Bass house

History and character

A 2010s house style dominated by heavy, distorted, “talking” basslines that take the place of the lead in the drop. Its roots straddle the late '90s and early 2000s: UK garage, speed garage (the “reese” and “wobble” bass of the late '90s), UK bassline, fidget house, electro and ghetto house; Basement Jaxx's album “Remedy” (1999) is often cited as an influence. The genre consolidated in the mid-2010s with Joyryde, Jauz (Feel the Volume, 2015), Tchami and his Confession, Malaa, Habstrakt, Ephwurd, Chris Lorenzo, Jack Beats and AC Slater, who coined the term “night bass” and founded the label of the same name.

There are regional accents: in the UK it is darker and deeper, tied to garage; in Europe it is more electro (e.g. Hi-Lo); in the US it is heavier and closer to dubstep. Key labels: Night Bass, Confession, Bite This! (Jauz), Dim Mak, Monstercat, Spinnin'. In the 2020s the sound moves closer to tech house, separating the bass figure from the melody; artists such as Odd Mob, Gorgon City and HYPERBEAM bring the genre to the top of the Beatport charts.

Aesthetic: club and festival energy, controlled aggression, bouncy groove, “stop and go” drops where the bass cuts out and comes back in with force.

Scales and keys

Convention: Roman numerals refer to the major scale on the same tonic (uppercase = major, lowercase = minor, ° diminished, ø half-diminished, + augmented; b/# = degree lowered/raised relative to the major: in A minor F = bVI, G = bVII). Notes and chords below are calculated exactly from the formula.

Minor pentatonic

• Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7 — steps: T+S T T T+S T
• On F: F Ab Bb C Eb
• Characteristic note: no semitones: basslines stay “right” even under heavy distortion (the harmonics create no new dissonances).
• Use: bass riffs on F–Ab–Bb–C–Eb with octave jumps and glides, vocal chops.
• Common mistakes: too many different notes: bass house uses 2–3 notes and a lot of articulation (filter, formant, pitch).

Phrygian

• Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: S T T T S T T
• On F#: F# G A B C# D E
• Diatonic triads: F#m i · G bII · A bIII · Bm iv · C#dim v° · D bVI · Em bvii
• Seventh chords: F#m7 i7 · Gmaj7 bIImaj7 · A7 bIII7 · Bm7 iv7 · C#m7b5 vø7 · Dmaj7 bVImaj7 · Em7 bvii7
• Characteristic note: the b2 (G): the “menacing” semitone that gives basslines their bite.
• Use: F#–G–F# glide patterns, bII stabs in dark drops.
• Common mistakes: holding the b2 for a long time on a strong downbeat.

Aeolian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: T S T T S T T
• On G: G A Bb C D Eb F
• Diatonic triads: Gm i · Adim ii° · Bb bIII · Cm iv · Dm v · Eb bVI · F bVII
• Seventh chords: Gm7 i7 · Am7b5 iiø7 · Bbmaj7 bIIImaj7 · Cm7 iv7 · Dm7 v7 · Ebmaj7 bVImaj7 · F7 bVII7
• Characteristic note: the b6 (Eb): more melodic, melancholic breaks.
• Use: pads and plucks in the breaks (i–bVI–bVII), bassline roots.
• Common mistakes: dense harmony in the drop: it has to leave everything to the bass.

Blues (chromaticism)

• Formula: 1 b3 4 b5 5 b7 — steps: T+S T S S T+S T
• On E: E G A Bb B D
• Characteristic note: the b5 (Bb): the chromatic A–Bb–B passage that, with a glide, gives the ghetto/fidget “growl”.
• Use: bass fills and answers.
• Common mistakes: holding it as a resting note.

How to choose between scales

The drop is almost always written in minor pentatonic or Phrygian on a tonic that makes the sub work well (E, F, F#, G: 41–49 Hz in octave 1). The breaks can use Aeolian with full chords. Distortion increases the harmonics: fewer notes, more rhythm.

Harmony

Function

Minimal in the drop (tonic pedal and bassline), more present in the breaks (pad or piano on 2–4 chords). The interest is in timbre and rhythm.

Techniques

• Pedal with a bassline implying i–bVII–bVI.
• Break with an Aeolian loop i–bVI–bIII–bVII.
• bII or bVI stab in the drop as a “hit”.
• Timbral modulation (formant, wavetable) instead of a chord change.

Harmonic rhythm

In the break 1 chord per bar; in the drop one tonal center for 16–32 bars.

Examples

• F pedal with an F–Eb–F–Ab riff.
• Gm–Eb–Bb–F (break).
• F#m–G (i–bII) as a stab.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Feel: almost straight four on the floor (swing 0–54%), garage percussion, a syncopated bassline that never touches the kick.
• Drop: “call and response” between bass and silence: half-bar bass phrases followed by pauses or vocal chops.
• Triplets: bass or snare fills in triplets in the last bar of the phrase.

Drums

Kick

Short, tight and powerful (decay 120–200 ms), fundamental 50–60 Hz, strong click; often with slight clipping. It has to leave immediate space for the bass.

Clap and snare

Layered clap + snare on 2 and 4, bright and “cracking”; double snare at the end of the bar (steps 29 and 31 of 32) as a springboard.

Hi-hat

Open hat on the offbeat, closed hats in sixteenth notes with gaps on the downbeat, shaker.

Percussion

Rim, metallic perc, vocal shots used as percussion; tom fills.

Dynamics and ghost notes

Ghost notes on the hats; sharp accents.

Interaction with bass and vocals

The bass plays on the offbeats and on the sixteenth notes after 2 and 4; the vocal chops fill the gaps in the bass.

Sections

DJ intro; break with vocals or pad; build (snare roll, riser, “vocal hype”); drop with bass; second drop with a bass variation (new timbre); outro.

Fills and transitions

Half-bar stop before the drop, triplet snares, reverse bass.

Sound choice

Modern samples, very bright claps, kick with a pronounced click.

Typical mistakes

Long kick; drums too full, covering the bass; no pauses in the drop.

Bass

• Sound: wavetable/FM synthesis with distortion: reese (two detuned saws), growl/talking (formant filter, comb, synced LFOs), wobble (LFO on the cutoff), metallic FM; always with a separate sine sub. Typical chains: oscillators → distortion (waveshaper, tube) → OTT/multiband → EQ → second distortion → limiter.
• Register: sub E1–G1 (41–49 Hz); “growl” part 150 Hz–5 kHz.
• With the kick: never together: precise volume shaping (LFOTool/Kickstart or automation) or 8–12 dB sidechain; tune the kick tail to the tonic.
• Notes: tonic, octave, b7, b3, chromatic passing b2/b5 with glide.
• Rhythm: syncopated bass phrases of 1/2–1 bar, with pauses (see r-bass-house).
• Examples: the drops of Jauz, Habstrakt, AC Slater; speed garage as the ancestor.

Harmonic instruments

Pads, piano and plucks only in the breaks; in the drop at most a syncopated organ or synth stab. Organ bass and garage stabs in UK productions.

Melody and vocals

• Vocals: hip hop, R&B, dancehall or garage samples; “hype” phrases; vocals pitched down (−5/−12 semitones); sometimes pop verses.
• Backing vocals: rare.
• Melodies: the bass is the melody; vocal chops.
• Effects: distortion, pitch shift, formant, 1/8 delay, short reverb, stutter.

Instruments

Wavetable and FM synths (Serum, Vital, Massive, Phase Plant, FM8), modern drum samples, vocal packs, samplers, multiband (OTT), distortion units.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Korg MS-20 V — Analog growl bass: HP+LP filter with high resonance and drive: two detuned VCOs for the reese; automate the cutoff with an LFO synced to 1/8 or 1/16.
• DX7 V — Metallic FM bass: Algorithm 1 or 5, modulator with a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio and high feedback for the “buzz”; then external distortion.
• Mini V — Sub: Pure mono sine/triangle under the growl part.
• CZ V — Phase distortion basses: The Casio CZ's phase distortion gives sharp, resonant basses similar to modern wavetables.
• ARP 2600 V — FX and growl: Ring mod, sample & hold and resonant filter for FX and experimental basses.
• B-3 V — Garage organ stab: Organ with full drawbars for UK garage stabs.

Song structure

Extended mix 4–5 minutes; average length shorter than classic house.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Enormous but controlled low end: constant mono sub, aggressive but not fatiguing growl part, kick and clap that cut through. Very high loudness. References: Jauz — Feel the Volume, Habstrakt, AC Slater, Odd Mob.

Kick

HP 25 Hz; +2 dB 55 Hz; −5 dB 250–400 Hz; +3 dB 4 kHz; transient shaper +4 dB attack, −4 dB sustain; clipper; mono.

Clap and snare

HP 200–250 Hz; +2 dB 2 kHz; +2 dB 8 kHz; FET 4:1 GR 4–6 dB; parallel; clipper; plate 0.6–0.8 s; widened layer.

Hi-hat and percussion

HP 500–800 Hz; dynamic EQ 7–10 kHz; panning hats 15%, perc 40–60%; dry.

Bass

• Sub (sine): HP 25 Hz, LP 100–120 Hz, limiter (constant level), mono, sidechain/volume shaping 8–12 dB.
• Growl/mid: HP 120–180 Hz; dynamic EQ to contain resonances between 1 and 4 kHz; LP 10–12 kHz; serial distortion (waveshaper → tube) and OTT 30–60%; compression 4:1 GR 6 dB; slight widening above 300 Hz (chorus, stereo shaper) while monitoring correlation (>0).
• Automation: formant, cutoff, wavetable position, drive.

Pad, piano, stabs

HP 200 Hz; −3 dB 300–500 Hz; hall 2 s; wide; sidechain 8 dB; out of the drop.

Vocals and vocal chops

HP 120 Hz; compression 4:1 (6 dB); de-esser; +3 dB 3 kHz; light distortion; 1/8 delay throw; short reverb; centered.

FX

Risers (HP 300 Hz), impact with sub (mono, short), reverse bass, downlifter.

Buses and groups

Drum bus glue + clipper; bass bus (sub + mid) with limiter and mono below 120 Hz; music bus; sidechained FX bus.

Sidechain

Bass 8–12 dB, pad 8 dB, FX 8 dB, reverbs 6 dB.

Master

EQ → compressor 1–2 dB → clipper (2–3 dB) → limiter. Target −6/−5 LUFS integrated (drop −5/−4 short-term), true peak −0.3 dBTP (club) / −1 dBTP (streaming), crest factor 5–7 dB. Check in mono that the bass doesn't cancel out.

Common mistakes

Stereo or distorted sub; distortion generating too much 2–5 kHz (fatigue); kick and bass masking each other; pumping limiter; negative correlation of the widened bass.

Reference tracks for the mix

• Jauz — Feel the Volume (2015)
• T2 ft. Jodie Aysha — Heartbroken (2007) for UK bassline
• Odd Mob & Sean Paul — Get Busy (2024)

Reference listening

• Basement Jaxx — Remedy (1999, album, influenza)
• T2 ft. Jodie Aysha — Heartbroken (2007, bassline UK)
• Jauz — Feel the Volume (2015)
• Odd Mob & Sean Paul — Get Busy (2024)