In the Studio With

BLOND:ISH: ECO ACTIVIST

For much of 2020, the pandemic did a number on the DJ and music industries. With no live gigs after March, most DJ/producers hit the studio in earnest and many began live-streaming thru a variety of platforms. But Vivie-Ann Bakos (aka BLOND:ISH) had bigger visions. Yes, the Canadian DJ/producer got busy making music and sustaining her brand via socials. She’s created lots of tunes, including her latest single, electro-popleaning “Waves,” which features Grace Tither, on Spinnin’ Deep. And she’s been offering loads of content on her labelbranded ABRACADABRA TV channel on Twitch. But that content hasn’t just been all about her latest tracks; it’s taken on a larger purpose – to help ecological sustainability within the music industry and beyond. We recently caught up with the Miami-based electronic talent/eco activist. DJ Times: How have you fared through the pandemic? Bakos: My partner in business and life, Liana Hillison, and I were fortunate enough to be in this incredible house in Miami with its own club for us to create and produce from. We were locked down from March to June in 2020, but since then, we’ve had more freedom. I spent most of my time being a curious kid again, getting creative on how to work with my passion for music in different ways and asking myself the question, “How do we bring value to our community in these times?” I went really deep into that. DJ Times: What have you learned? Bakos: Most of my income was tied to touring, which ended up being a huge lesson. I have taken the time to find new ways to diversify my income around my passion. It was such a fun exploration because there are so many worlds for your music to live in. We have the physical reality, streaming world, gaming world, sustainability world, app world, NFT world – it’s endless!

DJ Times: How have you pivoted?

Bakos: ABRACADABRA, our female-powered collective, focused on bridging the worlds of music and art with wellness and eco-activism, has been producing unique single-use, plastic-free events IRL, in places like Tulum, Mykonos, and at Tomorrowland, since 2017. But last March, as music venues and festivals were forced to shut down due to COVID-19, we quickly adapted by launching ABRACADABRA TV on Twitch.

The channel is for the music-obsessed, the self-love-seeking, and those who believe the future of entertainment is educational, eco-friendly, and ever-evolving. We serve up over 60-plus hours of music and self-love programming live every week. The channel has brought in over 55,000 followers and 40 million views in less than a year. DJ Times: Sounds like you’ve been plenty busy. Bakos: Another major thing for me was doubling down on all things Bye Bye Plastic, my organization that aims to remove single-use plastic from the music industry by 2025. We’re working on a new program that prepares artists to lead with more purpose and many are already signing our Eco-Rider pledge. DJ Times: How ’bout the music you’ve made during this time? Bakos: My record label has released two new compilations, Human Nature by Day and Human Nature by Night, sharing all the unreleased material that I’ve gathered from incredible artists like Ameme and Hyenah. Additionally, we’re evolving to hopefully one day only playing plastic-free parties – check the #PlasticFreeParty pledge online – and we have started accepting payments in crypto. DJ Times: In the studio, what’s your set-up? Bakos: UAD Apollo Quad combined with Nord Lead and [Moog] Sub 37, TB-303, Dave Smith Prophet – you can never have too many synths – and [Spectrasonics] Omnisphere. I would love to make and play with some plant synthesizers this spring, too. UAD’s EMT 250 Reverb, the Korg SDD-3000 [digital delay] and the UAD K-Stereo also get used a lot along with the Millennia EQ. Currently, my favorite plug-ins include the Smoothe2 by Oeksound… and literally all the iZotope plugs are dope, especially the Neutron, Ozone, and Nectar – also the RX8 is a (continued on page 34)

SSIR IVAN’S 18-SONG DOUBLE ALBUM “LIFE” OUT NOW

This 18-song double-album is a celebration of Sir Ivan’s 20 years as a recording artist. Collectively, it is an electronic dance music experience that pays homage to the spirit of the 60s - Peace, Love and Acceptance. In Sir Ivan’s words, “the greatest collection of peace songs ever released as dance music”.

https://ffm.to/sir-ivan-life

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LONG AN EDM SUPERSTAR, KASKADE HAS FOUND NEW WAYS – SOME BY NECESSITY, OTHERS BY DESIGN – TO EMBRACE A YOUNGER AUDIENCE

BY BRIAN BONAVOGLIA

PHOTOS BY MARK OWENS

As we’ve seen, the global pandemic has been an equalopportunity emergency for all DJs. It didn’t matter if you were a world-renowned talent, an aspiring headliner or a busy mobile – nearly every DJ was stuck at home with almost all live gigs halted. Accordingly, DJs of all stripes have had to find various ways to survive. Even the big-name talents have had to make a pivot.

At first blush, a hitmaking DJ/producer like Kaskade – aka Ryan Raddon, 50 – could undoubtedly use the time off to be at home with his family. After all, the global jock has been on the road almost constantly for two decades now. But he, too, had to adjust to the “new normal,” as lockdown weeks turned to months. It suddenly went from a welcomed staycation to a career-on-pause.

And what a career it’s been. With his musical roots connected to the Chicago house-music scene, Raddon worked his way up the industry ladder, recording and performing A&R duties for San Francisco’s Om Records at the turn of the century, before signing with Ultra Records and eventually developing his own imprint, Arkade.

Ten artist albums, seven mix-compilations and five EPs later – not to mention scads of hit singles like 2004’s “Steppin’ Out,” 2008’s “I Remember” (with deadmau5) and, more recently, 2019’s “Go Slow” (with Gorgon City and Roméo) – Kaskade became one of America’s favorite electronic-music talents.

But, all his accomplishments aside, Kaskade was now in uncharted territory – with no club or festival dates on the horizon. How would he maintain, or even grow, his already substantial fanbase? Step 1 was hopping into the live-streaming space.

Getting busy in early 2020, he delivered sets from the comfort of his own home and from unique spots like the skywalk at the Grand Canyon. Additionally, he made appearances at a handful of virtual festivals like Proximity/Brownies & Lemonade’s Digital Mirage and SiriusXM’s Virtual DisDance.

It’s interesting to note that, for the past decade, livestreaming had been prominently geared to the video-game community. However, during recent times, it’s become newfound territory for DJs looking to continue to perform and the perfect platform to interact with younger fans on a more intimate level. On platforms like Twitch.tv, EDM meets the gaming community.

And speaking of gaming… Kaskade made his debut on the powerhouse label Monstercat with his newest releases from the “Reset” EP being featured on the Rocket League soundtrack, in addition to Fortnite’s in-vehicle radio station, Radio Yonder. Kaskade was now getting airtime in two of the biggest video games out there, each averaging millions of players daily. Call that a big Step 2.

So, in a matter of months, Kaskade had made his presence felt online with live-stream sets and infiltrated the videogaming community, getting his music in front of a whole new, global audience. But even that wasn’t the whole story… Kaskade also played quite a few socially distanced, drive-in events, including a SoCal New Year’s Eve party, which has become an annual rite for him.

We recently caught up with Kaskade from his home in Los Angeles to discuss his time in transition throughout the pandemic, his working with Monstercat, the live-streaming and gaming opportunities, the drive-in shows, and much more.

DJ Times: Since the early ’90s, club culture has been a major part of your life. But these days, packed dancefloors are considered a serious health risk. As a DJ vet, what are your thoughts on the situation?

Kaskade: It’s uncontrollable and unknowable. I can’t let myself spiral into what’s been lost because that would be a full-time occupation. Instead, I’m looking forward to how we can rebuild something better. The audience isn’t lost – they’re just locked down, same as me. When it’s safe, we will be back together. Careers have been stalled, and maybe some have been ended because of this. Under the best of circumstances, we still have no control, only will and grit. Those things persevere, and when we come back out, trust we will all come out swinging.

DJ Times: From enjoying a vigorous tour schedule to see-

GAMING ISSUE | 2021 • DJTIMES.COM 15 ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... “I wanted to make sure each song [on the ‘Reset’ EP] expressed a different mood [for Rocket League]. Playing any video game is an exercise in whiplash. You go from feeling top-tier to wanting to throw your controller at the television.”

“If I’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s not to expect anything.” ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... .....................................................................................

ing the entire world being put on pause, how did you handle the earliest part of lockdown? Kaskade: I remember having early conversations with my team about taking the “next few weeks” off and regrouping with a revised tour plan after that. It’s bittersweet, in retrospect, like looking at an innocent dumb puppy. Like, “Aww, that’s cute – we thought it would be a few weeks.” I was honestly a little grateful for the forced time off, something I’m not the best at carving out for myself. DJ Times: I’m sure it was great to have some quality family time after always being on the road. How has “daddy duty” treated you during the pandemic? Kaskade: I’ve documented my inability to learn how to fold a fitted sheet. Advancements have been slow, but the increased day-to-day interaction with my family has been amazing. I wouldn’t have chosen these circumstances, but I also am grateful that I’ve been able to experience this time with the people I love the most. DJ Times: Specifically, how has it been to have three daughters at home while juggling lockdown restrictions, homeschool..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ..................................................................................... ing, explaining COVID and all the other current events that have unfolded over the past year? Kaskade: Two of them are teenagers, the other one is younger, but actually might be wiser than the rest of us, combined. Either she’s an old soul or Roblox has really shaped the youth to be smarter than their parents. Let’s be very clear: Trying to enforce new strict regulations with teenagers is never going to be an easy ask and then, on top of that, trying to have conversations around the instability of the rest of the events that we’ve all been living through has heightened anxiety and stress in everyone’s homes. But the conversations are happening, which is a win. I take wins where I can get them. It hasn’t been easy, but the best things that have ever happened in my life are the things that have been the hardest to get through. I believe we’ll get to the other side of this closer and more sympathetic to each other. DJ Times: All DJs have taken an enormous financial hit since last March and have been left with plenty of free time. Did you learn anything during downtime or pick up any new hobbies? Kaskade: I’ve learned all about – and now only use – cryptocurrency and will only accept GameStop stock as payment for anything. OK, that’s a joke – I actually prefer Tesla options [laughs]. I’ve also started surfing a lot more and have made plans to organize my vinyl collection, but that might take more motivation than I have currently. DJ Times: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this time of weirdness? Kaskade: I’m surprised that I used to go without sleep for days while touring. I’ve definitely been making up for those lost blurry weekends by getting a better routine for sleep and can’t believe how it affects me in almost every aspect of life. I just feel better. Sleep is important. Tell a friend. DJ Times: Any advice on getting through this situation gracefully? Kaskade: Step away from the computer and go outside. DJ Times: Has this pandemic experience served as an inspirational period when it comes to production, or have you become unmotivated/exhausted? Everyone seems to be on an emotional rollercoaster these days, especially creatively. Kaskade: The answer is yes to everything. I’ve been inspired and I’ve been depleted. It depends on the day, the hour, the minute. I do know we’re all experiencing this universal fatigue and none of us are living our personal best 100-percent of the time. But again, this is where we’re at and it’s important to not get stuck under it. DJ Times: Do you have any encouraging words for DJ/producers beginning to or have lost faith in a career due to the pandemic? Kaskade: I wish I had solutions or some quote that would help everyone. All I know is that art perseveres – it always does. During great times, we get amazing art. During extreme stress, insane art is produced. It’s during times that we become bored or complacent that art suffers. So if you are feeling some extreme way, keep creating. It may or may not be a way to make a living, but it will always improve your mental health, which is the best type of success. DJ Times: You’ve done a number of live-streams and drive-in shows throughout the pandemic. How do you feel about these new performance alternatives? Kaskade: I feel a few things. First, it’s reminiscent of when I was at the beginning of my career and I was playing in – and couldn’t fill – a parking lot outside of the main festival. Safety comes first and, with that, there are less people and what could be considered lower energy. With that being said, we are all starving for this interaction and it feels a hundred times more fulfilling than the largest, most-epic festival right now. Just seeing people together, but safely distanced, restores my hope and gives me that hit of what I need to remember why we’re all here and what we’re going to get back to. DJ Times: You even delivered a live-stream set from the Grand Canyon. How were you able to make that one happen? Kaskade: That show came together really quickly and with a lot of work behind the scenes from my team. The location and opportunity kind of came together in a perfect storm and I had to agree to pull the trigger without knowing 100-percent how we would pull it off. It was one of the most exhilarating performances of my career, though, and who would have ever guessed I would say that, playing to a live audience of zero? DJ Times: Your drive-in shows sold out almost instantly. How was it going from a sea of people to a parking lot filled with cars and cheers turned to honks? Did it take a while to get used to? Kaskade: Absolutely. As I mentioned before, it’s a different vibe, and on night one I had to change what I was expecting. But I still was able to see the look in people’s eyes that light up at a certain part of a song, and certain songs hit exactly the same way. It was different, but not worse or better. I’m down to have new experiences, and this was definitely new. DJ Times: While we are still ways away, how do you envision clubs and festivals will adapt or evolve once it is safe for large social gatherings to take place again? Kaskade: It’s just so difficult to say. I do think we are all more mindful of the way we interact with each other. I think

(continued on page 34)

In Part 1 of my leadership series (which I began in the previous issue), I talked about the importance of connecting with your DJs in a way that makes them want to follow you. Now, I want to address how to keep great people on your team. The answer might not be so obvious.

I’ll never forget how I left my day job before becoming a full-time musician/ DJ. I was already doing well with my part-time DJ business, so it was time to leave my full-time day job and seek only a part-time day job. I went to a retail store just down the road from my house and took a job doing exactly what I wanted.

After working there for three months, I walked into the break room and saw security-camera still shots of several employees hanging on the walls. As I got a little closer, I read the handwritten notes on each of these pictures. I couldn’t believe it! It was about as close to public shaming as you could get in a work environment.

Each handwritten note attached to these pictures would say something like, “John, leaning over the counter is a no-no.” Or, “Vanessa, this photo shows you handed the change back all at once instead of counting the money back into their hands.”

I did something I never expected to do that day. I walked around the break room and took down every picture without approval from the management team that posted them. That day, I quit.

There was no motivation for anyone to grow — both as a person and as a professional in this environment. If this is what this company was trying to do, their strategy was a complete failure. As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one who resigned. Employees were turning in their notice every week.

Leaders create Growth Environments. People want to feel like they are on a winning team. They want to feel like they are making a contribution to that winning team. They want to feel respected. When it’s time to make a correc-

GROWING

tion to their behavior or performance, a good DJ will want to grow as you make those corrections. It’s rather unlike the result of the strategy of my day job that I mentioned above.

So how do you create an environment where your DJs are not only going to want to stay loyal to you, but also grow with you? Here are a few thoughts:

Coaching. Immediate feedback is certainly valuable and you should do it on occasion; but if immediate feedback is all you do, you could be in danger of not allowing your DJs to grow on their own. Here’s what I mean: When you go into coaching mode (not to be confused with mentoring/giving advice), you set this person up to succeed using his or her own thoughts and ideas. Coaching is being in the “present” with someone – getting on their level and going on a journey with them.

For example, one of our new DJs didn’t have a ton of energy in his grandentrance delivery. I could have corrected him, but instead I found the right coaching questions to ask and more importantly, the right time to ask them. While we were hanging out during the couple’s private last dance, I said, “You did great tonight. Were there any areas where you could have done better?”

His answer: “My energy.”

Coaching allows those you are teaching to think. You should never go into coaching mode without your DJ knowing that you’re in coaching mode. Coaching would not be effective and could be frustrating for both parties if only one of you is present. Be careful to not ask questions that intentionally lead them to a certain answer that you want. That doesn’t allow them to get to their own answers.

Here are some questions that I have found to be effective: “What’s the first step you’ll take to improve your [fill in the blank]?”

U

“What obstacles will you need to overcome on the way?” And, “What else?” So consider learning some basic coaching questions and you’ll find your DJs growing on their own. Over time, they’ll start to ask themselves those types of questions when they face obstacles. Evaluate who you want on the bus. This one has been a difficult one for me, and I learned the hard way. When you have someone on the team who doesn’t belong, this can frustrate the ones on your team who do belong. If you, as the boss, tolerate a low-performance DJ who has no desire to grow, it can bring the morale down for everybody. I had a DJ on our team that didn’t belong. I knew it, but I kept him on anyway. Two of my very valuable team members expressed their frustration with this DJ once he ended up quitting. I apologized to them that I didn’t do something about it before it came to him quitting. Shortcuts, rule-breaking, a big ego and a no-growth attitude P In DJ Companies, True Leadership Creates Growth Environments are all red flags that he didn’t belong on our team. BY TRAVIS WACKERLY If he didn’t quit and I tolerated him too much longer, I could have ended up losing those who did belong because I kept someone who didn’t belong. Keep your DJs wanting to grow by keeping people who are inspired to grow, and consider taking measures to remove those from your team who aren’t on-board with this before they influence your superstars to not only stop growing, but frustrate your superstars – and potentially cause those superstars to quit. Add Value to people. My favorite leadership expert, John Maxwell, says: “You add value to people when you value them.” When your DJs feel valued, you make them better. When you help make them better and they can tell that you value them, it will spark an excitement for them to grow. The growth environment of your company is a reflection of you, the leader. A good leader will create the type of environment where coaching is welcomed, strong leadership action is taken towards those who don’t belong and people are being valued. Your DJs probably won’t find that kind of growth culture in very many places and, therefore, why would they want to go anywhere else? They’ll feel respected, they’ll know you care and they will respect you as the leader. In Part 3, the final entry to this leadership series, I’ll share another important leadership quality that has a direct connection with keeping good people on your team. Stay tuned…

Travis Wackerly is a speaker and coach for the John Maxwell Team and is the owner/operator of FCM Entertainment, a multi-op, fusion-based wedding company, out of Norman, Okla. He’s been a musician and entertainer for the past 20 years. n

Bangin’ the Bass: Brand boss AC Slater.

BASS IN YOUR FACE

Seven Years In, AC Slater’s Night Bass Brand Keeps Banging

By Brian Bonavoglia

Earning longevity in the world of electronic dance music is certainly no easy task, but to get stronger with age? That is just something you rarely see. However, it seems like AC Slater and his Night Bass brand has cracked the code.

After running with Brooklyn’s pioneering Trouble & Bass crew from 2006 to 2015, Slater has grown Night Bass from a monthly party into a record label and global brand that has developed a community of producers and music lovers who share a passion for bone-rattling basslines. Giving the genres of U.K. Garage, Grime, and House some serious shine here in the States, the Night Bass label has injected the scene with a new wave of club-ready, bassheavy dance music.

While the gigs were halted due to the pandemic, Night Bass kept cranking out the tunes on a weekly basis throughout 2020 and 2021. Additionally, it expanded its reach with live-streams on Twitch TV and YouTube. Fans also had access to the brand’s Night Bass Energy Podcast, which offers on its website interviews top DJ/producers like 12th Planet and Gorgon City.

As the L.A.-based label was celebrating its seventh anniversary, we recently caught up with Night Bass chief AC Slater (aka 41-year-old Aaron Clevenger), who discussed the evolution of the brand and offered a list of a dozen personal-favorite tracks released on the imprint.

DJ Times: From your earliest vision of Night Bass, did you ever imagine it would blossom into the brand/community it has become today?

AC Slater: Part of my vision for Night Bass was to create a tight-knit community of music fans. This is something I grew up with in the late 1990s, going to raves. That vibe was definitely missing from the dance-music scene when Night Bass started in 2014 during the peak of EDM. I did not know what was going to happen, but it’s worked out really well so far and there is such an incredibly close and supportive community of Night Bass fans around the

world. I absolutely love to see it!

DJ Times: What has been the key to success and longevity?

AC Slater: I make sure the music we release on the label is consistently high quality, as well as try to slowly evolve our sound over time to keep it moving forward. I also love to support newer artists and give them a platform, which keeps things fresh and exciting. We have a compilation series called Freshmen where we release artists who have never released on Night Bass before. When it comes to events, I love to expand things just a little bit every year to offer something new and exciting.

DJ Times: How would you say the sounds of U.K. Garage, Grime and House have evolved over the past seven years?

AC Slater: U.K. Garage and House are genres that will always be around. They’ve stood the test of time and have been through many stages of evolution over the decades. I don’t necessarily consider Night Bass releases all house or all garage, but more of a blend of many different styles under one umbrella. That’s what Night Bass means to me – it’s simply a term that covers all of the styles of music I like. I do think many of the artists on Night Bass have really pushed the needle on many genres across the board to help drive that evolution. This is a huge goal of mine. I have a short attention span, so I’m always looking for the next thing.

DJ Times: When it comes to label releases, what do you look for in a production for it to get final Night Bass stamp of approval and get signed?

AC Slater: This is a constant topic of conversation between myself and younger artists and fans. I love this conversation. The most important thing to me is originality. I want to hear something that is distinctly you. This is such a difficult thing to find. It’s easy to sound like someone you like, but to learn from that and develop your own style after that is so important to become a stand out artist. You can’t just make some weird sounds for the sake of trying to be original. It’s got to really work and scream who you are. Other than that, an artist needs to have a clear desire to be successful, work hard, and a true love for the music that they are making. If you came to get rich quick or become a famous celebrity DJ, you probably aren’t going to work out on Night Bass. DJ Times: In the studio, what’s your set-up?

AC Slater: I use Ableton Live on a 2015 Macbook Pro with an UAD Apollo Duo pair of Adam A7X monitors. I have a few analog synths and a small modular set up that I use quite a bit on most tracks. Inside the computer, the bulk of my sounds come from [Xfer Records] Serum and [Native Instruments] MASSIVE.

DJ Times: What’s your creation process in the studio?

AC Slater: It’s so easy to get distracted with label stuff, emails, streaming and so many other things, so usually when I’m working on music I turn off my phone, disable notifications on my computer and try to really dive in and focus. I’m not the type of person who can just throw on the creative switch – I need to really settle into the mindset and it can be difficult to do at times. I usually start with an idea in mind and attempt to reach that point, but it often ends up going somewhere new. If I don’t have an idea, I’ll mess around and make some fresh synth patches and cool sounds to spark some inspiration. If that doesn’t work, I’ll dig through some samples for a possible source of inspiration. You just need that spark, that glimmer of a song in the distance to try and get, too. DJ Times: How do you manage to keep things fresh when it comes to your curated events?

AC Slater: Again, it comes around to bringing fresh talent into markets where they’ve never been. If there is a Night Bass fanbase in a city or area, I know they’ve heard our releases. So I can bring a more unknown artist from say the U.K. or something and fans will get excited about it because they’re aware of the artist through our channels. Other than that, just keep moving to unique venues each time, curating cool festival stages with interesting and diverse line-ups, and trying new things outside the box.

DJ Times: For someone who is just jumping onto the Night Bass wagon, how would you best describe the culture you’ve created?

AC Slater: Night Bass is a tight-knit, supportive, open-minded community of fans and artists around the world from all walks of life who find a common connection through their love of music. Most of the artists on Night Bass are friends/family. It’s all very closely tied together, even with the distance between us. The music brings it all together. Everyone is welcome! n

Night Bass Faves: AC’s Dirty Dozen

AC Slater & Chris Lorenzo: “Fly Kicks” (Wax Motif Remix) [2017].

“This remix by Wax Motif from 2017 just keeps living on and on! The original was track one on our first ever Night Bass Records release. Waxy absolutely smashed this remix out of the park and it is one of the biggest Night Bass anthems to date.” Phlegmatic Dogs: “Weegle” EP [2016]. “The Dogs just came in and flipped the whole bass-house world upside down. Their unique style of basshouse with drum-n-bass production values and style stood out among a sea of new artists in this sub-genre. This is their first EP on the label.”

AC Slater: Outsiders LP [2017]. “This album release is near and dear to my heart for many reasons. It is my first artist album I’ve ever done, capturing the idea and feeling of coming into the music industry and building our own sub-scene from the ground up. It is the first artist album we released on Night Bass at the time.”

MPH: “Nova” [2021]. “Part of the next generation of Night Bass heavyweight artists. This tune hits you right in the feels. It’s so unique and addictive. Then entire EP is phenomenal, but the song ‘Nova’ really sticks out within the Night Bass catalog.”

Flava D: “Spicy Noodles” EP [2018]. “The first Night Bass EP from the very prolific Flava D. One of my favorite DJs and all-round awesome person. I was so happy to have her be a part of the label and family. These three tracks capture her sound so well.”

AC Slater & Taiki Nulight feat. Dell Harris: “Night Bass Thing”

[2018]. “Something about this track just stands out. It always worked for me in my sets and got people moving. It’s a favorite among shufflers on Instagram. Plus, it’s always fun to work with two good friends on a song!”

Sinden & Lo’99 feat. Capo Lee: “Natural High” [2018]. “This is literally one of my favorite tracks ever released on Night Bass. I think it was too far ahead of its time. I still play it in my sets three years after its release. Capo Lee’s vocals and uplifting lyrics are fucking sick and the instrumental is a relentless blend of house, techno and grime.”

GRiZ: “Could U” [2020]. “I couldn’t believe we got a GRiZ track for Night Bass. But I swear, it was meant to be. True story: I heard him playing a house set on Friendship [cruise-ship music festival] early in the morning, while I was trying to sleep. My wife and I couldn’t stop listening. The next day his team sent over this tune for me to consider for a Night Bass release. It’s a super-unique take on the Night Bass sound with a huge helping of funk thrown in. This one just always works in the club.”

Phlegmatic Dogs: “Keepmastik” [2017]. “This is an absolute anthem from the Dogs. So simple, but one of the most banging tracks you can play in a set at peak time. I’ve heard so many DJs play this in so many different cities around the world.”

Stranger feat. Waka Flocka Flame: “House Party” (AC Slater Re-

mix) [2015]. “Stranger smashed it with this original tune and having Waka Flocka on Night Bass was really cool. I was dying to remix it, so I went for it, and this remix has been a part of almost all of my sets since I made it and it still holds up today.”

Kry Wolf: “Temper” [2016]. “Another one of my all-time favorite Night Bass tracks. It’s such a unique mix of breaks and bass. It is so different than anything else Kry Wolf ever did. I couldn’t believe it when they sent it over – so dark and vibey! I will still play this on occasion today.”

Nostalgix feat. Way: “Mind Tricks” [2019]. “This is one of those tunes that gets a loud cheer every single time that first drop comes in with the bassline and no drums. It’s incredible. Nostalgix burst on the label with this one from ‘Night Bass Freshman, Vol 3.’ She’s since graduated, dropping two EPs and countless collabs and remixes on Night Bass.”