Home Bass

Growing up in Miami’s heavy Caribbean and Latin influenced communities, I learned at a very young age that it was all about the bass. If you listen to older Reggae music or even older Merengue and Salsa music, nothing stands out more than the bass. It was only natural for me to follow the bass even till this day (the only reason why I got into spinning Drum & Bass). There’s something about standing next to a speaker and feeling your insides shake.

In the early 80s Hip Hop was exploding in the streets of New York. With the help of the legendary Afrika Bambatta, Hip Hop made its way to Miami via “Planet Rock”. This song borrowed a sample from the group Kraftwerk, and this defining Electro sound would become the foundation for the genre of Bass music. Songs that stand out for me were “Clear”, “Play At Your Own Risk” and even Freestyle songs like “Don’t Stop The Rock” and “It’s Automatic”. A big part of the sound was the infamous Roland TR-808, this drum machine would become an essential component to all Miami Bass because it brought that BOOM!!!

One of the earliest Bass records came from a man called MC A.D.E. The track was called “Bass Rock Express”, and it was produced by Amos Larkin (under the pseudonym Leon Greene) whose pioneering use of the 808 would help to define the direction of early Miami Bass music. I remember as a lil’ kid hearing my brother’s car rumbling from blocks away pumping this song loud as f**k. Later on, Bass music took another turn that has influenced me till this day - the introduction of DJ influenced Bass. The one man solely responsible for this new style of heavy scratching Bass was Magic Mike (a legend not only in Bass but for DJ’s all over the world). This style of Bass was so amazing to me because as a young kid I didn’t really care what the MC was saying, it was all about the crazy sound that the DJ was making with the turntables. Other DJs that were killing it at the time were Jock D, Jealous J (now known as Jim Johnson), Mr Mixx and my hometown favorite DJ Laz. These dudes are the reason why I do what I do now. It’s crazy to me how Magic Mike was one of Rap’s first acts to go platinum. That’s how big Bass was. The love I have for this music has surpassed my love for any other genre because it’s what I grew up with. This is the reason why I made my mix CD, Bass Sessions. When people talk about Hip Hop, Bass should be mentioned right up there with Gangsta Rap, Conscious Rap and Golden Era Hip Hop.


While New York was more into the MC and party rocking flavor, Miami was more into Bass. MC’s even started talking about it in their songs. There’s one song that stands out the most for how we felt back then. The song was called “BASS TOWN” by Party Rock Crew. In one line this song sums it all up: “Miami is home, yes home of the BASS / All other cities come in second place / We’re chilling and illin’ under the sun / The only city known not ran by RUN”. Although other cities were making Bass music, we declared it ours and Miami has been the home of Bass ever since.
 
Check out DJ Craze Presents Bass Sessions coming out on Disque Premier/Audio Research, and online at DJCraze.com.