Bassline (music genre)

[1] Stylistically it comprises a four-to-the-floor rhythm normally at around 135–142 beats per minute and a strong emphasis on bass, similar to that of its precursor speed garage, with chopped up vocal samples and a pop music aesthetic.

This early style grew from the sound that was popular in nightclubs in Yorkshire and the West Midlands during the late 1990s, which played speed garage mixed with melodic vocal house.

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 bass 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 obscure CD mixes or compilations.

Eventually, 4x4 gained popularity on the pop charts, allegedly because it appealed across genders, while grime and dubstep at the time gathered a predominantly male following.

[5] However, a more aggressive style of bassline also developed, which was absent of pitched-up female vocals and melodic leads, and was more reminiscent of grime.

[8] Niche Nightclub was established in 1992 by Steve Baxendale out of an abandoned warehouse on Sheffield's Sidney Street as a club for underground house music and later speed garage.

[13] Grime MC Skepta reported from a tour of several resorts in Greece and Cyprus in summer 2007 that the track was requested in clubs there.

Later in the year, one of London's leading bassline producers, Delinquent, signed a deal with All Around The World for another national release, "My Destiny".

The increased appeal of bassline may be in part due to the vocal contributions of female artists such as Jodie Aysha.

Artists like 1st Born, Mr Virgo, J69, J.G, Freddo, TRC and DJ Q pioneered the new sound which called upon more highly swung beats instead of the classic 4x4 drums that were used in old school bassline tracks.

[22] Musical commentators observed something of a revival of the genre in 2017, with the increasing popularity of the 'Bassfest' festival and the emergence of new producers pursuing a sub-bass driven style.