Flynn & Flora: Tribute to one of the first female UK Jungle DJs

Flynn & Flora were part of the 'Bristol Sound' of emerging 90s Jungle music

"Breaks, kicks and basslines, it was an unstoppable force of a new sound - Flora could drop a tune as good as anyone else during this real moment in time."

These are early memories from DJ Flynn from doing music sets with Florentia Fiakkas as Flynn & Flora in dark, sweaty Drum & Bass and Jungle venues in 1991.

Artists, ravers and hardcore music heads have said their "deep thinking" and "intelligent" sound was something unique that should have solidified their place in music history.

The duo, described as a "forgotten gem" from Jungle's early beginnings, met at The Special K Cafe, which sat at the bottom of St Michael's Hill, and became a hub for Bristol artists.

From the offset they regularly played toe-to-toe with artists such as Kemistry & Storm, DJ Dazee, Roni Size, Queen B and SUV and cut their teeth with the Fresh Four in a scene that gave birth to "The Bristol Sound".

Their first tracks Flowers/ Dream of You, were released in 1994 on their own label called Independent Dealers

Flynn & Flora were part of a scene that was edgy, new and very experimental which married up nicely with the surge in rave and club culture that spilled over from the 80s.

This was a time when female producers in Jungle music were few and far between.

DJ Flora was a part of that select group, unintentionally doing silent work helping to pave the way for female hardcore producers today.

She passed away from cancer in 2014, but Flynn and Chris Farrell, founder of independent record shop and label Idle Hands, have immortalised her memory in a rare re-release of some of Flynn & Flora's first tracks.

Flynn said in the early 90s she had to "work harder than the guys" and there were occasions where "it felt like something was wrong behind the scenes" - something he said other people never witnessed.

"It's weird. On a lot of levels the scene was really inclusive," he said.

The duo ran a club night in Bristol called Versatility, which saw the likes of artists Roni Size, SUV and Kemistry & Storm

"Women enjoyed seeing another woman DJs and the men were always interested to see how they DJ'd too.

"But I have a feeling it would've been a lot harder for Flora if she went into the scene by herself.

"I know Dazee, Queen B, Kemistry and Storm, all these women were also at the forefront and had to take stuff they shouldn't have had to."

He said when they first met each other, Drum and Bass and Jungle was something that felt "brand new" which inspired them to experiment.

"We had equipment left over from Fresh Four and my brother gave us a sampler and we started making music where we sped up the breaks and slowed other bits down," he said.

"Then we just never looked back."

Flynn described their version of Jungle as something that had "two tempos".

"It was like a puzzle that we formed and painted whatever we wanted to on top.

"We rinsed and repeated that template for two or three years solid. It was a crazy rave scene.

"We had a bit of a backlash were some people didn't get our sound, even the label we were signed to at the time didn't understand it.

"But we just continued with our own label," he added.

Bryan Gee said DJ Flora was one of the first Jungle music female producers of her time

DJ Bryan Gee said he has always been a big fan of their "deep thinking sound" that was "intelligent" and different.

"Flynn & Flora were the first producers who were bridging the gap along with Roni Size but I would put them before them in terms of production," he said.

"They added a blackness to Jungle. It was hardcore but you could feel and hear that voice, that message from the Bristol streets.

"It appealed to me and I identified with it straight away. I loved the way they mixed Jazz and soul with the hardcore.

Flynn said it was Ms Fiakkas' idea to create the album Native Drums, which became a massive hit

"It wasn't the jungle like people in London where making with rapping and London lyrics, like, 'wicked' and 'jungle is massive'."

He said their samples of the sounds of the streets with "the black jazz, soul and funk" made them unique.

"They are are two forgotten gems of our scene that people don't talk about," he said.

"People talk about Smith and Mighty but not them and it's a shame.

"Flora was probably one of the first females in the scene but it must've been hard.

"When we saw Flora it was just like when we saw Kem and Storm.

"It was like, 'wow it's a girl doing their thing'.

"Promoters are doing a good job at making things more equal now."

Chris Farrell said the re-release is his way of honouring the memory of DJ Flora and DJ Flynn at the start of his career

Mr Farrell from Idle Hands described their music as "wide-eyed Jungle".

"They sit between what Smith and Mighty where doing and Full Cycle with the rollers kind of sound," he said.

"It was deeper and was a big hit in Naoki's shop Bristol Zero in Japan.

He said Flora, alongside artists such as DJ Dazee in Bristol, were instrumental in "pushing the music" and putting on nights.

"It's important to celebrate the female forebearers. I also think Flynn and Flora aren't recognised for how good they were.

"I want to honour them with this record, honour the work that Flynn has done and keep the memory of Flora alive for another generation," he added.

"It's my contribution to a city that I've taken a lot from musically."

The Flynn & Flora EP Independent Dealers, on City Road Records, is expected to be released in March 2024.