Collective Insight - CYNT

Skin on Skin for Boiler Room X CYNT @ Clwb Ifor Bach

CYNT has been throwing parties across South Wales for over 15 years, coining themselves “Wales OG underground movement”. They have an underground approach to curation while still appealing to the masses with impressive bookings ranging from Ben UFO to Shonky and Interplanetary Criminal. 

Their success has earned them recognition from some of the biggest platforms in dance music, being voted top 3 events in the UK by Mixmag and getting nominated for Best Club Event by DJ Mag in 2024. 

We spoke to some of their residents, Viewpoints and General Vibes to gain insight into the brand, its history, and Cardiff nightlife.

First off, tell us about yourself. What got you into dance music?

Viewpoints: Besides the obvious pop garage (Love Shy, etc.), as a child of the 90’s, my shift from Emo & Post Hardcore music into electronic music happened slowly over high school, from 2002 to 2009. Bands like Enter Shikari, Hadouken!, AttackAttack!... were mixing “band” music with synths & drum machines. ES is still one of my favourite bands for this reason. It’s chuggy guitars, screaming & mosh pits with bassy wobble, trance stabs & two-stepping. I basically migrated into DMZ dubstep, and it went from there. I think that’s why I like leftfield records; they do a good job of mixing styles together to create something new.

General Vibes: Throughout my teenage years, I was a huge fan of indie/rock/metal. I would spend hours in the music room hiding during break times, learning riffs from Rage Against the Machine or Metallica, and one day, a friend of mine said they had tickets for a Klaxons gig they couldn’t attend. Not a die-hard fan, but a fan of seeing any live music, I decided to go. The support act was Simian Mobile Disco - they stood opposite each other in front of a bank of synths (sorry Bicep, they got there first) and it was the first time I’d ever heard a set of continuous electronic music. From then on, I was hooked. 

CYNT was established in 2007 and has hosted parties throughout Cardiff. In recent times, District has been the home for CYNT events. 

Are there any other venues you’d like to see used and why?

Viewpoints: When I started playing CYNT (around 2011-2012), its home was firmly in Clwb iFor Bach, regardless of the unreal places the boys have taken the brand: to other clubs around the country, to festivals or abroad, Clwb will forever be the one for me & 1000’s of other CYNT’ers. It’s where I met the boys & all my ‘for life’ friends. Also, any opportunity to shout about Paradise Garden (PG), easily one of the best things to happen to music and arts in the city since I’ve been here. CULTVR is also a massively underrated venue. 

GV: My history with the brand goes way back to when my friend was at Cardiff University, and I would visit him and attend CYNT in venues like Trade Street Warehouse and Clwb Ifor Bach. When I finally attended university myself, I became a regular at the parties, until I noticed them becoming less frequent. So, Alex (aka Chez), the current booker, and I approached Steve, the founder, to discuss the future of the brand. As he moved on to new pastures, he allowed us to continue the brand. We took over in 2013, after six very successful years, and have kept it running for another 15 years, something we are very proud of. I think the rave culture feeling of finding unused spaces has become much less, with licensing and scrutiny over safety, and the popularity of the scene has led them to be in more controlled spaces. Even the likes of Warehouse Project is a controlled environment. I remember going to Motion for the first time, and it was essentially a skate park with a set of speakers - highly unsafe, but with that raw energy. So, for me, that’s it - the excitement of going somewhere you never have been or maybe feel like you shouldn’t even be in is what I would like to see a return to for the whole scene.

Cynt was nominated for 'Best Club Event' by DJ Mag in 2024. 

What were your favourite parties/moments from that year?

Viewpoints: It's tough to pick out a moment, really. It was a hell of a year, just about getting together, seeing the family & keeping doing what people hopefully enjoy. But really… Seeing the boys' faces at the awards party when CYNT CARDIFF came up on the screen & over the speakers for the nomination, alongside some massive brands like EastEnderz, was golden. 

GV: As Geth mentioned above, it was a year of community - reigniting the brand with a huge number of bookings and parties - shows with DJ Heartstring, Bradley Zero, and Dr Banana b2b Samuel Deep are all leaders in the scene with very different musical styles, and it is great to see the new generation of fans passing through.

As a resident for CYNT, you have supported a variety of DJs with differing sounds.

What process do you go through when preparing for each set?

Viewpoints: I’m pretty proud of my nerdy BPM/key-labelled records & tidy Rekordbox collection; so it’s always ready to go and easy to find what I need, without losing tracks within the mess. You can over prep for an individual night, but can’t be too organised in general. Just be ready for whatever the dancers give you back. I’ll make a playlist like I’d pack records; have some tracks & EPs ready that can initiate a tone change, so you’ve got a good way into a new situation and then go off what you know. We aren’t headliners; residents should have to be ready for that tone change.

GV: I can’t really say my sets are that structured or well prepared, to be honest. I will sometimes start playlisting tunes in the build-up and then go down a rabbit hole of that style, and will always play off the cuff on the night. We often play B2B with each other as residents, so planning a set isn’t really an option. We do try to match each other’s styles and the tracks before that, as well as not pushing it too far before the headliners, so that the whole night feels cohesive.

Underground music events in Cardiff can be sparse and less diverse compared to other major cities, such as Bristol and Manchester. 

Are there any sounds/DJs you'd like to see more of in the Welsh capital?

Viewpoints: Simply, I'd love to see smaller & more underground artists here, but that's easy to say when it's not my money on the line. It used to be a lot easier to bring in smaller artists, because DJ fees weren't so crazily inflated & more people were open to seeing someone they didn't know and trusting the promoter, rather than trusting hype. Sadly, it's the reason two of my favourite nights, Haws and Teak, have had to take a step back from Cardiff. Huge losses for the city. As for other sounds… more nights with slower bpm's. I've got records 100-125 bpm that don't get played outside of my little home studio any more. When the world goes mad, the BPM goes through the roof, and it's getting real fast out there. 

GV: Overall, you have to play to the strengths of the scene. When Alex and I first took it over, we booked people that we wanted to see, and quite often they weren't what everyone else would - we've always tried to stay at the musical forefront. Still, you need to ensure that you take into consideration what the general public wants to see/hear. Cardiff is a place with a great scene, but it isn't a go-to destination for music or a specific style like London, Leeds, Manchester, or Bristol. Therefore, it's essential to ensure that the party is good overall and inclusive for everyone. I'd like to see the scene continue to move forward, so you do have to push the boundaries, but while staying mindful.

Can you give us some other local underground DJs/labels to look out for?

Viewpoints: It’s worth getting down to PG for Beat Science once a month. It’s amazing the quality of the bedroom producers in this city. It’s class that we all have a space to express ourselves in front of other producers.

GV: I’m loving what Douvelle19 is doing at the moment - his productions are top draw and can be quite emotive, but when it comes to his sets, he always brings a vibe. He brought Keep Hush to Cardiff for the first time as a collab with his night Locally Sauced, which is a big moment for the scene to be recognised by a brand that is once again pushing the scene forward in the underground all around the UK.

Lucas Alexander is another one - a Cardiff local who has been honing his sound and productions with an old-school garage flavour, but in a new-school way, reaching all ends of the spectrum with support from Tristan Da Cunha, Saoirse, Enzo Siragusa, Silva Bumpa, and more. As well as this party, Let’s Get Jazzy is becoming a city favourite and collaborating with Cardiff MCs like Local and Fernquest on his label Rarebit, resulting in the tracks being played by the likes of Marco Carola and Jamie Jones.

Ultimately, CYNT are a powerhouse for Cardiff’s underground scene! With an exciting autumn/winter lineup featuring acts like Joy O, Mia Koden, and Main Phase, they definitely don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon, and we are excited to see what the future holds for them.