Bassline (dance music)
| Bassline | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 2000s, Sheffield, United Kingdom |
| Typical instruments | |
Bassline (sometimes referred to as bassline house, Niche or 4x4) is a type of music related to UK garage that originated in Sheffield in the early 2000s. Stylistically it comprises a four-to-the-floor rhythm normally at around 135–142 beats per minute, a strong emphasis on bass, and a pop music aesthetic similar to that of its precursor 2-step garage.
In the scene's early days the most prominent bassline club was the Niche nightclub in Sheffield, which became at the centre of controversy due to a police raid which resulted in the club's closure in 2005. The club reopened in 2009, only to be closed down a year later, and then reopened a third time in 2017. Like grime, which was developing concurrently in London, bassline was associated with violence, anti-social behaviour and criminal activity during the time of its rise to popularity, which contributed to a general lack of willingness among venue owners and the police to accommodate bassline events.
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 pushed in nightclubs in the North and the Midlands during the late 90s that played speed garage mixed with melodic vocal house. Most early bassline house tracks simply expanded on this as many tracks feature either 'warp' or 'reese' speed garage basslines, or the Korg M1 style organ lead. This led to many releases having a 'warper' mix along with an 'organ' mix of the same track. Like most electronic music, sampling played a big part, as lots of the same sampled basslines can be heard in old speed garage and bassline house releases.
Towards the end of the 2000s, a new wave of younger producers such as TS7, coupled with the rise of Digital audio workstations, which reduced the use of drum machine samples and old sampled basslines, took bassline to 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 basslines 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 featuring on obscure CD mixes or compilations. However, 4x4 Bassline gained popularity on the pop charts and allegedly one reason for this is it appeals to both genders, while grime and dubstep at the time gathered a predominantly male following. However, a more aggressive style of bassline also caught on, which was absent of pitched up female vocals and melodic leads, and was more reminiscent of grime. It became common for people to MC over bassline.
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