MUMBAI: One of the longest-running electronic music festivals in the country, and the only that showcases bass music, Bass Camp will travel to 10 cities in its 16th edition. Founded in February 2010, Bass Camp is India’s first, and only bass heavy electronic music festival, promoting forward-thinking electronic music like drum n bass, dub step, glitch hop and more. It was held every quarter till 2014 and then transitioned to become a bigger, annual festival.
In 2017 – the festival’s 16th edition – Bass Camp will travel to Shillong, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Guwahati for the first time in addition to Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa, Pune and Kolkata. The 10-city festival will be split up into three legs – 30 November – 2 December in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune; 2 December – 9 December in Shillong, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Guwahati and dates for Goa and Kolkata are yet to be announced.
“The idea behind Bass Camp was always to push and encourage the sound and culture of bass music in India, and over the years we have always tried to introduce new elements and acts,” says Bass Camp director and founder of Krunk, Sohail Arora. “Bass Camp 2017 is our biggest ever edition with big names and it has only been possible because of the small but loyal following that bass music has managed to eke out in this country. This year, apart from biggies like Om Unit and Kutmah, we want to showcase MCs, which are an integral part of the soundsystem culture,” he adds.
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Bass Camp has been one of the mainstays of bass music culture in India, and every year has brought down established and exciting names associated with the genre from across the globe. Over the years, acts like London Elektricity (UK), Koan Sound (UK), Concord Dawn (NZ), Dub Phizix (UK), Calyx and Teebee (UK), Mr Bill (Australia), Alix Perez (Belgium), Symbiz Sound (Germany), Gaudi (Italy), Soom (UK), EPROM (US) and Swindle (UK), have headlined various editions of the festival.
Om Unit and Kutmah will be headlining the first leg (30 November –2 December). Bristol-based producer, and label owner, Om Unit has been a significant and pioneering presence in electronic music sphere, creating his own unique music that span his various influences – hip-hop, dub step, ambient, jungle, footwork – into a fluid take on sound system culture that creates new potential for exploration and inspiration. Fresh from releasing his new album Self which blends dub wise, bass-heavy music with the space of experimental, ambient compositions and the daring imagination of a cold wave science fiction soundtrack, this will be Om Unit’s first-ever trip to India.
Kutmah, who Brainfeeder honcho Flying Lotus describes as one of the most influential DJs of the beat movement, has also just released his debut album, The Revenge Of Black Belly Button! in August 2017 and the Berlin-based selector will be travelling to India for his second tour, after playing at Magnetic Fields in 2015.
As a DJ/curator, Kutmah aka Justin McNulty has tirelessly searched for and championed new underground talent from across the globe. His passion, hunger and most importantly, his incredible ear for new music have made him Flying Lotus’ go-to warm-up DJ and also earned him the honour of compiling an album – Kutmah presents Worldwide Family Vol.2 – for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings in 2012.
