater. Their tour also trekked into Brazil and Mexico. Their North American progress forged ahead with frenetic television appearances on Jimmy Kimmel and Carson Daly. Meanwhile, their continuing live popularity also received a succession of boosts with killer sets at Coachella and SXSW and their first ever headline appearance at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival. One of the most visceral and exhilarating live experiences around (“One of the most enthusiastic reactions afforded a main stage act in Big Day Out history,” observed Kerrang! “Phenomenal doesn’t even come close”), Pendulum’s highly acclaimed live performance has been captured in their ‘Live At Brixton’ CD / DVD set. Grammy nominated director Paul Caslin has created an awe-inspiring visual celebration of the band’s live experience that captures the fiery intensity of the audience’s impassioned reaction with a dazzling visual artistry never before seen in a live document. Early 2010 saw a change to the LIVE Pendulum set up with the addition of Seattle born drummer KJ Sawka. After some time spent writing their third studio album, Pendulum returned with 'Immersion' released in May 2010, which shot straight to No.1 in the UK Album Charts. The band followed this success with 2 Sold Out UK Tours, 2 huge shows at London's Wembley Arena, tours in Europe and Australia and a massive summer spent smashing the international festival circuit. At the beginning of 2011 the band headed to North America where they played as special guests on Linkin Park's 'A Thousand Suns US Arena Tour' followed by a run of their own headline tour dates across North America. They then returned home to Australia to headline the Future Music Festival, before heading into another summer of headline slots at festivals all over the UK and Europe, including the penultimate slot on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival, and headlining slots at Download Festival, T In The Park, V Festival and Bestival. At the end of 2011 Pendulum decided to take a well deserved break from their live shows, however Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen have been storming ahead with hugely successful side project ‘Knife Party’ and DJ El Hornet and MC Verse continue to spread the word of Pendulum throughout the world, appearing at a myriad of international clubs and festivals in 2012. Pendulum DJs will be on the road performing throughout the world in 2013, touring in South Africa, playing shows in Canada and the US alongside shows in Europe, Asia and Russia. For Pendulum and their enormous, international fan base, great things are to come…

Camo & Krooked

Austrian drum and bass duo known for their high-energy, cinematic, and technically complex productions.

Friction

UK drum and bass DJ and Shogun Audio label boss, known for his precise, high-energy sets.

Kanine

Drum & Bass DJ / Producer from London, UK.

Koven

Metrik

Mozey

A Little Sound

Maybe you’ve had your ears perked by her dreamy vocal hooks, or perhaps you’ve seen her Tik-Toks spreading the word about drum and bass. Either way, there’s a lot to love about this exciting talent. While still in her early twenties, A Little Sound has already been responsible for the vocals behind some of D&B’s biggest anthems in recent years; including “Back In Time” with Kanine, “Weed & Wine” with Friction and “Lakota” with duo Technimatic. 
 Despite being lauded for her vocal work, which saw A Little Sound land 1st place in DrumandBassArena’s 2022 Award for Best Vocalist, this artist has always had the ambition to be more. Singer, writer, DJ, MC, stage host – you name it, she’s pushing to do it all. 
 Following on from releasing her debut EP and solo single, along with many vocal features and live performances to come, you can expect A Little Sound to only get louder as time goes on.

Pola & Bryson

Whilst Harry (Bryson) grew up in rural West Yorkshire, Jack (Pola) spent his formative years in the heart of East London. These contrasting upbringings have shaped their music, manifesting as a truly unique signature sound that reflects the distinct contrast across their musical and artistic approaches. Their debut album This Time Last Year on their Soulvent Records imprint put the duo firmly on the map, and their sophomore album Lost In Thought on Shogun Audio was nominated for Best Album in the Drum&BassArena Awards. Beneath The Surface, their third album, dropped in September 2021 and showcased new heights of sonic expression, exploring musical interpretations of a journey through an imagined world. Since then, Pola & Bryson have released some of the most notable drum and bass tracks in recent years, most notably Phoneline, their collaboration with Emily Makis. This single captivated the entire scene, picking up immense streaming and radio support, as well as being dubbed by many as 2023’s D&B anthem. Alongside Phoneline, Waiting (with Sub Focus), Too Shy (with IYAMAH), Tell You What I Did ft. Zitah, and Down Low (with Gardna) have further cemented their position as one of the most exciting acts in UK dance music. On top of these scene-shattering releases, Pola & Bryson have also been nominated for multiple awards, remixed the likes of David Guetta, Moby, Wilkinson, High Contrast, and venbee, accumulated mass support from DSPs and radio, and have consistently toured their captivating DJ sets across all corners of the globe. Simply put, Pola & Bryson’s deeply rooted love for music makes it their primary creative outlet. Always striving to be inspired, innovate, and experiment, the duo have no final goal in music other than continuing to create what they enjoy. With their next major project around the corner and the most compelling music they’ve ever written still to come, the act that Sub Focus once claimed was “leading the new wave of liquid drum and bass” is ready to take centre stage. While most producers take years to write their next album, 2021 saw Pola & Bryson write and release their third studio album Beneath The Surface on Shogun Audio. A conceptual album written to an imagined landscape, this ambitious body of work has led to D&B legends such as Sub Focus praising their influence on the genre. With sophistication well beyond their years, Pola & Bryson are showing no signs of slowing down as they continue to take their music and performances to new heights. The massive success of Complete, Tell You What I Did ft. Zitah, and Into The Night in 2022 has now been followed by a feature on dance music superstar Sub Focus’ latest album and their recent collaboration with Emily Makis, Phoneline. The latter has already cemented itself as their biggest release to date, picking up immense streaming and radio support, as well as being dubbed by many as 2023’s D&B anthem.

Monrroe

S.P.Y

Technimatic

Musically rich, emotionally charged and evocative drum & bass has fast become the trademark sound of Pete Rogers and Andy Powell aka Technimatic, now firmly established as a mainstay of the Shogun Audio roster. Having started making music together back in 2008 as Technicolour & Komatic, releasing their first record ‘Preacher’ on Technique’s sister imprint Worldwide Audio, little could be known of what the future had in store. Since then the duo have gone on to release their liquid-infused blend of hyper-coloured D&B on labels such as Critical, Hospital, SGN:LTD and even the seminal Good Looking with Technicolour’s own official remix of LTJ Bukem’s ‘Music’. Never resting on their laurels, Shogun Audio were quick to recognise the potential of Technimatic and signed them exclusively in 2012 to their sister imprint SGN:LTD. They went on to drop one of the most successful releases on the label, the formidable ‘Intersection’ EP, supported by the Mistajam and Friction amongst others on BBC Radio 1. Their contribution to Shogun’s award winning ‘Way Of The Warrior’ album series Pt.2 marked their graduation to the front line with the likes of Gilles Peterson supporting their ‘Bristol’ track on BBC 6Music. 2014 saw Technimatic standing tall as fully fledged members of Shogun Audio’s ever evolving entourage of some of the best electronic music artists in the world, touring the world with an ever-increasing DJ schedule. As such they managed to deliver the drum & bass album of the summer, ‘Desire Paths’, their beautifully conceived and received debut LP that saw them hitting the high notes with the likes of Radio 1, Mixmag, Resident Advisor, Ninja Tune’s Solid Steel and Thump who ranked it in their top 50 albums of the whole year. Endorsed by Friction, Annie Mac, Eddy Temple-Morris, Gilles Peterson, Mistajam, Rob Da Bank, the duo continue to ride high on the tail end of their recent summer 2015 ‘Flashbulb EP’, whilst beginning work on their second studio album.

Fred V

UK producer known for melodic, soulful liquid drum and bass.

Mara (CH)

Rosa Pagano