I said I’d do this a while ago, but now seems like the best time. Remember that I’m writing this from my own perspective, a DJ in ‘bass’ music, mostly performing within Europe.

THREAD: ‘Bass’ Music vs Techno & how this hierarchical segregation contributes to systemic racism!

According to wiki, ‘Bass’ music (used interchangeably with UK Bass) is an umbrella term for genres like Grime, Garage, Dubstep etc. Uk Bass derives from the sound system culture which was brought over to the UK from the mass migration of Jamaicans between the 60s - 70s.

Sound systems was used as a way of informing the UK of the hardships and struggles felt in Jamaica. ‘The DJs would often satirize current affairs and local events, taking on a ‘’singing newspaper’’ role.’

Historically, these genres are born in response to the political climate, Jungle being a perfect example. ‘A sound picture of social disintegration and instability...jungle contains a non-verbal response to troubled times.’

Club music in the UK eventually became ‘Bass’ music. The term ‘Bass’ music mirrors the same racist undertones as ‘BAME’ - minimizing the work of artists within this field by lumping all of these offshoots under one category.

In 2005, London Met police introduced Form 696, a risk assessment form which underhandedly targeted Grime events. This form was a way for the police to monitor what music was being played (a section on the form requested details of what genres were being played at the venues)

This allowed venues to favour house/techno promoters (which was appropriated by Europeans at this point) under the guise of the law. Leaving promoters showcasing Black artists without spaces to host their events.

Europe is widely considered the hub for raving due to it being the host of notable venues - Berghain being an obvious example. Lineups at these venues often favour White European artists in comparison to Black artists who pioneered the music.

The clear favouritism stems from the appropriation and commodification of house/techno. This favouritism can be seen by the trajectory of white artists within this field vs their Black counterparts.

The whitewashing of the music has allowed white artists to build a name for themselves a lot quicker in comparison to Black artists. We have to ask, why does the path of Black artists within these genres look so different?

Venues and festivals uphold this systemic racism and we can see this through programming. A clear example of this is Outlook vs Dimensions. Both festivals run by the same organisers, but the lineups reflect the hierarchal segregation of ‘Bass’ music vs house/techno.

This can also be seen in the programming of ‘Room 1’ vs ‘Room 2’ of venues. Room 2 often being reserved for bass music (typically performed by POC) This is reflected in many venues (Fabric, Berghain Corsica Studios). Whether that’s down to to the promoter or venue - it exists

Lastly, I’d like to discuss the championing of white DJs/artists being praised for playing ‘Bass’ music. This is seen a lot in music journalism. [Bass music being played by white artists in mixes being widely received]

I’ve seen countless of lineups with [insert white artist] playing a ‘rare old school jungle set’. There are many artists (old gen & new gen) playing this music but that space is still given to artists who occasionally play the music

anyway, there’s a lot more to say but I would ask you do your research! post covid, I’d like to see this challenged, let’s do better.