Wednesday, July 30th, 2025, a date now locked into the memory banks of every junglist and drum & bass head who arrived at Cleveland’s Mercury Music Lounge for The World of Drum & Bass 2025 Part 2. This wasn’t just a show, it was a full-on sonic uprising, a tribal call answered by Cleveland’s tight-knit DnB family.
From the moment I walked through the door, the air was thick with anticipation. The people, the energy, the constant low rumble of subs, it felt like stepping into another dimension where the only thing that mattered was rhythm. And the night delivered— MASSIVELY.
Main Stage Mayhem: The Heavy Hitters Brought the Fire
The main stage came out swinging, a pure rinse-out from start to finish, and it was BasiK who lit the fuse. A trained percussionist fluent across multiple genres, he brought a precision and groove that only comes from deep musical roots. His set rolled in with dark, hypnotic basslines and tightly layered rhythms that had me moving from the very first drop. You could feel his excitement and passion in every transition— the kind of energy that instantly makes you think, “Wow, this guy truly lives for music.”
Fatchick, now going by Want More, brought the heat with a set full of dark, deep, heavy rollers that hit you right in the chest and kept the floor moving nonstop. He wasn’t just behind the decks — he was right there in the thick of it, dancing with the crowd, throwing up hands, and feeding off the energy in the room. Every drop felt bigger than the last, and by the time he wrapped up, we were sweaty, smiling, and absolutely wanting more.
Then Blackbird took flight, delivering a hard-hitting set with neurofunk vibes. He brought a sound that shook the room with rolling basslines that twisted and morphed. The snares cracked like a whip, cutting clean through the mix, while the industrial undertones gave the set a raw, mechanical edge. Each transition was seamless, carrying the crowd deeper into a high-energy, futuristic soundscape.
Bladerunner stepped up and unleashed a masterclass in jungle, firing off deep cuts and Amen breaks with razor-sharp precision. The breakbeats were relentless, the drops were massive, and the Mercury Music Lounge sound system got pushed to its absolute limits. Through it all, he kept his cool with that all-knowing smirk, gliding through flawless transitions like it was nothing. His old school foundation, sharpened with a modern edge, had the crowd losing their minds — someone even screamed “You’re my fucking idol!” as Rave Machine rattled every brain in the room. Effortless, deadly, and unforgettable.
I nervously walked up to Bladerunner — you know, THE KING OF ROLLERS — still sweating from the chaos he’d just unleashed. After completing a flawless set, I had to know:
“What goes through your mind when you craft a set?”
His answer? A calm grin and, “Nothing, I just pick the songs I like.”
That’s it. To him, blending breakbeats and crushing drops is as natural as breathing — and somehow, that makes it even more legendary.
This is Inja stormed the stage with pure high-octane energy, pulling double duty as both DJ and MC like it was second nature. Locked in and laser-focused, he fired off bar after rapid-fire bar in perfect rhythm while working the decks with surgical precision. When Vanta Blackin hit, the room sank into its deep, dark bass while Inja’s commanding vocals cut through like a blade — a perfect blend of heavy sound and unstoppable presence. By the end of his set, the crowd was breathless, hanging on every drop and every word.
When I approached Inja, I was instantly struck by how cool and effortlessly approachable he was. He laughed easily, the kind of laugh that fills the space, and when I asked what drives him to create, his answer was simple and powerful:
“I just love making music. It’s what I’m meant to do.”
Danny Byrd absolutely smashed it with a set full of uplifting, euphoric bangers and jungle drops that hit hard and crisp. His rework of Groove Armada’s Superstylin’ with Sigma was a straight-up highlight — the crowd was singing, jumping, and fully locked in. He effortlessly tossed in rollers with serious bite, keeping the energy sky-high the whole time. By the end, you could tell everyone was vibing hard, caught between nostalgia and that fresh, face-melting DnB heat only Danny can deliver.
After Danny Byrd’s incredible set, I knew I had to go up to him and at least let him know, as a lifelong fan, how much his music has meant to me. But the moment he agreed to sit down for an interview, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d spent months visualizing this moment, rehearsing questions in my head — and then, when we actually sat down, my mind went completely blank. What do you even say to someone whose raw talent and music have inspired you so deeply?
I tucked my shaky hands under the table, trying to find something — anything — to break the ice. But then Danny’s easygoing smile and warm vibe instantly put me at ease. What started as a nerve-wracking encounter quickly turned into one of the most chill, real conversations I’ve had about music, culture, and life.
Listen below for Graveyard’s exclusive interview with Danny Byrd!!!
Closing the main stage was the legendary DJ SS going back-to-back with Glitch City. That combo? Lethal. Old school meets new energy. Jungle roots wrapped in future shock. They weren’t just playing tracks; they were telling a story, one drop at a time. I was hooked on the way they bounced between melodic DnB and dark, heavy ragga-jungle heaters. They were masters at building suspense, teasing the crowd right to the edge before absolutely slamming the dance floor with nasty drops.
As the bar was winding down for the night, I spotted Glitch City outside catching some fresh air. We kicked things off joking around about his Box of Weapons album, and he was hyped to dive into an interview. Right away, we jumped into chatting about set design, video games, and he shared some real talk on pushing content out despite that inner critic — the kind of advice every up-and-coming producer and DJ needs to hear. Coming from someone like him, who’s dropping massive tracks while staying so down-to-earth, it hits in a whole different way.
Listen below for Graveyard’s exclusive interview with Glitch City!!!
Side Stage Soldiers: The Cleveland Crew Brought the Heat
Meanwhile, in the side room, something truly special was happening. This was the soul of the city, local talent showing up and showing out. The side stage wasn’t “secondary,” it was a parallel universe of pure heat.
Edificette opened the room with deep rollers and high-energy switches, laying down a set jam-packed with smooth liquidy goodness. Mark this name, she’s only going up from here.
Then iLLform w/ VeronicaRed stepped up. This duo is on another level. Atmospheric tension, gritty basslines, and vocals that cut right through you. Their synergy felt like a live ritual, sacred and raw. Their tune, Trust the Process, had me covered in goosebumps when the drop hit.
Dystope followed, pushing darker techy vibes that sent shivers down my spine. It was moody, twisted, and downright hypnotic. I found myself bouncing, struggling to hold the camera still as his track selections left me fueled with that dark DnB energy.
Next, R U MAD came through with relentless energy and serious bass pressure. His set was filled with raw transitions and punchy selections that got the room moving heavy. I was living for those techy atmospheric rolling basslines.
Still Nasty kept the grime coming, distorted low-end, raw loops, and aggressive flow. Unfiltered and powerful, his set lived up to the name.
Then The Twitch Effect w/ PEELMORE brought wild unpredictability, glitched-out transitions, sudden jungle flips, and weird-in-the-best-way vibes. No two minutes sounded the same.
Closing out the side stage was Sinister Dosage, who took things to a darker, more cerebral level. Minimal, cold, and absolutely punishing. It was the perfect way to shut it all down — heads locked in, bodies moving, minds blown.
Cleveland’s Jungle Roots Run Deep
What stood out to me most, even beyond the madness of the music, was the community. I kept noticing the nods, the hugs, the “Yo! I didn’t know you were coming!” kind of energy. This wasn’t a random crowd, it was a Cleveland DnB family reunion. Veterans, newcomers, DJs, dancers, all connected by breakbeats and basslines.
Big respect to Anita Bass and the SUB:MERGED crew for making it all happen. You can feel the love and intention behind every event they throw. This wasn’t just a booking, this was a carefully crafted celebration of culture.
If you missed The World of Drum & Bass 2025 in Cleveland, you missed something truly special. Whether you were sweating it out at the main stage or discovering a new favorite artist on the side stage, one thing was clear:
Cleveland doesn’t just love drum & bass, we live it.