AC Slater Is King of the Night Bass

The line outside Sound Nightclub in Hollywood stretches around the corner. The deep bass is booming from within the venue walls and spilling into the streets like an unstoppable urban wildfire. There’s an energy in the air that the city of Los Angeles hasn’t felt in a long time. Local nightlife celebrities, online socialites, and reputable artists crowd the DJ booth as AC Slater takes to the mic and welcomes his sea of fans and newly converted followers to what will soon become the hottest monthly party on the L.A. electronic market. And to think, this is only the opening night of Night Bass.

In just over a year, AC Slater’s Night Bass has made the leap from hot Hollywood party to globally respected bass music institution. Since launching in January 2014, the monthly event has progressed the underground electronic music movement both within and beyond the US border and has helped usher in a new, bass-heavy house sound to American ears.

On any given Night Bass event, fans are guaranteed a well-curated round of groundbreaking electronic music, handpicked by AC Slater himself and featuring up-and-comers and future stars within the bass umbrella. The Night Bass brand is single-handedly pushing the sounds of UK garage, bassline, grime and bass house as the next leading wave of modern electronic music, with past guests featuring of-the-moment rising names Hannah Wants, Shift K3Y, Chris Lorenzo, and Taiki Nulight, as well as living legends DJ EZ and MJ Cole.

Following the inaugural Night Bass North American tour last fall, AC Slater takes the Night Bass brand into the future with the launch of his independent imprint, Night Bass Records. The record label will mirror the ethos of his widely known party and will release forward-thinking, bass-heavy music to the masses. The label’s inaugural release—This Is Night Bass Vol 1, out June 30—best represents the Night Bass family, featuring cuts from Jack Beats, DJ Q, GotSome, Jay Robinson, Petey Clicks, AC Slater and more.

To top it all off, AC Slater is hosting the Night Bass stage at the biggest party of the year, EDC Las Vegas 2015, where he and his crew of bass knights will prove why Night Bass is the future of electronic nightlife.

Let’s take a quick trip into the EDM DeLorean. Take me to the beginning of Night Bass.
The event was an experiment. I’d been thinking about it for about a year. There’s nowhere I can hear this music in L.A., the kind of music that’s at Night Bass—bass house, bassline, garage—just something that’s a little more off the beaten path. [I thought,] “If I can’t find it, then I’m gonna go make a place for it.” I just did it in January 2014. It kind of exploded. It turns out people wanted that music, not just me.

Were you surprised at that reaction?
I didn’t know it was going to be like that. Bringing people from the UK who no one really knew about, and seeing it just go off and people then hungry for more, that’s exactly what I wanted—to build not just an event, but a community of fans that know what they want, and they trust that the party is going to be delivering that.

“The goal for Night Bass is to become a globally recognized, influential label, brand and event. I want Night Bass to be an influencer of what is popular.”

What was the turning point when you realized there was a bigger audience?
It was more of the dedication that people had to it. For me, a big turning point was booking DJ EZ. It was someone who a lot of people didn’t even hear of, and it was the biggest vibe. It was completely rammed, and people were just losing it. Seeing that vibe [proved] it’s more than just a name of a DJ; it’s what they bring, their talent. People felt it, even though they had no idea.

Does it feel like a community now, where people are going to come to Night Bass because it’s a trusted brand and not because of who’s playing?
There are a lot of people like that; there’s definitely a following. I feel the love from a lot of people about it, especially in L.A.

How did you discover the specific Night Bass sound?
I’ve been doing it since I started touring. I started producing what people used to call “fidget house,” which is like house with basslines and hip-hop samples. It’s just a natural progression into what’s happening. It’s not that different from back then. I’m attracted to that. It’s got the groove of house, but I have a short attention span. I need the breakdowns and little drops and basslines and switch-ups. That’s what attracts me to that kind of music. It’s interesting. It’s not a house loop for nine minutes. That’s cool, I like the sound of it, but I don’t like it for that long. I like switch-ups, and I like bass.

What’s your goal for Night Bass?
The goal for Night Bass is to become a globally recognized, influential label, brand and event. I want Night Bass to be an influencer of what is popular. There are other labels like that—Mad Decent, Fool’s Gold. I want Night Bass to be on that level in our own way and be able to show people what we like and believe in, and have them feel the same way.

Let’s talk about your newly announced Night Bass Records.
The first release is a compilation called This Is Night Bass Vol 1. There are tracks by me, Chris Lorenzo, Taiki Nulight, GotSome, Jack Beats, Petey Clicks, Jay Robinson and DJ Q. I wanted to put out an assortment of what you’re going to hear [at Night Bass]. And they’re all bangers, different range of the Night Bass umbrella.

And now you have the Night Bass stage at EDC Vegas 2015.
Yeah man, I’m so excited. I’m very, very grateful to have this stage. It’s a nice, really representative selection of people for the brand. It’ll be a really unique stage to be at all night. It’ll be so far outside of what you’ll hear at the other stages.

What did you learn from the Night Bass tour? What was the reception?
I learned that people are excited about it. At the time, you’d go to shows and it’s all about the wildest, brightest, loudest experience. And [the Night Bass tour] was the complete opposite of that. It’s more about people, bringing back the simplicity of a room with some speakers and good music, good DJs, and people just enjoying themselves and not watching a show. I wanted an alternative where people could go socialize and enjoy themselves, instead of pumping a fist and watching. Taking it around and seeing it work everywhere [showed me that] people are ready for this. Now, it’s just about making them aware of it.

There’s your proof that there’s a wider audience for Night Bass.
They weren’t there because it was Night Bass; they were there because it was a great lineup of artists. But it was all artists who I would consider perfect representations of what the party is. We’re definitely gonna do another one with a similar type of setup.

Now, artists are identifying with Night Bass and coming to you and are wanting to be part of the family.
That’s why it’s worked for Night Bass—because it’s my personal passion to make this cool party work. People see that, and they want to be a part of it. It’s fucking awesome; it’s a great position to be in.

Do you consider yourself a tastemaker?
At this point, I would say that. I hate that term. I think people pay attention to what happens at Night Bass. An influencer. “Tastemaker” sounds cocky.

With your new Night Bass Records venture, what challenges will you face?
It’s 2015, so getting people to buy music is always a challenge. But I just want people to hear it. I don’t care if they buy it, steal it, whatever. As long as they see it and react to it, that’s all. The only challenge is taking it to where I want it to be—like I said, a super global and influential label. From my new home to the world.

“That’s exactly what I wanted—to build not just an event, but a community of fans.”

You do a fantastic job curating a new class of artists and up-and-comers, as well as legendary acts. Do you feel like you’re educating fans?
One of the main goals of Night Bass is to educate people. I want to educate in a really fun way and bring out a legacy of artists, like EZ, and have them experience that and look it up. It makes things more fun to know the history. I wasn’t born in the ‘60s, but I know about that music. It’s just a part of the history of music, and it makes things more enjoyable. The education goes both ways; it’s educating people about that old music and also educating people on new artists.

You’ve built the Night Bass brand alongside the AC Slater brand. Are they separate entities, or are they tied together?
I want to be tied with [Night Bass]. It’s a part of me, but it’s definitely a separate thing. I’m always gonna be focused on AC Slater. AC Slater is different; it’s personal. I have to sit and make the music. Both of those things are rising this year. It’s gonna be an important year for both.

There’s definitely more awareness of AC Slater now that Night Bass took off. Was that a direct result of the Night Bass brand?
That was another goal of Night Bass. It grows over time, but Night Bass definitely gave it a little kick. You create something, and then the something makes you popular.

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