Culture Shock

James Pountney, known professionally as Culture Shock, is a London-based producer and DJ working primarily in drum and bass, jungle and related liquid styles. He records and performs under the Culture Shock name and has released music on Moving Shadow and RAM Records.

He first encountered drum and bass on London’s pirate radio stations in the mid-1990s and began recording at home soon after. That early DIY practice led to his first official release, The Vega EP on Moving Shadow in 2004. He later signed to RAM Records and released The Third Stage EP in 2007, establishing a continuing relationship with one of the scene’s major labels.

As a producer, Culture Shock’s sound emphasises precise drum programming and a focus on low-end design. His tracks typically feature edited breaks with tight transient work, clear sub-bass beneath midrange movement, and deliberate vocal treatments when used — City Lights (2015) is a clear example, pairing his production with Bryn Christopher’s lead vocal. He balances punchy percussive edits with atmospheric pads and piano or chordal elements on melodic pieces, and his mixes prioritise clean low-mid separation to retain clarity on club systems and radio mixes.

On the DJ side, he plays both promotional and club settings. His sets and radio appearances show attention to phrasing and flow: mixing rollers and vocal-led liquid material alongside harder-edged tracks when the set requires it. He has performed internationally and presented material on BBC Radio 1, including an Essential Mix, which presented extended selections of his DJ and production approach to a wider audience.

Key releases and projects mapped across his career include The Vega EP (Moving Shadow, 2004), The Third Stage EP (RAM Records, 2007), the single City Lights featuring Bryn Christopher (2015), the SEQUENCE project (2019) and Sequel (2022). Those releases document a trajectory from early Moving Shadow output through his tenure at RAM and into later independent projects.

Public documentation of named personal influences is limited beyond his formative exposure to pirate radio in London. What is clear from his catalogue and broadcasts is a consistent attention to break edits, vocal integration, and low-end engineering—techniques he developed while recording at home in the years after first hearing the music on the airwaves.

Culture Shock remains an active producer and DJ with a discography that includes Moving Shadow and RAM Records releases, international performances and BBC Radio 1 coverage; his most recent listed project is Sequel (2022).