Bass Music at CMJ: The Wompblog Guide

While CMJ is traditionally a buzzfest for indie bands, there’s always some tight electronic music to be found as well. This year has been one of the best ever for bass music in NYC, with a groundswell of new producers, parties and venues pushing underground sounds. Naturally, quite a few have found their way into CMJ shows. As always, Wompblog has the scoop on what’s really worth your time.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17

AM Only CMJ Showcase: Oliver, Treasure Fingers, Just Blaze, Codes, Nick Catchdubs at Output [10PM/$10-20]
AM Only has quickly developed a reputation as the cool kids club of electronic music, repping the hippest, most commercially successful DJs to come out of the underground. So you can expect the scene (or “seen”) factor to be high here. That said,  this is an extremely dancey lineup. Codes has been a longtime favorite of ours, with his deft disco-house production and top-notch turntablism (displayed brilliantly in this mix). Oliver’s heavy, retro disco tunes are infectiously dancey. And Catchdubs is an incredibly talented and versatile DJ, capable of rocking any kind of dancefloor.
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DESCENT CMJ: Figgy, Tony Quattro, Sleepyhead, Kuato, Joe Safari, Driver, Bigears, Yada, Blysk at the Delancey [9PM/FREE]
This is the real NYC underground right here. Trouble & Bass signee Tony Quattro should be a familiar name to regular readers of this blog. Dude is everything I love in a bass music DJ – tight production, great mixing and selection, and he dances mega-hard behind the decks because he just loves this shit so much. Check his Rinse FM guestmix from two days ago, packed with ravey, chunky bassline hous. Figgy  has been quietly killing it with nonstop output of great remixes, pushing house music in lush, emotional directions. Sleepyhead is always quality. And Kuato is moving things in all the right directions, not only with his label, Partyguy Records but also as a resident of the newish Tigermilk party, an event series dedicated to innovative, dancey bass music.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18

Blue Sky Black Death, Sister Crayon, The Range at Cameo Gallery [12AM/$12-15]
The Range is a phenomenally talented bass music producer, whose Nonfiction LP is an revelintrospective recasting of broken beats. It’s one of the most rewarding, compelling listens of 2013 – stream it here. His vivid broken beats and knack for organic samples and instrumentation recall the more optimistic moments of early DJ Shadow (who, incidentally, was dropping tracks by The Range during his infamous “too future” DJ Set at Mansion Miami). He’s also resident at Astronautico, consistently one of our favorite parties for their great taste in underground beats and fearless embrace of the experimental. The headliner, Blue Sky Black Death, has a cinematic approach to hip hop beatmaking that long since left genre boundaries in the rearview. While they are more than capable of making everything from drone to apocalyptic trap to synth pop, their music is most ambitious when they head off into their own inner worlds – sounding more like Godspeed than anyone still making “instrumental” hip hop.
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GHOSTLY Unofficial CMJ: Com Truise, Joel Ford, Lord Raja, Heathered Pearls, Patrick Russell, Nitemoves, Contakt at Output [10PM/$10]
Synthy delights and atmospheric vibes abound in this lineup from one of the most tasteful labels in bass music. Comtruise analogue night driving music will sound like sex on that system, and the rest of the Ghostly lineup will no doubt keep things classy. Special shoutout to our homie and Turrbotax founder Contakt for his 3rd appearance behind the decks at Output.
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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19

Pitchfork CMJ: Ryan Hemsworth, KELELA, Traxman, The Range, Jahiliyya Fields, Huerco S., Mas Ysa, J-Cush at 285 Kent [8PM/$10]
Hemsworth is cool, but the real stars here are the ones from the Lit City camp. Kelela headlined Lit City this past weekend, entrancing all present with her magical RnB-meets-future club sounds. Her CUT4ME mixtape, out last week on Night Slugs, is well worth your time.  Footwork pioneer Traxman will school the kids on real Chicago ghetto house and footwork. Plus Lit City boss and resident J-Cush always has a bag full of grime dubs and undeniable mixing skills. Plus this is also another opportunity to see The Range (see above).
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LAZERPOP CMJ: The Hood Internet, Chrissy Murderbot, E-603 at Glasslands [11:30PM/$15]
Dance music historian and juke/ghettotech enthusiast Chrissy Murderbot always throws down some serious future music, rooted in an encyclopedic understanding of the past.   Honestly tho, we have no fucks to give for mashup artists the Hood Internet and E-603.
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