Music consumption has never been so easy. We have radio, playlists, streaming services, YouTube! However, the Bass music ecosystem doesn’t quite fit this mantra – i’m talking Bass, Bassline and Garage; NEW Bass, Bassline and Garage!
Being a fan of Bass music in the U.K is a unique experience. Business is booming in the scene; nonetheless, we don’t see the same support as the likes of house music and U.K rap. We are still missing a prime time national radio show, neither is there much love from official Spotify playlists.
If you’re new to the scene you might find it tough to broaden your knowledge and expertise of the genres. Not because there’s nothing out there for you to consume but rather there’s very little out there pushed and championed.
Here at UK Bass Music we provide a comprehensive breakdown of the scene from the latest mixes to interviews from the key names. Let’s take that further by delving into where you can consume new music from the genre, we all love…
Radio
Bass music has been vastly ignored by national radio stations. Drum and Bass is the exception to this. Remember the days of Fabio & Grooverider championing Drum and Bass on a prime time Saturday evening slot. Rene La Vice is the man for all things Drum and Bass on BBC Radio 1, a great listen when bored in the monotony of your day job.
However, it’s Marcus Nasty’s RINSE FM show which we want to specifically highlight here. One of the key Bass bastions on the station, Nasty’s radio show has been integral to the support of new artists in Bass music. Darkzy, Skepsis and Sammy Virji’s careers were all birthed on the show. If you’re into Bass, Bassline and Garage Marcus Nasty’s RINSE show is a key appointment to listen.
Special shout-out to Reprezent radio and SUB Fm which have bass shows in abundance!
Like radio, it’s slim pickings for Bass music in comparison to other UK specific genres. ‘Inside The Bass’ is the main playlist curated by the in-house Spotify team. The playlist includes some of the biggest names in Bass, Bassline and Grime – a perfect shop window for any new fans.
For those looking for new artists as well as new music FooR’s Garage Shared & D:Tune’s Best of UK Garage 2019 is for you. Special mention must go to Beatport’s Best New Garage/Bassline/Grime playlist. For one it’s regularly updated – something many Spotify playlists lack, with a mixture of new names and staple artists in the scene – if you want a snapshot of the best selling tunes this is the perfect playlist.
Soundcloud/YouTube
Soundcloud is not dead. Yet. The platform, once bustling with new music, is now predominantly a home for mixes. The likes of Lengoland and 3000 Bass lead the way for exciting premieres that you need to be aware of. Lengoland’s Facebook group is also a hot-spot for fresh releases and general Bass chat.
If you’re specifically into Bassline and heavy UK Bass look no further than Deeprot’s YouTube channel – the biggest channel in this space. With regular uploads, music videos and special remixes the Deeprot team are leading the way in pushing the very best out there.
Albeit not as big, the Opium YouTube channel have done a fantastic job the past 18 months in giving a voice to the softer side of Bass music, championing new artists in the scene.
Blogs and Magazines
Of course, UK Bass Music are the winners here giving you everything you need for your fix. Mixmag also do a good job in supporting Bass music – from new exclusives to news about the forthcoming raves. Trench may be new, but they have committed to giving a voice to Bass music alongside their grime content, which has been great to see. Fact and Dummy do their bit for the scene too but expect to see Bass featured once every so often.
Mixes
An often-overlooked piece, mixes on the likes of Mixcloud and Soundcloud are vital for finding new music. A simple type of ‘Bass’, ‘Bassline’ or ‘U.K Bass’ in the search should give you hundreds of mixes – from established to lesser known DJs for you to feast on. There is however two main drawbacks with such platforms:
- Finding a mix with a tracklist
- Finding a mix that’s not just filled with ‘old skool bangerz’
It can sometimes be a tough slog finding quality, new, Bass Music – unfortunately it is still an under-served genre. The good stuff will not fall on your lap; nonetheless, this is what makes being a fan of the genre so exciting. Spending hour trailing through mixes, articles, playlists to find that one tune that will be in your life forever. It’s what we signed up for as Bass music fans and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
Label Manager, Radio producer and playlist specialist, David Akosim has worn many hats in his music career. He spent 4 years at Radio 1 and 1Xtra pushing underground club music, working with the likes of Logan Sama, Sian Anderson, Deadmau5 and TQD. In addition David was part of the 1Xtra playlist team curating the daytime sound of the station. As manager of his own label, Resonate Sounds, David is at the forefront of pushing new innovative bass music in the U.K
