Diving Into the Unstoppable Rise of Jungle Bells

2 weeks ago 17

Brandon Couturier and D:RC swung by for a deep dive into Jungle Bells, from the brand-new series to the secrets behind their high-energy drum and bass-fueled lineups.

What began as a shared vision between lifelong friends has evolved into one of Atlanta’s most enduring drum-and-bass traditions. Originally conceived as a local holiday fundraiser for suicide prevention, the initiative has blossomed into a premier event series headlined by its flagship gathering, Jungle Bells.

The production crew was founded by MJ Lee and Brandon Couturier, who successfully channeled their long-standing friendship into a thriving creative partnership. Following Lee’s departure to pursue new ventures, Darcy Reenis (D:RC) and Couturier will lead the brand into its next chapter, ensuring the Jungle Bells legacy continues to gain momentum.

The last year saw Jungle Bells expand into a summer and autumn series, creating a year-round Bells series at venues across Atlanta. Their main event still calls The Masquerade home, while their series events will visit Wish Lounge and Underground Atlanta, among others. They’re still committed to providing quality talent, an immersive experience, and ensuring that each event feels like a family gathering.

Beyond revolutionizing the local drum and bass landscape, this crew serves as the premier Southern gateway for elite UK talent. Their track record includes hosting the Atlanta debut of London Elektricity in 2024, an unprecedented three-hour set by Ed Rush & Optical in 2025, and Rudimental’s first-ever US festival headline performance that same year.

Jungle Bells returns this year from December 11-12, 2026, featuring the signature after-hours sessions. While the lineup is still under wraps, the brand’s history of world-class curation promises another intense and unforgettable experience. To gain some more insight, Brandon Couturier and D:RC sat down with us to chat about the past, present, and future of the beloved drum and bass brand.

Hey Brandon and D:RC, thanks for chatting with us today. From your humble beginnings, how does it feel to be the largest and longest-running drum and bass dedicated show in the US?

Brandon Couturier: I would never say we are the largest; maybe more so, one of the longest-running shows. There are many others in the USA we respect and help push. Jungle Bells was born out of an idea to raise the profile of DnB/Jungle and bring the music into main rooms rather than back rooms. Our mission has always been to host a cool party that doubles as an annual community gathering of like-minded friends, while also adding new DnB fans in the process. We have been blessed over the last few years to see people respond to what we’ve been doing.

D:RC: Sometimes it’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that something that started on a whim with just friends has grown to attract top-tier DNB talent and is celebrated by fans from across the globe. It’s really not something we spend time dwelling on on a daily basis, however. What we’re really striving for is consistency. We want to provide a top-tier experience for every DNB fan who decides to spend money to attend one of our shows.

How was the transition from a one-night event to a two-day event? And now moving into a full weekend event, will this be the Jungle Bells norm?

B: We noticed a trend over the years of people flying in on Friday night for our Saturday event, so we decided, “Why not add an extra day?” As far as a “Weekender”, I’m not sure we are 100% there yet. We have to stay aware of things like the current economic climate and be mindful of the cost to our fans. For 2026, the plan is to do a Friday show and a Saturday show, with after-events each night. We’re being careful about costs for fans and ensuring the best possible experience to ensure success.

D: Jungle Bells 2025 was the first year we leaned into actively planning the event across two nights. In the past, we focused on Saturday as the main event, with a smaller “pre-party” offering on Friday. For JB 2025, we expanded the lineup and, for the first time, gave attendees the option to purchase a two-day event ticket. It was a significant step that took considerable resources and a huge effort from our team to pull together, but we got some great feedback from attendees.

We’re constantly looking to our fans and partners to help us calibrate the experience. For independent operations like ours, it’s a constant battle to balance our offerings with ticket affordability. Determining factors such as artist and agent fees, foreign artist visas, air travel, lodging, etc., fluctuate wildly every year. Fan feedback is our #1 consideration when setting yearly goals.

How do you see Jungle Bells moving forward as a duo now that MJ Lee has stepped away?

B: When he was part of Jungle Bells, MJ was very passionate about spreading awareness about our events. But what’s great about Jungle Bells is that we have always been a crew. It’s been a collective from day one, and not just one or two people. So yes, the duo of Darcy and me is usually out front; however, we have a crew that helps decide and execute every event. MJ and I have been friends for over 35 years, so it’s great to see him step out and pursue new endeavors on his own terms. For us, our focus remains on making Jungle Bells the premier DNB event experience in the USA.

D: MJ is a larger-than-life character in the Atlanta nightlife scene, and his involvement with Jungle Bells since its inception was instrumental in giving it reach and notoriety. Our goal is to continue building on the solid foundation we all laid together. We’re really only a duo in the sense that executive decisions are first discussed between the two of us, but it takes a team of about five core members, along with a network of affiliates, partner companies, staffers, and volunteers, to pull off events at this scale. None of this would be possible without our contributors.

What can you tell me about Jungle Bells’ five-year expansion plan? Does it include shows beyond Atlanta?

B: This year, we’re planning a few standalone shows in Atlanta and perhaps returning to Dallas for an event like we did last year. Our plans for global events are probably very distant. However, I’ve dreamed about how amazing it would be to have a Jungle Bells event near every Disney property around the globe one day, for something extra to do when I take my kids!

D: As DNB fans first and DJs, we strive to put on world-class “can’t miss” type events we’d like to attend ourselves. Sometimes that’s not just through “expansion”, but through small iterations on the same formula. Of course, we’d love to hear Jungle Bells mentioned one day as a household name alongside some of the great global DNB festival brands. Until then, we’re happy working towards putting the US — and specifically Atlanta — on the map as a world-class DNB destination.

You hold Jungle Bells at The Masquerade every year. Is there ever any plan to change that?

B: The Masquerade has been our home for our big annual event for the last few years, and we count them as one of our most loyal partners. Our standalone club events throughout the year are when we partner up with other venues. For the Document One & [IVY] show in April, we’re at Believe in the Wish Lounge, and Gallery at Underground for Sub Focus 360° set on May 15th.

D: The Masquerade is one of the most reliable partners we’ve had throughout Jungle Bells’ lifespan, helping us grow incrementally into a 4-room club-wide event. We’re still expanding, and we expect them to be right there with us in lockstep as we try to reach new heights.

Since creating a summer and fall series, how do you keep the lineups fresh and exciting?

B: Great question! Darcy, I, and the team all discuss talent we are looking at that is making waves, and we think fans would want to see in Atlanta. It’s something we do pretty much all year, to try to secure the best possible mix of acts for our events. Our club series gives us opportunities to be more creative with our talent and to take certain risks with our acts. For instance, we’re currently working to reach out to American artists, labels, and crews and push them to the forefront. We have been watching for some time as our country produces more and more quality DNB talent; it’s time to put more of a spotlight on that.

D: The events throughout the year allow us to bring certain artists that, for some reason or another, are not available for the December event. Sometimes we want to bring back Jungle Bells fan favorites from years prior. One drawback of the stacked Main Bells lineups is that people sometimes have to choose between their favorite acts because of time-slot conflicts. We get lots of requests to bring some of these DJs back for one-off events, and we’re of course happy to make that happen if we can.

How do you keep things feeling like family?

B: We work very hard to make sure every fan that comes to an event feels welcomed into everything we do. What we got to see last year was a bunch of new faces experiencing bells for the very first time, and our seasoned fans embracing this 100%. As far as the performing talent, to us, they are all DnB family, so we definitely try to treat them as such for the duration of their stay. Seems very simple logic to us.

D: Internally, we have a dynamic rooted in shared objectives. Our team comprises diverse backgrounds and perspectives, which sometimes fuels rigorous debate; however, this friction is essential to our process and reinforces our collective output. The same internal culture extends to the Jungle Bells brand. It’s essential to our goal of positioning the festival as a key destination on the global DNB circuit. We are cultivating a sense of community that attracts both industry peers and dedicated fans who travel the international circuit.

Are there any DJs you haven’t yet booked who are on your wish list?

B: Well, I think America is dying to see acts that almost never tour here. We’ve had lots of requests for names like High Contrast, Calibre, and Grooverider. With that being said, we pursue talent based on the vibe that they will bring to the totality of the event, as it’s an entire lineup and not just one DJ that makes Jungle Bells what it is.

D: I’m slowly working on my personal wish list. We got Visages, Monrroe, and Sustance out of the way last year, and S.P.Y in 2024, but there’s still plenty of names left that we don’t get to see much of stateside. Names like Zero T, Amoss, Molecular, and Wingz. I’d love to host Alix Perez sometime. For the sheer scale of it, I’d love to have superstars like Chase & Status (one can dream!). The list is long. Lots of talent out there. It’s a matter of figuring out who is available and curating a lineup that covers all the bases.

Finally, is there anything special you have coming up, maybe some secret planned no one knows yet?

B: We do have some things planned for later in the year that I can’t talk about yet. Next up for us is the Sub Focus show in May, for which we’ll have some pretty cool stuff planned on the fan experience side of things. For Main Bells in December, we’d like to encourage everyone to visit www.junglebells.org to get the limited early bird tickets before they run out, as we’re planning something really special for that.

Sign up for our email list to make sure you’re in the loop, since that’s where we drop exclusive announcements first. It’s by far the best way to stay connected with us. Thank you so much for the interview, and remember to “Put Your Phone Down and Dance”!

D: We’re shooting for something in the fall, but it’s definitely too premature to talk about. If we pull it off, I know a lot of people will be stoked, us included! Aside from that, the focus is on delivering the best possible Jungle Bells yet on December 11-12, 2026!