Bou

Bou is an Algerian-born drum and bass producer and DJ based in Manchester, whose music grew out of jump-up before reaching a much wider audience. His early breakthrough, Poison, helped establish a sound that left space for humour and a bassline people could recognise as soon as it dropped.

Manchester is central to his story. Speaking to DJ Mag, Amine Bouguenna returned to the skatepark where he spent much of his adolescence, tracing the friendships, parties, and musical discoveries that eventually took him into production. His records later brought him together with Bru-C on Streetside and Slay on Closer. The latter reached number 24 in the UK in 2023, while Baddadan, his collaboration with Chase & Status and its cast of vocalists, reached number five.

He also built a home for his own music through Gossip, launched in 2021 with Cous Cous, featuring Inja. The title came from the food his mum cooked when his friends visited, although he admitted to UKF that he had eaten rather too much of it growing up. More seriously, the label gave him control over which records to release, their artwork, and the events around them. It also released his collaboration with High Contrast, Don’t Need You.

The 31-track B-Sides Mixtape followed on Gossip in 2025. Drawing from music he had kept back for years, it offered a fuller view of the producer behind the singles: club records, collaborations, and long-requested tracks finally released together.