Bass Music
Over the last 10 years Dubstep has been staking a claim as the most exciting musical genre on the planet. Blogs, hip magazines and even cerebral broadsheets have all fawned over the music’s trademark half step rhythms and wobbly, speaker blowing basslines. However, the last 18 months or so have seen a huge increase in the profile of Dubstep. The scene’s early pioneers, namely Skream and Benga, have been scoring hit after hit in the mainstream European charts; while in the States the sound has now been co-opted by household names looking to gain an edge of credibility to their sound – including Snoop Dogg, M.I.A. and even Britney Spears. The US DJ Diplo – who now almost exclusively plays Dubstep and has released a CD compilation in the genre’s honour – has now landed sponsorship from the corporate mobile manufacturer, Blackberry.
Yet any one saying that Dubstep’s lost it’s edge shouldn’t have to look far to find exciting bass filled music. As Dubstep’s signature elements are increasingly being used by pop acts they are also becoming more hybridised with obscure sub-genres such as UK Funky, Future Garage, Soca, and Tech-House. This has created some great music and fired countless debates on what and what doesn’t constitute proper Dubstep – with many now settling on the term of ‘Bass Music’ for anything that’s mildly influenced by Dubstep and Drum And Bass.
With this in mind we count down some of the hottest names in electronic music that are carrying Bass Music’s ethos forward.
Falty DL
It’s no secret that Dubstep initially emerged as a new form of UK Garage in London about 10 years ago. With this in mind, Falty DL’s music takes Dubstep back to its roots. Drawing largely on late 90′s Garage, DL’s music is all skittering 2 step rhythms, swinging hats and euphoric yelps of female vocal. Back in the ’90′s Garage was so London centric that it was seen as a big deal if someone from Manchester made anything in that style: the fact that Falty DL hails from New York shows how far the genre has come.
Ramadanman
Here’s a quick game; try to picture what an artist called Ramadanman might look like… Chances are you haven’t envisaged an unimposing, clean cut white guy from Northern England: but that’s exactly who Ramadanman AKA David Kenedy is. The boss of the influential label Hessle Audio, his tracks mix Rave, Detroit Techno and Ragga into a melting point of sounds. He was one of the first artists to gain respect from Techno luminaries like Ricardo Villalobos and he continues to win fans from across the musical spectrum.
Appleblim
Bristol native Appleblim operates in the grey area between House, Ambient, Techno, Dubstep and more traditional Jamaican dub based styles. As one of the figureheads of the Skull Disco label he helped bring Dubstep to a whole new audience, with tracks on the label such as Shackleton’s ‘Blood On Our Hands’ still hugely referenced by hardcore dubsteppers and chin stroking electronic music geeks. His style delivers an experiential counterpoint to the more commercial leanings of some Bass Music.
Mount Kimbie
Think bass music is all about faceless producers? Mount Kimbie thrust bass music into the live world in a totally unique way. Known as Dominic Maker and Kai Campos to their mothers, Mount Kimbie’s low-fi sound has many points of reference; from experimental electronic acts like Four Tet, to ambient chill wave, to good old dubstep. As good as their music is on its own – their album ‘Crooks & Lovers’ won a rave review from indie bible, Pitchfork – it’s their live show that makes them truly special. With huge areas of improvisation, Mount Kimbie use a laptop, guitar, vocals, percussion, drums and keyboards to make a huge cacophony capable of starting any party.
Cooly G
Bass music is dominated by introspective blokes and Cooly G offers a welcome female respite. Her music mixes UK Funky, House and Soca to create a polished coherent whole. Mixing her own trademark vocals with rolling drums and emotive keys gives Cooly G’s music a uniquely soulful touch: a facet that has seen her sign to the oh-so-cool Bass Music label, Hyperdub. Comparisons to legendary Detroit producer Moodymann – if he was born a girl and brought up in the UK – are not uncommon.
