Hello all!!! This past weekend we had the opportunity to attend Bass Academy on behalf of Respect My Region. We thought we’d do a little piece on the event to share my experiences as well as some others that we interviewed at the event.
It’s very clear that bass music has a special place in the hearts of PNW concert attendees seeing as Seattle has been dubbed by many the ‘Bass Capital’. As Dubstep, Hardstyle EDM, and bass music grow more popular- the artists touring to the amazing PNW are getting better and better. USC released the lineup for Bass academy 2017 in February and did not fail to impress us with a stacked lineup featuring Excisions ‘The Paradox’ tour.
The festival also included Dion Timmer, Gentlemens Club and back to back sets with LAXX and Mayhem, Eptic and Must Die and a slamming B2B2B with 12th Planet, Cookie Monsta and Funtcase.
When tickets were released in February, they sold out rapidly. USC stepped up by expanding the stage set up and releasing extra tickets to accommodate all bass heads and it was the best set up I’ve seen at the Tacoma Dome. Personally, we prefer one stage events and with all the bleachers being open and a huge dance floor, it felt spacious and comfortable and it was easy to see the stage from almost anywhere in the arena despite there being NINE THOUSAND BASSHEADS in attendance.
One set that stuck out to us was Gentleman’s Club. Reason being, they were unconventional and full of surprises. Every track they dropped was something we had never heard before. It was super refreshing. If you are unfamiliar, Gentleman’s Club is a trio that was formed in 2013 by Soloman, Coffi and 50 Carrot. They feature experimental and underground elements in the Dubstep realm of electronic music. Kudos to them for really blowing Bass Academy 2017 of the water. Here’s the family photo from the end of their set that many of you were eager to find :).
But…..What About the Man of the Hour?
Excision’s set was a phenomenal way to end the night. The Paradox is a tour that has been circulating Facebook like crazy. It is made unique not only by the ridiculous amount of Bass and songs that we all know and love like ‘Throw Ya X Up’ and ‘Codename X’ but also includes visuals, unlike anything we had ever seen before.
Jeff ‘Excision’ Able created the visual masterpiece that accompanies the Paradox tour. The visuals were very diverse and displayed things like sexy dancing antelope women, robotic cats, and our personal favorite- an enormous Harambe that was literally “LIT”. You can find videos of these visuals all over Facebook, but it really was something you had to see in person. It was personally difficult to figure out if we would rather head-bang or watch the beautiful light show.
At this event, we saw a wide age range of attendees ranging from 18 through 50! We asked ourselves what it is about bass music that allows this generational transcendence in fanbase? The only thing we could come up with is the atmosphere it creates. Seeing the eyes and head banging of music lovers getting to experience their favorite artists is a magical experience. The PLUR vibes at this show were on a whole other level. Despite all the raging bass, people were generally more friendly and respectful than we’ve experienced at raves before. Even deep in ‘The Pit’, we found everyone to be considerate.
Way to go Seattle.
As we mentioned before, we interviewed some event attendees to get their thoughts on the event throughout the night. Here are a few of their quotes:
Bass Academy Interview Comments
Rebekka S. Tacoma, WA: I was really impressed with the bar this time around. In the past at these events, the bar has been a nightmare and not everyone wants to be in the mosh pit the entire time so it was nice being able to take a break when I needed it. People also seemed to be more level-headed which I fully appreciate.
Sarah M. Bellingham, WA: This was my first Bass Academy. The only thing that was bad about this event were the lines to get in. I feel like there is a better way to manage entry lines because the amount of cutting and disorganization really killed my vibe. Everything was great afterwards though and I didn’t see anyone in any danger the whole night.
Sean K. Tacoma, WA: I’m really bummed that I had to miss Dion Timmer due to the lines but I’m really happy I didn’t miss Gentleman’s Club. That s*** was hyphy. Also Excisions epic crowd headbanger.
James J. Seattle, WA: I feel like the event was good, the artists all had great sets and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Conscious crew seemed more active than usual so that was nice to see. Really looking forward to Paradiso.
These were just a few responses and it sounded like the only gripe event goers had was the time spent waiting in line for entry. Hard to argue with the fans for that one because we were right there waiting too.
We wanted to keep this short and sweet so we are signing off. The people have spoken. This is Rome and Ingrid over and out.
