Future bass


Future bass is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the 2010s. It can be described as music that "takes the ecstatic drops of dubstep or trap, but provides a warm bounce rather than a lumbering bruteness. Basslines are provided by harsh, detuned synths that buzz and purr instead of gulp and whomp." The genre was pioneered by producers such as Flume, Lido and Cashmere Cat, and it was popularised in the mid-2010s by artists such as Louis the Child, Marshmello and Mura Masa. 2016 was seen as the breakout year for the genre.

History

Future bass's roots can be traced back to English producer Burial's self-titled debut album, released in 2006. The genre was pioneered by Scottish producers Rustie and Hudson Mohawke and American producer RL Grime, who began producing future bass tracks in 2010. One of the first popularity-fueling releases in the genre was Rustie's album Glass Swords, released in 2011. Later, in 2013, the Flume remix for Disclosure's song You & Me brought the genre into the mainstream, and through the mid-2010s future bass became popular in the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, China, Korea and Australia.

Characteristics

The sound waves are often modulated using automation or low-frequency oscillation controlling the cutoff of an audio filter, or the wave's amplitude, to adjust the waveform. In addition, it is common to utilize a somewhat "twinkly"-sounding gradual rise in pitch during "risers", and arpeggio chords, vocal chops, or vocoders.

Subgenres

Kawaii future bass

future bass is a subgenre of future bass, known for its happy and cute timbre and strong Japanese pop culture influences. Often, chiptune sounds, soft square waves, samples from anime or video games, percussion instruments, and door and bed squeaks are incorporated into such songs. Snail's House and other producers have produced tracks of this subgenre, with the former being credited as the genre pioneer after releasing an album in 2015.