Rising from the depths of the UK underground in the 2000s, bass music brought together vibrant elements of UK garage, UK funky, dubstep, grime, hip-hop, DnB, wonky and beyond. Led by experimentation and by distributing this unique blend of music in innovative ways, a new movement began to spread through the dance music underground with seismic, pulsating, wobbly bass lines designed to shake dance floors. Glasgow-born, London-based DJ-producer Kode9 was among those who played a role in developing and popularizing the early days of dubstep, having embraced jungle as a DJ through various eras of rave culture. Building on that foundation, Kode9’s 2006 remix of his 2002 classic, “Fat Larry’s Skank,” a collaboration with Benny Ill and The Culprit that came out on influential dubstep label Tempa, served as a blueprint for early bass music.
As the 2000s unfolded, trailblazing artists and their respective labels, DMZ (Mala, Loefah and Coki), Hessle Audio (Pearson Sound, Pangaea and Ben UFO), Hotflush (Scuba) and Hyperdub (founded by the aforementioned Kode9) were among the key players shaping the sound and spearheading its cultural impact. Pioneering British artists Skream and Benga would help take bass music global, igniting an explosion that would soon populate festival sounds worldwide. With the internet playing a substantial role in the genre’s proliferation, in the United States, burgeoning scenes centered around New York’s Dub War (known for being the country’s first dubstep night) and Trouble & Bass, Gritsy in Houston, SMOG in Los Angeles, Sub.mission in Denver. Throughout the 2010s, American producers RL Grime, Skrillex, Kill The Noise, 12th Planet and EPROM were among those continuing to push bass-heavy boundaries within electronic music, influencing a new generation of producers and DJs.
As a new era in bass has emerged, Philly’s Subtronics continues to innovate, recently launching his long-awaited sophomore album, ‘Tesseract,’ in February 2024. Most recently, Subtronics dropped “Black Ice,” a slow-burning, bass-heavy banger with REZZ and Phantogram. Los Angeles’ Noizu has been making plenty of noise since his 2017 release, “Lasers,” which was released on Skrillex’s OWSLA label and garnered co-signs from Diplo, Tchami and other giants of the dance scene. And labels such as AC Slater’s Night Bass – with its steady pulse of bass house heaters – and Zeds Dead’s Deadbeats, based out of Toronto, continue to champion bass music’s evolution with their respective artist rosters. Dive into bass music’s new era with a collection of tracks ranging from Denver’s underground kingpin pheel. to Vancouver’s ascendant experimental producer Silk Static.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ERA BASS PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW.
Noizu, “Get Rockin'”
Just released from the DJ who made his debut on Chris Lake and Skrillex’s 2017 compilation, ‘HOWSLA’
Subtronics, “Subtronics, Rezz - Black Ice (feat. Phantogram)"
New from two simpatico producers who previously collaborated on 2022’s “Puzzle Box”
comisar, “DUNE [Qualia]”
Heavy atmosphere from the influential label
1985 | Music, “Cesco, Hamdi - Swing King"
A festival favorite from these two UK producers even before it dropped on streaming services
Skrillex, “Skrillex, PEEKABOO, Flowdan, & G-Rex - Badders”
Detroit’s PEEKABOO and G-Rex combined to start this party, which features veteran grime MC Flowdan
Interplanetary Criminal, “Races (feat. Blanco)”
“I wanted to take it back to my two-step roots,” says the Manchester hitmaker
Noizu, “Noizu - Acid Rain (ft. Madge) (Original Mix)”
The DJ-producer’s first single of 2024 featured fellow Los Angeleno Madge on the microphone
Night Bass, “MPH - One Sixty”
Flooring it with MPH’s signature blend of UK garage and bass
AC Slater, “The Don (feat. Gabi'el)”
Made in conjunction with fellow bass stalwart Jay Robinson for the Night Bass label
Night Bass, “AC Slater - Bass Face Ft. Young Lyxx”
The San Diego rapper Young Lyxx asks for the rest of us: “Let me see your bass face!”
Odd Mob, “Andruss - Frikitona (Odd Mob Remix)”
Lively remix of this 2023 track from the rising Mexican producer Andruss
MYTHM, “Grim”
First single from the recent debut album by the Vancouver bass newcomer
DAGGZ, "Magicians w/ Chmura & Comisar”
A definite esoteric vibe from the producer who identifies as a “hermeticist” and “gnostic”
Memory Palace Records, “FLY - Lucid Dream”
Title track from the latest EP by the trailblazing producer
Six Star Records, “crawdad sniper - Turbulence”
DC in the house on Six Star’s “Push/Pull” compilation
Tippermusic, “Preparations For Departure”
Dave Tipper released this downtempo reflection just after announcing his impending retirement
comisar, “Silk Static - Bitter Roots (Comisar Remix)”
Nice remix of this enduring Silk Static crowd-pleaser
Yheti, “Long Way From Normal”
Signature sound sculpture from this master of experimental bass
RL Grime, “Zone”
“This is hardcore, coming back” Says it all
Philos Records, “parkbreezy - Drop Top"
Parker Williams puts a hip-hop spin on this soulful bass track from last summer
ATYYA, “ATYYA X Saturna - Sol 1 [FREE DL]”
Tyy Clark’s mission is to connect listeners with the feeling of “profound happiness and boundless love”
Phurn, “Bristlecone"
From the purveyor of “spacious, floatacious, transcendental contemplative” bass
pheel., “Bed of Bells (feat. Thought Process)"
Phil Gallo left NYC for the mile-high surroundings of Colorado
Taiki Nulight, “Style"
Brand-new drop from the Mongolian-British producer teamed with rappers Capo Lee and P Money
chmura, “How We Do"
2022 banger from the Denver DJ, telling it like it is
Holy Goof, “Holy Goof - You Make Me"
Lots of legendary club references here from the boxer-turned-producer
The Glitch Mob, “The Glitch Mob - Peace"
Peace piece from the electronic LA duo of edIT and Ooah
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