Music genre
Bassline
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Stylistic origins
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Cultural origins
| Early 2000's,
Sheffield
and
Birmingham
, UK
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Typical instruments
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Bassline
(sometimes referred to as
bassline house
or
4x4
) is a music genre closely related to
UK garage
that originated in
South Yorkshire
and the
West Midlands
in the early 2000s.
[1]
Stylistically it comprises a
four-to-the-floor
rhythm normally at around 135?142
beats per minute
and a strong emphasis on
bass
, similar to that of its precursor
speed garage
, with chopped up vocal samples and a
pop music
aesthetic.
Particularly in the scene's early days, the most prominent bassline club was
Sheffield
's Niche Nightclub, which became the centre of controversy due to a
police raid
which resulted in the club's closure in 2005.
[2]
Characteristics
[
edit
]
Early bassline house
[
edit
]
Early bassline shares more similarities with its predecessor
speed garage
than the style that began to emerge in the latter half of the decade, with many people still referring to bassline house releases from the early 2000s as speed garage. This early style grew from the sound that was popular in nightclubs in
Yorkshire
and the
West Midlands
during the late 1990s, which played speed garage mixed with melodic vocal house. While the four-to-the-floor style of
speed garage
retained popularity in Yorkshire and the Midlands, in
London
it had declined due to the rise of
2-step garage
and
grime
,
[3]
which led to Northern and Midlands DJs needing to produce their own records.
[4]
A separation between "organ" and "bass" mixes of tracks appeared in the early bassline scene, with "bass" or "B-Line" tracks featuring a "warp" or "reese" synthesized bass line, influenced by speed garage, and "organ" tracks featuring sampled
Korg M1
-style organ leads, influenced by the
house music
of the 1990s.
Like most electronic music, sampling played a large role. Many of the same sampled bass lines and drum loops can be heard in old speed garage and bassline house releases, and many popular early releases were
bootleg
remixes of
R&B
tracks, or otherwise based on unlicensed vocal samples.
Towards the end of the 2000s, a new wave of younger Yorkshire-based producers such as TS7, Service Crew, Danny Bond and others, coupled with the rise of
digital audio workstations
, reduced the use of drum machine samples and old sampled bass lines, which took bassline along a different path. This style started to be called '4x4', moving further away from the original
speed garage
sound, but still retaining the core elements such as the warping bass and female vocals. In general, bassline as a whole remained fairly underground and was mostly only popular in the North and Midlands, and releases often never went beyond a 12" vinyl EP, or obscure CD mixes or compilations.
Eventually, 4x4 gained popularity on the pop charts, allegedly because it appeals to both genders, while grime and dubstep at the time gathered a predominantly male following.
[5]
However, a more aggressive style of bassline also developed, which was absent of pitched-up female vocals and melodic leads, and was more reminiscent of grime. According to Steve Baxendale, owner of Niche nightclub, the Niche DJs began to take the vocals out of speed garage and house music, and pump up the bass. The changes in the style of the music at Niche led to a change from a predominantly white crowd to a predominantly
Black British
crowd.
[6]
While the "darker" style of bassline was popular in Sheffield, local scenes in cities such as
Birmingham
and
Leeds
continued pursuing a more upbeat style. By 2007, it had become common for people to
MC
over bassline.
[3]
Like
dubstep
and
grime
, bassline generally places a strong emphasis on bass,
[1]
with intricate basslines (often multiple and interweaving) being characteristic of the genre.
[7]
However, in contrast to these genres, bassline tracks use a
four-to-the-floor
beat.
[7]
The music is often purely instrumental, but vocal techniques common in other styles of garage can also be present, such as female
R&B
vocals sped up to match the faster tempo, and also samples of vocals from grime tracks.
[1]
Most songs are around 135 to 142
bpm
, faster than most
UK garage
and around the same tempo as most grime and dubstep.
Together with its return to feminine-style music, bassline is said to embrace pop music aesthetics, and to have a euphoric, exuberant quality similar to that of earlier British
rave music
- both also in contrast to grime and dubstep.
[7]
Producer
T2
maintains that bassline and
UK garage
share a common origin in
house music
but are different sounds, while major bassline distributor and DJ Mystic Matt describes bassline as having a similar rhythm to UK garage, but that the strong emphasis on bass makes it a separate genre.
[8]
History
[
edit
]
Niche Nightclub
[
edit
]
Niche Nightclub was established in 1992 by Steve Baxendale out of an abandoned warehouse on
Sheffield
's Sidney Street as a club for
underground
house music
and later
speed garage
. The club was subjected to frequent raids by
South Yorkshire Police
throughout the 90s and early 2000s.
[6]
As the bassline scene evolved, and Niche's popularity with it, the name of the club Niche became synonymous with the genre.
[6]
[9]
In November 2005, the club was stormed by 300 officers in a raid named "Operation Repatriation", and closed, despite a lack of charges against the club's owners. According to Steve Baxendale, Sheffield's police force argued that the club attracted an undesirable clientele and gangs due to heavy drug use inside the club, although it was also argued that the raid was the result of discrimination due to the club's increasing popularity with the Black British community in 2005.
[6]
Sheffield's police force have stated "the only gun crime related to nightlife in Sheffield has been with bassline". However, according to Steve Baxendale, the controversy resulting from Operation Repatriation increased the popularity of the genre.
[1]
After Niche's closure, Club Vibe was opened by Steve Baxendale on Sheffield's Charter Row, with an agreement with South Yorkshire Police not to use the name Niche,
[10]
and DJs restricted to playing classic bassline house and vocal tracks, with a ban on "4x4" productions. High levels of security were eventually relaxed in 2009, and the Vibe premises were expanded and renamed to Niche.
[6]
After a stabbing occurred outside the club in 2010,
[4]
a local court forced the club to require membership cards, and the excessive restrictions governing bassline events eventually caused the club's permanent closure.
[6]
After repeated attempts by Niche's DJs to re-open the club at its original location on Sidney Street failed due to obstruction by
Sheffield City Council
and
South Yorkshire Police
, the original Niche building was scheduled for demolition in 2016.
[11]
Emergence into the mainstream
[
edit
]
Bassline was an underground scene in the
West Midlands
and the north of England until the release of
T2
's single "
Heartbroken
" on
All Around the World
,
[12]
which attracted international attention, entering the music charts in several countries, including the
UK Singles Chart
where it reached #2.
[13]
Grime MC
Skepta
reported from a tour of several resorts in
Greece
and
Cyprus
in summer 2007 that the track was requested in clubs there.
[1]
[13]
Additionally, the track received significant airplay on UK radio stations. Some music critics have said Bassline is more mainstream-friendly than
grime
, since it appeals more equally to both sexes, whereas grime gathered a predominantly male following.
[12]
[14]
In December 2007, a reworked version of "Heartbroken", renamed "Jawbroken", created in aid of
Ricky Hatton
's world title fight against
Floyd Mayweather
, was selected as warm-up music for the fight.
[15]
After T2's success,
H "Two" O
released their single featuring vocal group
Platnum
, "
What's It Gonna Be
" which reached number 7 in the national charts on downloads alone, rising to number 2
[16]
[17]
the following week, where it remained for the next 3 weeks. Later in the year, one of London's leading bassline producers, Delinquent, signed a deal with
All Around The World
for another national release, "My Destiny".
[18]
Tony Portelli signed the M.I.RAW Recordings single
DJ Q
(BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ) & MC Bonez to
Ministry of Sound
to release the single "You Wot!" nationwide for download and sale on 14 July 2008 & 21 July 2008 respectively. The video for the single has received airplay on notable TV music stations such as
MTV Base
. 23 Deluxe also released their single "Show Me Happiness" which reached number 2 in the BBC Radio 1 Dance Singles Chart. "Daddy O" ? a song by
Wideboys
reached number 32 on the 2008 UK singles chart.
The increased appeal of bassline may be in part due to the vocal contributions of female artists such as
Jodie Aysha
. The lyrics of bassline are often focused on love and other issues that may be considered more feminine.
[7]
In a blog posting,
Simon Reynolds
described the bassline genre as "the drastic pendulum swing from
yang to yin
,
testosterone
to
oestrogen
, that I had always imagined would happen in reaction to grime, except it took so long to happen I gave up on it and just forgot."
[7]
It has been argued that grime and dubstep originated in turn from "an over-reaction - to the 'feminine pressure' of late-'90s 2-step."
[7]
Post mainstream era
[
edit
]
After its success through the mid to late 2000s, bassline began to enter a stage of commercial decline. This was mainly driven by the genre not having a presence in nightclubs as it did previously.
[19]
At this point the genre started to combine elements from older 2-step and UK garage tracks. Artists like 1st Born, Mr Virgo, J69, Freddo, TRC and
DJ Q
pioneered the new sound which called upon more highly swung beats instead of the classic 4x4 drums that were used in old school bassline tracks. The music at this time was mainly championed by DJ Q via his weekly spot on
BBC Radio 1Xtra
.
[20]
In July 2012,
The Independent
featured an article about the progress of bassline and the new sound.
[21]
With bassline as a scene in decline and nightclub owners still unwilling to carry out events, there was a resurgence in the music as a sound and party culture mainly due to the warehouse and rave culture in the North of England.
[22]
Musical commentators observed something of a revival of the genre in 2017, with the increasing popularity of the 'Bassfest' festival and the emergence of new producers pursuing a sub-bass driven style.
[23]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Collins, Hattie (29 November 2007).
"Deep down and dirty"
.
The Guardian
.
Archived
from the original on 27 April 2014
. Retrieved
16 December
2007
.
- ^
McDonnell, John (17 October 2007).
"Bassline house looks to find a niche where grime failed"
.
The Guardian
.
Archived
from the original on 26 September 2013
. Retrieved
17 October
2007
.
- ^
a
b
Jenkins, Dave (6 November 2020).
"Origins: DJ Q"
.
UKF
. Retrieved
21 May
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Jenkins, Dave (5 November 2018).
"Origins: Jamie Duggan"
.
UKF
. Retrieved
21 May
2021
.
- ^
Beck, Richard. "The Low End: The Bassline House Invasion". 26 February 2008. 13 March 2008.
"The Phoenix > Music Features > the low end"
. Archived from
the original
on 4 July 2008
. Retrieved
2008-03-13
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Deacon, Liam; Deadman, Alex (18 March 2014).
"Bassline: The UK Dance Scene That Was Killed By The Police"
.
Vice
.
Archived
from the original on 10 September 2017
. Retrieved
10 September
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
K-Punk, "
Bassline House and the Return of Feminine Pressure
Archived
8 September 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
,"
Fact Magazine
, January 2008.
- ^
Morris, Davina (29 November 2007).
"Niche: The new garage?"
.
The Voice
. Archived from
the original
on 4 April 2009
. Retrieved
16 December
2007
.
- ^
Wray, Daniel (15 September 2015).
"Nightclubbing: Sheffield's Niche"
.
Red Bull Music Academy Daily
. Retrieved
27 May
2021
.
- ^
"Bassline and gang culture"
.
BBC News
. 18 September 2007
. Retrieved
22 May
2021
.
- ^
Twell, John (12 May 2016).
"Sheffield's iconic Niche nightclub to be demolished"
.
FACT
. Retrieved
22 May
2021
.
- ^
a
b
McDonnell, John (17 October 2007).
"Bassline house looks to find a niche where grime failed"
.
The Guardian
.
Archived
from the original on 26 September 2013
. Retrieved
19 January
2008
.
- ^
a
b
"Official Charts UK"
. 25 November 2007
. Retrieved
3 June
2023
.
- ^
Collins, Hattie (3 November 2007).
"Get down to dirty pop and bassline"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
19 January
2008
.
- ^
Pritchard, Will (26 November 2015).
"Finding Its Niche: The State Of Bassline"
.
Clash Magazine
. Retrieved
27 May
2021
.
- ^
"Official Singles Chart Top 40 ? Official Charts Company"
.
theofficialcharts.com
.
Archived
from the original on 4 April 2009
. Retrieved
26 December
2019
.
- ^
"Official Singles Chart Top 40 ? Official Charts Company"
.
theofficialcharts.com
.
Archived
from the original on 4 April 2009
. Retrieved
26 December
2019
.
- ^
Collins, Hattie.
"About To Blow! Bassline"
.
RWD Magazine
. Archived from
the original
on 12 December 2007
. Retrieved
16 December
2007
.
- ^
"Bassline: The UK Dance Scene That Was Killed by the Police"
. 18 March 2014.
Archived
from the original on 29 October 2016
. Retrieved
24 August
2017
.
- ^
"BBC Radio 1Xtra - UKG M1X with DJ Q"
.
BBC
.
Archived
from the original on 26 September 2017
. Retrieved
2 June
2018
.
- ^
"DJ Q: Bassline's breaking through even more than when it was commercially successful | Sam Moir | Independent Arts Blogs"
. Archived from
the original
on 2 April 2015
. Retrieved
2015-03-10
.
- ^
"Bassline's Brief Bubble of Fame - BOILER ROOM"
. 30 January 2015.
Archived
from the original on 18 March 2015
. Retrieved
10 March
2015
.
- ^
"Bassline Mainstay Jamie Duggan is Looking Towards the Future"
. 2 May 2017.
Archived
from the original on 1 December 2017
. Retrieved
28 November
2017
.
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Subgenres
| |
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Derivatives and fusion genres
| |
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Related genres
| |
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Related articles
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