Summer 2026 is turning into one of the more emotional stretches drum & bass has seen in a while, and there’s a lot to unpack if you’re getting into the scene right now. From a heavy loss to festival season kicking into gear and a new name breaking through, here’s what’s actually happening this week.
The scene lost one of its most beloved figures this week. Dutch producer and DJ Lenzman, real name Teije van Vliet, passed away at 47 after a long battle with cancer. As the founder of The North Quarter, he helped define a warmer, soulful strand of liquid drum & bass that shaped a whole generation of producers who grew up on the deeper, more melodic side of the genre. If you’ve never properly sat down with his music, this is a good week to start. Tributes have been pouring in from artists and fans across the community, a reminder of how much one producer’s sound can shape an entire scene.
On a lighter note, festival season is heating up fast. Let It Roll, the huge open-air drum & bass festival held in Milovice in the Czech Republic, has locked in its full 2026 lineup, and it is stacked. Chase & Status headline alongside Pendulum, with Don Diablo and Luude also on the bill among well over a hundred other acts. The festival runs from 30 July to 1 August, so if you are anywhere near Central Europe this summer, it is basically the drum & bass pilgrimage of the year, and honestly a great first festival if you have never experienced the genre live on a proper rig.
Elsewhere, keep an eye on Synoxis, a Belgian DJ and producer who is quickly becoming one of the names people bring up when they talk about the next wave of talent. She stumbled into the scene almost by accident, mistaking a Liquicity rave for something else entirely, and has since played Tomorrowland, Rampage Open Air and DnB Allstars while finishing her physics degree on the side. Her debut production, a bootleg of Rido & Counterstrike’s track Let It Roll, has already opened the door to a string of collaboration requests, and she is spending this summer figuring out her own sound somewhere between neuro and emotional dancefloor. Definitely one to follow if you like discovering artists before they blow up properly.
Between saying goodbye to a legend, gearing up for one of the biggest festivals on the calendar, and watching fresh talent rise, drum & bass is once again proving why it is one of the most tight-knit and constantly evolving corners of electronic music.
