Gardna

Gardna is a Bristol-based artist, who continually pushes himself to higher levels of success thanks to a genre defying approach to recording and energy driven live performances. The MC-songwriter fuses elements from across the entire sound system spectrum to create his own unique brand of sound and lyricism. A brand that has taken him across the globe on a rhythmic journey through time and space, from the underground to the mainstream. This has been demonstrated most recently with the popularity of his latest single - the DRS assisted, R.A.V.E.A.S.A.P - which has received heavy rotation from BBC Radio 1 and beyond.

His debut solo album, Good Time Not a Long Time (2019), served as the ideal showcase for Gardna’s versatility, as well as his collaborative vision, with the album boasting features from a diverse range of artists, including Omar, Eva Lazarus, Fox and Hollie Cook. The album’s tour took in sell-out shows in both Bristol and London, as well as overseas acclaim in Australia and New Zealand, featuring not only Gardna, but his co-stars as well.
Gardna’s sophomore album, Time & Space, which saw its release in June 2022, garnered much critical praise, in particular from BBC Radio 1 who named him as their Future Artist of the Month. He received airplay from their entire daytime roster, as well as bagging their Track of the Week title, Charlie Hedges’s Hottest Record and Jeremiah Asiamah’s Coldest Record. His Past & Present Bristol Rave mini mix was cited as one of the best of the year by Danny Howard (LISTEN), and he was also invited to curate a Peak Time Mix for Future Dance with Sarah Story.
As well as his solo ventures, Gardna is a master of collaborations, including notable releases with DRS, The Nextmen and Gentleman’s Dub Club. He has also been known to take centre stage with the likes of Hybrid Minds and Watch The Ride for their live shows. His work with Mungo’s Hi Fi led to a US tour in 2022, that extended his reach around the world, thanks to previous shows across Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. There were also an abundance of other dates throughout 2022, including over 30 festival appearances, with mammoth sets at Glastonbury (WATCH) and Boomtown (WATCH), standing out as particular highlights.

Possibly the biggest personal achievement of 2022 was Gardna’s album tour for the release of Time & Space. The tour took in 10 headline dates up and down the country, including a sellout gig in Bristol at the famous Trinity Centre (WATCH). The live show he has curated is a versatile production, which can shift from club settings to mainstage with ease, and comes with a stack of special guests including Catching Cairo, Charli Brix and more.

As if all that wasn’t enough, Gardna has been back in the studio with regular collaborators Brad Balloo (The Nextmen) and Kreed, with the trio creating a brand-new album which will begin to filter on to the scene in February 2023. That will be followed up by the usual cascade of live shows and festival takeovers, so keep your eyes and ears peeled because Gardna’s best is still yet to come.