What's in a Bassline?

Posted on: April 26, 2006

I'm going to do something. Like how the great Stephen King often used thematic rock 'n' roll lyrics to much effect in his books, I'm going to relate certain things I write about to some of my fave basslines of all time. (Note the selective bold.) Drawing from my previous experience as a techno musician. Now, this isn't new: I've done it before. But, I haven't done it enough. If you're familiar with the track being referred to, maybe you'll smile and nod in understanding, and if not, that's alright too—maybe you'll discover some new (not chronologically, but previously unheard) music you enjoy as a result.

C'mon, remember Flat Eric? If I'm feeling like a muppet, I might recount something as carefree as this: "I was feeling wobbly today, like that bassline from 'Flat Beat'." Or, "I'm in sort of a minimalist mood right now, and as I write this entry, the emotion propelling me is perhaps best likened to the stormy, squelchy grindthrough of Ken Ishii's 'Extra'." See, it works!

So as I drift off this entry, my imagination calls to mind the sophisticated piano chording foundation of Way Out West's "Mindcircus", accompanied by Trisha Lee Kendall's beautiful singing. (I didn't previously know there was a music vid for this until I searched—such is the vastness of Internet.)

Basslines it is.

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