Bass

Lewis James kicks off the year with his four-track 'Featherstone' EP for Rua Sound and we've nabbed you an exclusive first listen to raucous lead track, 'Nutso'!

Following a huge 2017 — which saw the Irishman turn heads with EPs for Lowriders Recordings and Fracture & Neptune's Astrophonica imprint — James was named as one of DJ Mag's Ones To Watch in 2018.

With a background in sound design, James' productions are always of the highest calibre, and his versatility means EPs often offer jungle, half-time and more without any drop in quality.

Fracture and Alix Perez have joined forces on 'Archetype', a brand new killer taken from the upcoming 'Edition 1' compilation on 1985 Music.

Launched by Perez last year with his own 'Elephant Dreams' EP, the label has already turned out releases from Monty, Halogenix and Shades (aka Alix Perez & Eprom).

The 'Edition 1' compilation brings together some of the most exciting producers in the bass/drum & bass scene, including Ivy Lab, Chimpo, Deft and Skeptical (along with all the aforementioned heads).

Skrillex has scooped the award for highest bass act in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs 2017 after coming 16th in the poll. 

Ganesa drops chopped breaks and bouncing bass badness on the latest edition of our Fresh Kicks mix series.

Based out of a "secret creative work spot" by the sea just south of LA (alright for some, eh?), Ganesa is the founder and driving force behind bass/experimental grime outlet, Jelly Bean Farm.

Treading a similar path to labels such as Keysound Recordings and Durkle Disco, JBF boasts core artists — or as Ganesa puts it, "co-pilots" — in Squane and Rees, while other releases have come from talents such as Hypho, Korzi, Opus and Aerotonin.

Appleblim makes his debut on 22 Digit LTD with a remix of 'Ideal World', the new track from Manchester-based producers William Welt and Moodymanc.

The Bristolian made his name in the noughties spinning at pioneering dubstep night FWD>>, and running both the Skull Disco label with Shackleton and his own Apple Pips imprint.

More recently, the producer otherwise known as Laurie Osbourne has teamed up with Second Storey — both under their own monikers and as ALSO — for a series of punchy, fractured techno cuts for R&S Records.

Beatport has added three 'new' bass genres to its online pages. The move is part of a wider effort to try and clean up the website's catalogue, which also involved moving more than 1.5million tracks into their correct category, making it easier for customers to find what they want.  

Mani Festo makes his solo debut via Durkle Disco this month, so to celebrate, he's knocked up an eclectic Fresh Kicks mix that's guaranteed to have your neighbours banging down the door — hopefully to join the party, not just yell about the bass!

Best known as one half of Swamp 81 outfit Cousin — alongside Mia Mouse — Nick Marks first shone a light on his solo moniker via some stripped-back collab work with Sheffield’s Denham Audio (listen to the trio's own Fresh Kicks here). 

Troy Gunner explores the outer edges of techno and bass music with his finely crafted Fresh Kicks delivery.

As with so many from the conveyor belt of talent that is Bristol – where the fast-rising selector was born – Gunner's influences and interests range far and wide, but feature overarching themes of dub and low-end-heavy genres.

Denham Audio serve up a low-slung cut of solid gold bass music in 'Break Dat Thang'.

The Sheffield trio have been rising through the ranks over the past year, their hybrid productions drawing from breaks, dubstep, garage and more. Check out the outfit's Fresh Kicks for a taste of their killer DJing style too.

Bristol's Durkle Disco imprint, meanwhile, is dominating Britain’s bass music scene right now, dropping productions of the highest calibre each and every.

A new study has explained why humans have such an affinity for bass notes in music.

Published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), the research found that “superior time perception for lower musical pitch explains why bass-ranged instruments lay down musical rhythms”.

This means that our brains understand rhythms better when they are played at lower frequencies, and thus we enjoy songs more when they have more bass.