DJ POLO

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DJ POLO first made his mark in UK funky by bringing the genre’s pioneers to his hometown Bristol as part of the Sprung collective. From 2015 onwards, Sprung’s legendary UK funky day parties played host to the likes of Hard House Banton, Supa D, Apple, T Williams, and Crazy Cousinz, among many others. They shone a carefully curated annual spotlight on the OGs of the scene in a way that was rare to see outside of the capital.

The best part of a decade later, with releases on Roska Kicks & Snares, More Time, and Livity Sound among his extensive catalogue, DJ POLO has firmly established himself as a flagbearer for UK funky’s experimental evolutions. Respectfully drawing on South Africa’s amapiano sound, and connecting the lines between that and funky’s classic and contemporary permutations, his ‘Look Back to Move Forward’ EP on Club Djembe in 2021 was a defining statement. The EP featured Scratcha DVA and Ramzee for anthemic collaborations ‘Headtop’ and ‘Funky Party,’ drawing out a soulful and lighthearted musicality that has its roots in POLO’s jazz background.

Focusing steadily on his productions during the pandemic’s various lockdowns, DJ POLO dropped a string of collaborative tracks and releases in 2021 that veered into more heavily percussive territory – featuring on Scratchclart’s Afrotek EP (Hyperdub), putting out a full four track EP with the Tribal Brothers (Livity Sound), and finishing the year with the double-A side Yeyeyeye EP with NKC (Even The Strong). The release with NKC solidified the two Bristol-based producers’ longstanding musical connection, and served as an introduction to the forward-looking confluence of rhythmic styles that they’ve been pushing at their new clubnight, SteamRooms.

Over the past two years of his Rinse FM residency, DJ POLO has platformed a broad array of guests, continuing his mission to highlight much-loved names of UK funky – Katy B, Greyman, Funkystepz, Roska, Apple – alongside established global club selectors and the latest wave of afrohouse and amapiano-inspired artists.

In 2022, expect to see POLO continuing to do what he does best, taking UK funky and percussive-led experimentation to new and outward bound levels, building on deep respect for the genre’s rich and often underrepresented lineage.