Bass Music

Bass music is an umbrella term covering a cluster of electronic dance music genres born in the United Kingdom during the mid-2000s, shaped by the cross-pollination of house, grime, dubstep, future garage, R&B, and UK funky. Heir to a long British tradition of bass-forward music — from 1990s jungle and drum and bass through 2000s bassline — bass music established itself as a sonic laboratory in which sub-bass frequencies and syncopated rhythms are elevated to compositional principles. It sits within the broader electronic music family while cultivating a distinctly British identity.

Musically, bass music is defined by omnipresent, physically felt low frequencies, syncopated rhythms that frequently depart from the four-to-the-floor norms of house or techno, and a sonic palette ranging from introspective atmosphere to direct dancefloor impact. The Roland TR-808 and analogue synthesizers supply the armature of many tracks. What sets bass music apart from related electronic genres like alternative dance is precisely this emphasis on the physical, sub-bass dimension of production and the way it places the listener's body at the centre of the listening experience.

Pioneers including Skream, Benga, Burial, James Blake, and SBTRKT defined the genre's contours between 2005 and 2015, earning it international critical recognition. On the current scene, BLASE carries this legacy forward with a contemporary approach, illustrating the creative continuity of a genre in constant evolution. Bass music branches into numerous sub-currents — future bass, wave, left-field bass — that continue to push its boundaries outward.

Discover 2 bass music festivals on FestT and feel the power of low frequencies in a physical way. Explore also black ambient and alternative dance to grasp the full breadth of the British electronic ecosystem.