MUMBAI:: BASSFoundation, one of India’s foremost and first ever crews to promote drum and bass and dubstep, turns five this year, and embarks on a four-city tour beginning later this month to mark the occasion. In the five years since their formation, the UK/Delhi-based BASSFoundation – comprising DJs Maarten Klein, aka Big Daddy Klein, and Ed Anderson, aka Praxis, with MC Delhi Sultanate – have played at all major Indian festivals, including Sunburn and Bacardi NH7 Weekender, as well as huge international festivals such as Outlook Festival in Croatia. The tour kicks off in Delhi on the 23rd of April, followed by dates in Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune.
Says Praxis, of the crew’s journey over the past five years, “It’s been an amazing journey since we started BASSFoundation in early 2009. As well as developing ourselves as a crew, it’s been incredible to see the scene around us push on in leaps and bounds. Huge respect is due to the artists, promoters and venues, who have grafted to make things what they are… often in the face of adversity! And eternal big ups to the people who fill up the dance floors. Without them, none of this would have happened.”
Joining BASSFoundation on the tour are Delhi Sultanate & Begum X, the MC’s hugely successful reggae and dancehall project with Samara Chopra, aka Begum X, an actor, musician and yoga practitioner. The duo digitally released their latest single Fever in February this year, along with the video. Limited edition vinyl copies of the track are just out as well, and the launch tour for the single begins later this month. The track has been produced by REDS, a London-based collective comprising producers Ed DL and Adam Subtrak. Arguably the country’s foremost reggae and dancehall duo, Delhi Sultanate & Begum X also recently returned from Afghanistan, having been invited to feature on Jawanan Studio, a music show that invites musicians from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to collaborate and produce music.
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Says Delhi Sultanate, “Fever takes inspiration from the Jamaican tradition of the ‘sound clash’ where two or more DJ crews battle against each other musically. The song views sound clashing in the larger sense. We view ourselves as outsiders, battling against commercial music culture. Fever is the energy in the dancehall that we all share when we get together in a cultural space. The video for the song reflects this idea and also suggests that this energy has the potential to transform into a revolutionary energy of people fighting together for a common cause.
Tour details
The BASSFoundation tour kicks off in Delhi, followed by Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune. Delhi Sultanate & Begum X will join the crew for performances in Bangalore and Pune.
Date: 23 April | Venue: Raasta | City: New Delhi | Line-up: BASSFoundation (Praxis + Delhi Sultanate)
Date: 25 April | Venue: Bonobo | City: Mumbai | Line-up: BASSFoundation (Praxis + Delhi Sultanate)
Date: 26 April | Venue: The Humming Tree | City: Bangalore | Line-up: BASSFoundation (Praxis + Delhi Sultanate) + Delhi Sultanate & Begum X Live
Date: 27 April | Venue: High Spirits | City: Pune | Line-up: BASSFoundation (Praxis + Delhi Sultanate) + Delhi Sultanate & Begum X Live
