Over the last few years we have seen the legendary Punks imprint swarm and rush to the front of the bass scene within the UK and beyond, as they continue to pioneer and champion the space between space and breaks. We have seen them put together one of the most exciting artist rosters currently active and they have just added to it again as they bring forward 9TRANE for an inevitably storming single.

What a fantastic year it has been for garage and funky, with both of the genres managing to work their way heavily back into the pillars of popular bass culture, with both genres becoming the breeding grounds for the latest wave of exciting electronic dance music producers.

Within the UK scene, we have seen an absolute explosion of futuristic UKG flavours over the past 18 months, with a number of new producers spreading their wings and finding their fortunes in the gold mine that is garage. One of the producers in this bracket we have been keeping a serious eye on is On1.

It’s been a hell of a year for Bushbaby, a Brighton based producer who has shot to fame through his incredible production style and unique take on a range of different bass music styles. Since emerging in 2015 with a breaksy Southpoint EP, he has since become seen as somewhat of a household name within the UK dance music scene, traversing multiple styles and blessing us all with a number of lively DJ performances.

As ever, we are keen to keep up to date with Moony and the projects he gets involved with. As a true veteran of the UK underground, we have seen him effortlessly traverse between grime, bass, garage and funky over the years, leaving his distinctive mark on each genre and gaining a pretty loyal fanbase whilst he has been at it.

At 3000, we are always keen to look into whatever the next big thing is going to be. Within bass music we are currently within a period of serious transition, as we find artists moving away from the standardized bassline sound and into new areas of inspiration, one of those being the very exciting tech hybrid sound. 

As house and bass music continues to spread worldwide, we have become ever more interested in the expanding markets across the waters, especially in the US which seems to be a hotbed for new 4×4 talent in recent. years. Of course with different influences and backgrounds, we large differentiation between that and the UK sounds, but to see how they come together is always a pleasing site.

Now, right from the jump I want to say this isn’t the type of article I write very often. It’s rare that I can find myself so enthused about a single production outfit and their output over such a short period of time, but I felt I had to make the exception with today’s piece.

Well well, we sure do have a treat for you today as we continue on with our ever growing #Charted series, a project in which we get our favourite DJ’s and producers to put together a top ten list of their favourite tracks to play in the dance, often kicking up a few unexpected gems for you all to explore. 

We have had a lot of fun since starting up threethousand.co.uk by building and designing a selection of new series’s that are able to capture and encapsulate the UK bass scene that we are so proud to represent. We have had some fantastic quickfire interviews, premieres and Charted releases in the past, all helping us build towards the fantastic platform we have now.

Yumna Black is an up-and-coming producer from Leicester, specialising in laidback and soulful UKG. He recently appeared on Wang Records compilation, ‘Avirex Airwaves’, with a track featuring Dread MC. Not too bad for a first track! In light of his forthcoming song, ‘Falling’, out today, we decided to catch up with Yumna, and learn a little More about the man behind the music…

Within UK underground music currently, we appear to be in somewhat of a golden period, with multiple different genres thriving within their own boundaries, which then inevitably leads to some fantastic genre cross overs down the line. We are seeing garage and bass collide in infinite majesty, grime and dubstep infuse and breaks get involved with every genre under the sun, and we can safely say we are loving it! 

Now, if you have been following bass music in the UK to any degree of the last 12 months, you would have found it nearly impossible to avoid a certain track by Kouslin and Logan. Without a doubt, ‘Bad’ has been one of the biggest tracks of the year, receiving air time around the world and from some of the UK’s biggest DJ’s, as well as pushing both Logan and Kouslin forward as a duo onto platforms such as Idris Elba’s ‘Yardie’ mixtape.

As summer is in full swing, it’s time to bring you some additional heat in the form of July’s edition of ‘The 3000 Selection’ our guide to the hottest tracks from the world of UK Bass we think you should be paying attention to, all brought to you on a monthly basis courtesy of our very own bass connoisseur Pundit.

Alright then, we are back for yet another edition of our in house series: Charted, in which we ask different DJs and producers to sit down with us and walk through their current top 10 tracks out there right now. So far the series has had some wicked features and we want to thank everyone for getting involved!

So as we kick off the week in a haze of dizzying sunshine and frightening levels of heat, we are back to take a look at the project which has been kicking up somewhat of a storm. Within bassline their are certain platforms and outlets which have set up shop at the top of the food chain, constantly supplying the scene with heavyweight releases and new talent. One of those labels is CruCast.

The summer sun is shining as we delve into what is said to be one of the hottest periods of the UK’s history. Today, we embrace that heat as we dive into a fantastic new remix all the way from Cairo, channeling even more heat into the air. Moudy Afifi is in the 3000 eyeline today as he gets to work with a stunning rethink of Tempter Trap’s colorful ‘Sweet Disposition’ original. 

Within the ever expanding of crossing realms of dance music, the eager public is always looking to find the next big thing. Within the bass and grime scenes we have spent years seeing numerous fusions of sounds, with bass, garage and funky all currently intertwining wonderfully and 140BPM speeding towards one large hybrid genre.

Over the years we have seen the UK Funky genre constantly evolve, with twists and turns at every corner and popularity growing and shrinking year to year. We feel currently however that the genre has regained somewhat of a high point, with creativity at an all time high and new releases hitting the shelves from numerous different exciting label projects every week.

Over the course of the last few years, we have seen somewhat of a major revival for the deeper side of dubstep. Although the genre has been plodding away beneath the vision of the mainstream since it’s conception, we are very happy to see more and more projects gaining momentum with more and more popularity ensuing.

What an exciting 12 months it has been for Jakebob, a grime producer who has gone from strength to strength in recent times, honing his unique production style into a state of near mastery, at least enough for him to be able to produce incredible new 140 music at a daily rate. His incredible work rate has seen him become one of the scenes most favoured producers, gaining DJ support from the biggest names in the business, including Spooky, Slimzee, Kirby T and more.

For quite some time now, we have been seriously admiring the work that Barely Royal has been putting into the scene, with a stack of  extremely well received releases at his side and a constantly evolving production style, we have no doubts that he sits currently among the upper echelons of UK bass producers. 

Well well well. If there was one act that we could use to personify the rise in UK bass and bassline in particular, it would 100% be Skepsis. Since shooting up the ranks back in 2015 via his super well received Rhythm & Gash remix, Skepsis has literally gone from strength to strength, become one of the scene’s major champions, touring constantly whilst also showcasing the best newcomers relentlessly.

One thing we are seriously enjoying about the bass scene worldwide at the minute is it’s sense of versatility, as we are seeing a number of producers actively evolving their production style to keep them standing out from the rest of the crop. We are seeing this mostly within the garage / bass crossover as producer utilize different elements to add a softer, more colourful tone to their production.

It’s a genuine pleasure viewing the full revitalized UKG scene at the moment, with multiple label projects putting on somewhat of a masterclass when it comes to release runs. In general, the underground end of the UKG scene has never looked healthier, with the mainstream clearly seeing it’s impact as we see more and more pop-angled garage tracks emerge, including Mira May & JME’s ‘Angles’ and of course AJ Tracey and Jorja Smith’s newschool heater ‘Ladbroke Grove’.

It’s a very exciting time for dance music in general in the UK. We are seeing incredible resurgences across genres such as funky and garage and a number of producers seriously levelling up in the process. One genre we are keen to see retain it’s importance to the UK Dance music scene is breaks, an often forgotten element in creating a seriously spicy composition.

Now, as one of the writers for JunoDownload, I can start to predict when different projects are going to make an appearance in the store purely through watching promotional campaigns and announcements, however, nobody prepared me for the absolute madness that was soon to ensue at the hands of long stand UK bass imprint Four40 Records.

Today we are back to kick off your week with a very exciting new premiere as the team at Low Pitched move forward with a brand new compilation. Over the years, DJ Spookz’s Low Pitched imprint has played host to some of the most exciting up and comers and established bassline originals, constantly providing the scene with classy original releases and forward thinking musical themes. 

As the UK bass scene moves forward and progresses across different areas, it’s often the occurrence that some of the original names from the scene’s earlier days will start to fall into memory, rather than maintaining their positions at the top. One artist we have seen successfully return to the forefront of the bass explosion we are currently living amongst is Kissy Sell Out, a producer and DJ who has previously held down numerous Radio 1 residencies along with a multitude of major festival bookings. 

We are absolutely loving the expansion of bass music in recent times, with a wash of new labels really finding their feet, not only in the music they are releasing, but in their general content curation, their social media presence, their branding and timing. One label that is doing everything right from what we can see is Incursion recordings, a label that has been active for just over 14 months, held together by TVU, Ryan Gallus, Zero Trash & Lowkey.

As one of the world’s most esteemed melting pots of music, Berlin is rife with parties and takes place against a setting, and in an atmosphere that is incomparable the world over. What rarely enters the discussion if ever, is the small but dedicated UK underground music scene that gathers in Berlin’s many iconic music venues.

As we move forward on this threethousand platform, we want to continue to incorporate as many different genres of underground UK dance music as possible. With the recent re-emergence of dubstep on a major scale, we felt it was only right to get in contact with one of the new school front runners of the scene: Opus.

Today we are here to look at something slightly different as we dive into the deeper, more techy realms of house music. As a platform we want to reach as many different genres of music as possible, which is why we are super excited to bring you today’s exclusive premiere, courtesy of 3-4-1 Cuts. 

We were absolutely thrilled to see this one hit our inbox as In:flux keep up their very exciting 2019 run with a fantastic new EP from Fork And Knife, a producer who has found himself moving freely between different genres of UK bass music, making quite the name for himself wherever he tends to land.

It’s safe to say that over the last two years or so, we have seen a massive influx of hybridized 140BPM underground music. Now we can explore this further, seeing that dubstep, grime and even some drill & trap fall into this extremely popular tempo slot. We believe that as music evolves, especially around 140, we will see more and more hybrid style releases, primarily fusing dubstep and grime themes to create some truly magnificent sounds.

There are a lot of different faces involved in this ever expanding bass scene, and that often expands beyond the realms of just producers and DJs. A lot of people have multiple outlets for their creativity, including event promotion, label curation, written content and much more. All of these elements are what make up a healthy backbone for any music scene, with the press coverage and backroom staff being crucial for smooth improvement. 

Here at The 3000 Network, we really try to keep our content and musical landscape as varied as possible, showcasing music from across the different sub-categories of dance worldwide. This of course means we are always on the look for out for exclusive content from around the bass world and beyond that we know will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Within the UK dance music scene, there are a few people who truly qualify for legend status. By this we mean artists and DJ’s that have stayed at the top of the game for extended period of time. There aren’t many people ahead of the legendary DJ Zinc in this field, a DJ and producer who has overseen so many different eras of dance music, from jungle to crack house, featuring everything in between.

For those that don’t already know about the Lengoland movement, we firstly ask, what rock have you been dwelling under to not have done so. As a platform there is no doubt that Lengoland is one of the strongest outposts for bass music on the ground level, bringing producers, DJ’s, promoters and fans all together in one big bundle, all to enjoy the pure mass of bass music being produced around the world.

Garage is clearly at forefront of UK dance music right about now, I think to deny that at this point is just shaking your head at the painfully obvious. We are witnessing such a fantastic resurgence, with labels such as Kiwi, Strictly Flava, Slime, Four40 and more all chipping into the pot to create a fantastic new combined catalogue of sounds, bringing in exciting new faces and showcasing the more seasoned in the same light.

As we have said countless times here at threethousand.co.uk, we are always on the look our for the latest and most innovative creations within the realms of bass music. There aren’t many labels who hit this definition as Swamp 81, a label stooped in creativity and a constantly forward thinking approach to underground dance music, expanding the boundaries and exploring areas as yet undiscovered

So, over the last 2-3 years we have seen somewhat of a domination from UK bass music take place across the underground, primarily landing in bassline as have seen numerous artists head out for world tours, headline and smash out some of the UK’s biggest festival set ups and seemingly endless runs of club nights.

What a time we have upon us for UK music, with the explosion of UKG, the resurgence of dubstep, the worldwide expansions of bass and grime, and of course, the fantastic new delvings into the realms of UK Funky, spearheaded by some of the most exciting producers the UK has seen in quite some time. 

At threethousand, we love to look into different areas of bass driven underground music, be it grime, garage, bassline, breaks or anything else that fits the bill. Today we are here to take a more specific look at the dubstep end of the spectrum. We have noticed a fantastic spike in the quality and consistency that a lot of the newer dubstep labels have been operating at, and we are keen to work out exactly what is driving it so.

Now in the UK, something we are super proud of is our incredible musical diversity, as we see so many different genres emerge from our sainted little island, drawing influence from around the world. We look at the explosions of underground genres such as UKG and dubstep and grime around the world, and see that the UK sound is one that the world seems to just take to.

The 3000 Network is a platform that is here to showcase the best in bass music from the UK and rest of the world. Therefore when we stumble across a new artist seemingly doing everything correctly, right from the off, we find it a bit difficult not to get too excited. We live to see new artists emerging and thriving, and across all of the different outlets within the network, this is something we will always remain true to helping where we can!

Presenting May’s instalment of ‘The 3000 Selection’ our guide to the hottest tracks we think you should be paying attention to, all brought to you on a monthly basis courtesy of our very own bass connoisseur Pundit.

At 3000, we are always looking to remain as current as possible, be that exploring the newest artists emerging onto the bass circuit, or taking a look at what the more established labels are working on at the time. Today we are here to look at the latter as we witness a brand new drop from the legendary Champion Records, a project that may go under the radar for some, but who have been responsible for some of the most popular dance music tracks of all time. 

And here we have it, the latest edition of charted, the written series in which we invite some of our favourite artists and taste makers in to discuss and showcase their favourite tracks of the moment. We have hosted some pretty wicked names, but we are more than excited than ever to hear another top 10.

It has been a fantastic month in the realms of UKG, a genre which is seeing one hell of a resurgence over the last year or so. We are lucky enough to be able to witness the re-birth of one of this countries finest musical exports, with producers around the world now jumping onto the classic UKG sound.

We love to keep an eye on the new label projects that are emerging around the bass scene, and with so many new faces to keep up with, it’s proving to be quite the task indeed! Today, we are here to take a little look at SubSound, a label project that has been floating around the UK scene for around three years, but are just starting to really pick up some major steeam, locking in some of the most exciting up and coming names on both full releases and remix duty. 

We love to see new label projects emerge from around the UK bass scene and beyond. Since 2016, we have had an enormous influx of new label projects being started with the soul goal of them being to promote and orchestrate the exciting new wave of bass music being produced both inside the UK and beyond. 

It’s a very exciting time for UKG as a scene, with numerous different labels, both old school and new flourishing in a rapidly widening field of fortune. We are seeing some super impressive work from the likes of Four40, Slime, , Beastwang, Kiwi and a host of other names, giving the scene a real injection of vibrancy and fun, which is leading to more producers getting involved in the UK’s go-to summer sound.

The Brighton based label has always been seen as a forward thinking imprint, always looking to get involved with the next sound and be a part of what is new and vibrant within bass music. Their extensive roster has seen some top draw names pass through over the years, including the likes of Bushbaby, Skepsis, Darkly, Distinct, Freddie Martin, Zero and more.

As a series, Charted is a perfect way for us to look into the selections and tastes of some of the most influential faces around the music scene of the UK. We are very excited to be welcoming in Koast for our next edition, one of Bristol’s most influential vocalists and forward thinkers within the bass scene.

What better way to kick off a monday than with an exclusive premiere eh?Today we are heading over to LA, one of the new leading lights in the American Bass scene, with a tonne of new and exciting artists emerging from the mist every day. We are absolutely loving the American influence on world bass music, with an influx of more techy influences and glitchy, poppy percussive additions making their way into more and more original creations. 

It’s an exciting time for dubstep at the moment, as the deeper, darker a more futuristic side of the genre paves the way for a massive resurgence. We have been monitoring dubstep’s popularity over the last few months, both as a genre of 140bpm music and as it’s own entity, seeing it leap up the charts of online stores around the internet. 

It’s definitely an exciting time in the UK, as we start to see the day parties emerge from their winter hibernation and slowly but surely feel a sense of summer injected into the musical landscape. This can be easily represented by the mass amount of UKG releases we have been seeing hit the shelves over the past few weeks and we couldn’t be happier about it!

It’s been a very exciting time to be a part of the 140PM scene in the UK, as we have spent 2019 push towards a massive resurgence in popularity, with a number of labels pushing out some incredibly well designed original releases and a tonne of refreshing new producers emerging onto the scene.

As far as labels within this fantastic bass scene go, there aren’t many who have pushing the boundaries and shaping the sound of the scene as much as Saucy Records in recent times. The label operates with a number of regularly featured artists, including the likes of Pelikann, Taim, Affiliate and a load of other super original producers. 

It’s no secret that we are serious fans of the Strictly Flava movement, having taken an interest in nearly every release they have put together over the last 12 months! As a label we feel they represent the purest form of what UKG stands for, straight dancefloor bangers that can be played almost anywhere.

As bass music grows and it’s vast fields array of producers continues to multiply, from time to time we get to see a project that really puts a smile on our face. That is exactly happened when we stumbled across the multifaceted young masterpiece that goes by the name ‘Incursion Recordings’.

It’s been a little while since we heard from GHSTGHSTGHST, but we are very excited to see him back doing what he does best here as he unveils a very exciting run of four free downloads, available to grab weekly. 

To help understand Nekst’s latest involvement in the Digitalization 1.0 compilation, we have asked him to get involved with the site and set out his official top 10 current tracks to spin, showcasing the wide range of influences that he folds into his tracks.

There have been a lot of new artists to emerge over the last year or so from the so called ‘UKG revival movement’, a lot of which have been creating some truly incredible stuff. One of our favourites of the bunch has been Limita, a producer who’s versatility and consistency have pushed him right to the top of the pile.

Through the collection of content and expansion of the 3000 Network, we have had a need to expand the team working with us day to day. As an extended project the 3000 empire now spreads across numerous different areas, including the 3000Bass and 3000Deep SoundCloud pages, our record label 3000Digital and of course the threethousand.co.uk blog site.

We are working in an exciting time for bass music worldwide, as we see a tonne of UK producers slowly but surely move towards a more international style of 4×4 composition. It seems that this newer, more American influenced style of bass is the hot stuff to be found in the clubs, with artists such as Chris Lorenzo, Taiki Nulight and others leading the way in the UK. 

The relationship between vocalist and instrumentalist is rarely talked about outside the realms of “rap”. You’ll notice the use of quotation marks as I refer to the action rather than the genre – an action prevalent across many forms of music in 2019 – ranging from House, to Jazz, to Country music.

‘Who Dis’ is a surprisingly ambitious effort for it’s short runtime blending Funky, Bass and Garage influences together rather beautifully.

In yet another collaboration between two of the scene’s shining lights, ‘The Vibe’ brings together Brighton native Hadean and Bristolian Vellum for a succinct lesson in bass music production.

What a wonderful time it really is for bass music in general around the entire breadth of the UK. We live in a time of mass collaboration and genre fusion, something we are absolutely adoring to witness. Around the country we see different cities pushing for different styles of fusion also, with a lot of Brighton based pushing a futuristic techy twist on bassline and cities such as Nottingham pushing the funky bass hybrid sound.

It’s safe to say that there is a very exciting new breed of bass artist slowly emerging onto the scene, following in the footsteps of those innovative bassline artists that came before. We are also seeing that a lot of the more established label projects are now starting to find space for the new breed, with the likes of CruCast, Four40 and Southpoint all delivering music from the new breed from the studio to our eardrums.

Presenting April’s edition of ‘The 3000 Selection’ our guide to the hottest tracks we think you should be paying attention to, all brought to you on a monthly basis courtesy of our very own bass connoisseur Pundit.

It’s an extremely exciting time for the Tengu boys at the minute, as the bass scene applauds the Worthing based duo’s consistency across the recent months. It’s been awesome to see the pair progress further and further as they have started to gain the attention we feel they have deserved for a very long time.

Club night turned record label ‘1Forty’ return to grace the 3000 blog with yet another Funky and Garage release. Following on from FNG002, this release features an all star lineup, and has been as high as #1 on the Juno Garage and Funky charts.

At 3000 we can admit that we often put a bit too much emphasis onto the DJ’s and producers of the scene. However, we felt it was time we made an effort to highlight the MC’s, vocalists and hosts who work in and around UK bass culture, being one of the most important elements of a decent rave. A host’s job is to conduct the dance, assist in the build up of energy and be the human point of engagement between a crowd and a DJ and it is a skill that is far too often overlooked.

We are truly blessed to live in an era in which bass music is allowed to roam so freely. Throughout the years we have heard genres evolve and styles develop around the world, culminating in the fantastic population of underground dance music genres that fill both our playlists and airwaves today.

As ever with Southpoint, it’s quite difficult to keep up with the mass of content that they appear to be able to put together. As a label, they are one of the few projects currently active who are able to really traverse between grime, bass, dubstep, breaks, funky and garage with relative ease and without anything seeming forced. The main reason for this is their incredibly diverse roster, from the techy stylings of front runner Bushbaby, to the UKG know-how of Moony and Movement, to the grimey insights of KXVU, Jakebob & Dubzta, just to name a few off the top of the head.

We work in an era of bass music in which we see projects rise and fall more regularly than ever. The UK sound is changing and keeping up with that change without losing your roots is without a doubt the hardest thing for any record label to do.

Within the UK bass scene, we sit an a pivotal point between saturation and expansion, as we start to see some of our biggest homegrown starts hit mega stats on the world scale. Perfect examples of this are acts such as Skepsis and Holy Goof heading around America on tour with Jauz, Bushbaby and Taiki Nulight heading up their own tours around Australia and a tonne of other UK artists making major headway around the European festival circuit.

It’s no secret at this point that we are massive fans of what the Strictly Flava is up to. Over the last year or so we have seen them put together a string of fantastic, original and forward thinking UKG releases, perfect for adding a dash of life to a party of any kind. Who doesn’t like a bit of wavy UKG at the end of the day? Since their inception we have seen fantastic drops with artists such as Kobe JT, Witchdoctor, Minista, On1 and host of other names who are all representing the new school garage movement.

This weeks #WomxnInBass is Sydney based DJ, Mincy, who slinks between bassline, speed garage, ukg and grime. You might catch her bossing it at Sydney’s favourite bassline and ukg event Extra Spicy, shelling down your fav radio stations or gracing stages all over the world. We managed to catch up with her below, despite the time difference!

In Leeds we are recently witnessing a bit of a revolution in bass music, as we see the city come together and support the local talent more so than ever before. As a city, it’s safe to say that Leeds has always looked after its own, especially among the grime and rap scenes, however to see the bass scene join forces in this city-wide union is fantastic to see.

Since their inception, the team at Maraki have done an absolutely fantastic job of keeping the scene updated with regular UK the country. With an updated version of the original ‘Spaces’ artwork making an appearance, we wonder what plans may be on the horizon!-bass belters. Their release roster boasts some absolutely fantastic names, including the likes of founders FineArt & My Nu Leng, young bass prodigy Bushbaby, futuristic high flyer Barely Royal and many more.

For many, Radar Radio was an epicentre of engagement and a catalyst for creativity. The state-of-the-art station, located in the heart of East London’s hipster district, provided a platform for those who may otherwise be plying their trade from the comfort of their bedroom. Radar had resources en masse: studios equipped with the latest tech, free DJ workshops, and the chance to network with big name brands such as Smirnoff (who were working in collaboration with the station).

You should by now be familiar with Deep Cover, an Oxford based record label, club night and sick clothing brand. (eyyyy hook a guy up…?)If you’re not, let me get you up to speed. The label has an impressive and always improving catalogue, with releases from artists such as ROMO and Casement, who’s track Pangea quickly became a personal favourite, after hearing resident Shryke spin it in a dark corner of Exeter.

At threethousand.co.uk, our job is to keep the world informed about the latest and greatest bass music to emerge from the UK and beyond and we were so super super impressed with the most recent release from Fat Vibez that we decided to take another look at the label, seeing that they had an absolute fantastic catalogue of releases on the way. As a label they have been putting a lot of work into defining their sound and presence, a task that most struggle with from the get go.

Manchester seems to be going through somewhat of a bass revolution at the moment, with a number of names heading towards the forefront of the UK wide scene. However, it’s the the projects on the ground that are seriously reaffirming the cities incredible musical background, projects such as the forward thinking bass imprint: Night Shift Sound, a Project we have seen put together of incredible projects over the years, hitting out most recently with this, the fourth edition of their ‘Northern Power House’ compilation series.

As one of the latest additions to the music scene, London-based DJ Freshta is already being labelled one to watch. 2018 saw her spin her dark and bass-centric selections that embrace 140 grime, dubstep and bass on a range of U.K and international stations. From NTS, Reprezent and newly formed Foundation FM to the warmer settings of New Delhi, Shanghai and Barcelona. She did all this whilst holding down her monthly show on Mode FM and repping

For the Lengoland movement, it is a very exciting time to be in the thick of it, as they continue to expand their events around the country whilst simultaneously expanding the online community that can be found within their incredibly popular Facebook group. Over the years, we have seen a tonne of online communities come and go, especially in regards to bass music, but Lengoland seems most certainly to be the one that has stuck the most.

It’s safe to say that we live in a time in which Bass music is one of the most exciting genres across all of the world music, now picking up a serious amount of steam around the the US as well as the UK and Europe. When we say bass music, we don’t mean EDM, we mean direct offshoots of the UK bass movement wherever they may be. This new release shows us just how exciting the LA scene is finding bass music and how much they are contributing to it also.

It’s an exciting time for KXVU to say the least. In the last 4 months, he has stepped into the role of breakfast show host on Trickstar Radio, along with becoming the JunoDownload podcast host, putting out three solid releases across both Southpoint and YosH and more. One particular additional attribute is his appearance in the well renowned grime producer clash tournament Beatboss, which held it’s eighth official event last Friday at Five Miles London.

It’s been a very exciting start to label life for the Brighton based Dissident Sound imprint, a project founded by Agora and Tribalist, the duo which make up Heritage. They have been quick to gain popularity since their inception, pulling together a constantly evolving catalogue of futuristic percussive persuasions and breaks inspired incantations.

Consistency, consistency, consistency, that is one thing we really preach here at threethousand,co.uk, and for that reason we are always excited to see extended projects hit their full potential. As a label, we are always impressed with what 1Forty bring to the table, representing multiple genres and different sounds across the board.

Despite us being primarily located in the circles of bassline and garage music, we are always keen to explore the genres in surrounding areas, such as grime, funky, breaks and whatever else we feel floats the boat as it were. We are very excited therefore to bring you guys the premiere for this brand new heater from ‘Zerg’, who has been causing quite a stir in the dubstep scene as of late, gathering support from the likes of Rapture 4D, Bukez Finezt, Sukh Knight and a host of other dubstep heavyweights.

A huge opening weekend on 5th & 6th April curated by forward-thinking promoters, Our Next Event, sees superstars from the Drum ‘n’ Bass, House and Tech worlds all playing including, Andy C, CamelPhat, Andrea Oliva, Dimension and many more. A crowd of 3,000 people and next level production combined make this a spectacular new addition to the UK’s dance music landscape.

This weeks #WomxnInBass is Dutchie, Bristol based DJ, producer and singer-songwriter. She’s the resident DJ for Hold Tight Records and Co-Director of Revinyl C.I.C which offers vinyl DJ courses and free entry open deck vinyl events in Bristol – super dope! We love the work she’s doing and Bristol locals will have seen her name popping up on posters all over the city. This summer is looking tasty for Dutchie, so be sure to show love when she comes to a festival near you!

It’s been a very exciting start to the year for DJ Zinc’s Bingo imprint, having brought in singles from the likes Rico Tubbs, Wittyboy, Shapes and the main man Zinc himself over the course of the last six weeks. The levels are clearly being maintained to the highest degree.

Within the vast, expansive and ever developing realms of bass music in the UK, we are always looking for the next big sound. The last few years has seen bassline take the lead roll, with artists now touring the world off the back of vicious 4×4 creations. However, over the last year, it would be safe to say that UK funky’s notoriety has been significantly enhanced, becoming established as one of the most exciting corners of modern bass music.

Without the labels, the underground is stripped of an important aspect of the connection between the fans and the music. Labels are vessels, allowing producers to show off their artistry and if the aesthetics between the producers and the labels match, the end product can be something inspiring for fans of the music to take in and beyond.

Being a blog at the very forefront of UK Bass music, we thought it’s only right that we bring you a monthly roundup of what we have in heavy rotation over here at 3000 HQ and the tracks we feel are worthy of an extra mention. Presenting ‘The 3000 Selection’ our guide to the hottest tracks we think you should be paying attention to, all brought to you on a monthly basis courtesy of our very own bass connoisseur Pundit.

Following on from a very exciting IVA edit project that dropped last week, we are very excited to see that the Fast Vibez imprint are continuing their run of good form with this hard hitting three track creation from Famburglar. As a label, Fat Vibez really pride themselves on their variety and genre diversification within their release structure, which is plain to see here, both in the original creation and across both forward thinking remix additions.

KG – North London’s UK Funky Queen is known for her Afrobeat inspired, Funky bangers!From dominating the UK club circuit during the early-mid noughties to staying more than active on London’s thriving radio scene today. You probably caught her on NTS, Reprezent Radio, Worldwide FM, Rinse FM or her newly acquired, specialist monthly slot on Foundation FM. KG’s broadcasting and DJ talents are soaring to new heights, which is apparent when on the receiving end of highly regarded co-signs, from the likes of BBC 1Xtra’s Jamz Supernova and Tash LC.

In a bass music realm where consistency has become so so key to success, Broken have proven time and time again that they are here to stay, constantly supplying the scene with forward thinking and hard hitting releases from a range of different artists across the globe.

Within UK bass music, Southpoint have most certainly solidified their reputation as one of the most consistent labels both in the quality of music they release and how regularly they do it. We saw them take their first month away from releasing full EP’s in their 4 year history in January, but were still blessed with a run of very high quality Introducing releases which were available for free download and Spotify stream.

Wang Records have dropped their first release, taking form as an exquisite ode to New School UKG (AKA NUKG). The compilation offers everything and anything under the UKG spectrum, with dark basslines, lush pads and ethereal vocals.

Bass music in the UK is arguably at it’s highest point ever, with festival bookings for bass artists currently hitting record heights and line ups around the country becoming more and more bass ready. This is due to a level of consistency that the higher ranked platforms and outlets are being able to hit more than anything, with the levels of creativity and quality rising at every turn. 

With more than 10 years in the game, Amsterdam’s Rachel Green is known for her unusual selections and onpoint mixing. Rachel grew up on Hip Hop, Dubstep and Funk, and her constantly evolving inspiration can be heard when she’s playing at radio stations, stages and clubs around the world. If you love all sorts of leftfield electronic music, this #WomxnInBass is for you!

It’s safe to say that we have been super impressed with both the regularity and consistency of the Strictly Flava release catalogue in recent months, as they continue to pump out bangers after banger almost weekly at this rate. Since the start of the year we have seen them team up with the likes of Earthnut, Fork & Knife and Royal Flush, with even more exciting projects from the likes of Minista, Kobe JT and more all coming in just before the Christmas break. 

It’s been a very impressive start to the year for the super experiences team behind YosH as FooR continue to explore the realms of releasing new bass music. After employing the energetic and super resoruceful Chris Merison (1/2 Tengu), they have taken in a surge of brand new releases, showcasing just how versatile bass music can be, including releases from KXVU, Kirbs and more.

When you represent some of the world’s hottest artists it can sometimes feel like an uphill battle when having to choose the biggest tracks to feature on a compilation; luckily, it’s something Toolroom appear to do with ease.

It’s been a super exciting time for the CruCast team, with last week’s release of ‘VIP’ hitting the stores and causing pandemonioum across the UK bass music community. With such a high quality roster however, was anyone expecting anything else? It’s been a continious theme with the CruCast imprint to push out high quality music from the best of the best in our scene, which is seemingly why their next drop sits so perfectly amongst the rest of their catalogue.

On something of a resurgence, A dot R has put out some tantalising new releases over the last few months; from his cold comeback effort in ‘Dragon Styli’ to the release of the ‘Bassline Legacy’ compilation, the Birmingham legend is gathering momentum by the day and in doing so is treading exciting new ground.

There is no denying that there is currently an exciting movement taking place in the sleepy southern bass outpost of Brighton, which has been producing some of the scenes most exciting names in recent times, including the likes of Bushbaby, Freddie Martin, Zero, Hamdi, Hadean, Taiki Nulight and more just to name a few. One DJ who has been consistently smashing it among the local events and has started to make a real name for herself outside of the BN zone is Chary Nicks

We live in a time where the music industry is in constant fluctuation. Trends come and go as quick as the producers that ride their waves, making it almost impossible to predict the route that dance music in the UK and worldwide is going to take. We also live in an extremely DIY era, with producers, start up labels and musical individuals of all kinds always looking for the next way to improve their product.

Higgo has gone from strength to strength in the last couple of years. With releases on a host of labels including Project Allout Records, Four40, HAUSMADE, aswell as a wealth of self releases (including his masterpiece, Dynamite), Higgo is clearly making an impression in UKG. He was recently featured in the premiere edition of Conducta’s ‘Kiwi Manifesto’, and announced his own mix series, with the first ‘Garage & Bass 01’ dropping earlier this year. Watch out for Higgo, he’s not stopping anytime soon.

A trusted and highly regarded source of Electronic music and beyond, Juno Download has become a linchpin in the UK’s underground music industry. The multi-faceted platform deals with the purchasing of music, organising charts, as well as generally bringing awareness to artists who may not have substantial backing.

If you have been following the rapid expansion of UK bass music over the past few years, you will have done well to miss the goliath project that CruCast has worked itself into. Since their inception, they have continuously worked with some of the scene’s brightest sparks, with an original roster including Skepsis, Darkzy, Bru-C, Notion and more.

One thing we reallyy value at 3000 is a label steadfastness, and their ability to move with the times without wondering too far from their original ethos. One label we feel who is managing to gracefully step between the two extremes with perfect precision is 1Forty, a project set up by LOCKT to showcase the best in grime, bass, funky and beyond.

Tailor Jae is a DJ full of surprises, you can expect bass heavy sets, quick transitions and great technicality. Having graced venues such as The Nest, Lab 11, Redbull Music Academy, Village Underground and beating 2000 plus DJ’s to be crowned Mixmag and Coorslight DJ Quest Winner 2017, Tailor continues to make waves with her non-conformist sets.

It’s been an absolute pleasure to watch from a distance as the sounds of Saucy Music have developed over the last couple of years. Moving from a more wobbly bassline sound, the imprint has really paved the way forward in recent times, developing the specific sound of its concise roster into a much more mature, forward thinking bass collective.

In a time where UK Funky is really starting to receive both it’s deserved influential credit and hype, it’s always pleasing to see the veterans of the scene keep everything lively and vibrant. Since the genre has moved back into the public eye, the majority of releases have come to us in the now universally accepted formats of digital downloads, streams or free releases.

A staple of any self-respecting UK festival line-up for the last decade, Jaguar Skills is the absolute king of mashup sets. Over the last year we’ve seen him delve into production, with a recent bassline collab with Spookz then onto a heated offering with Wheeto and Scrufizzer, both out on Four40 records.

Approaching a year on from their conception, Dissident Sound have already established themselves as an imprint which is ready to push the musical boundaries of bass music in the UK. After full releases from Heritage (a joint project consisting of label owners Tribalist and Agora); Sir Rah and 9TRANE, in addition to a free EP by Movement (aka Agora) and two various artists compilations, Dissident Sound kick things off in 2019 with possibly their most experimental release to date.

Since the beginning of 2019, it’s safe to say that Bingo Bass have been on a bit of a steam roll, putting together some absolutely scorching singles to kick off the year, including the release of Zinc’s ‘Ammergency’, coupled with it’s VIP drop the following month.

It’s no secret that over the cause of the last year or so at least, the landscape of garage music in the UK has drastically changed. This is due to a combination of factors, including a shift in the mentality of DJ’s, preferring to veer towards the content of more modern producers over older, more established originals. I for one think this is a really good thing, as it is finally giving the genre the serious update it needs.

Once again, we have the pleasure of hosting a premiere from one of our favourite UK Bass labels, Four40 and this time they present some classic summery UKG vibes courtesy of Wes Thomas.

L U C Y is Bristol based producer & DJ living in London and is one of the undergrounds most exciting young talents. Her sets consists of intricate and effortless 140, her look is mysterious and it has certainly left us wanting more.

At threethousand, we are here to explore all realms of UK underground dance music, covering as much ground as possible wherever we can. As the boundaries of genres seem to continue to blur, we are finding more and more producers to be breaking the mould and causing quite the stir across a range of styles.

There is no doubting that both garage and UK funky are both very much back in the thick of the UK dance music conversation, with both genres managing to reemerge onto the scene throughout the explosive twelve months of music that was 2018. Because of their similarly timed reappearance on a more public scale, we often see the two genres layered together, which sees us pick up some interesting crossovers.

As far as labels in the bass scene go, it’s safe to say that there are few projects that have been able to keep pace with Punks over the last couple of years. Through a combination of incredible A&R skills and forward thinking release arrangement, they have striven to provide the scene with incredibly original bass music with a particular influence on breaksy themes. 

I spoke to Nico from Beastwang about their forthcoming debut release, Avirex Airwaves, which is out next month. With tracks from names across the UKG board, including Mind of a Drago, Smokey Bubblin’ B & Royal Flush, among others, its set to make an impact in the scene. Whilst known primarily for doing lively events across the country, Beastwang has recently expanded into the world of labels, with their new label, Wang Records.

Proletariat Base is the Kaizen Karnak’s (R1 Ryders) brand new alias, christened with a stonking debut release (Adrenal / Dikcotek) that hit the stores last Friday. Adrenal begins with a strong funky drumbeat and a thick warbling bassline, reminiscent of Pharaoh K and Chris Lorenzo. Diskotek sees fast paced, crisp percussion, expertly matched with a punching bassline that hits like a freight train.

Pioneering brand new tastemaker radio platform SISTER, Carly Wilford has become a trusted voice for the underground. A ground-breaking Presenter & DJ, she takes the artists she believes in and broadcasts their music to the world. Strongly connecting both the US and UK music scenes, her roots within the UK scene have helped to bring through so many of the artists on today’s airwaves.

After ending 2018 as a Kingpin, Hatter is relentless in maintaining his status as one of Brighton’s hottest emerging talents. A multi-genre producer as well as accomplished rapper, the South Coast talisman has been keeping very busy through these Winter months – a work-rate you should be familiar with after witnessing last year’s Hatterday series: five pieces of original content released on five consecutive Saturdays.

One thing we are most certainly starting to notice about the UK bass scene is a leaning towards social media presence and online capabilities, something which a lot of people are opposed to by principal. For us, we now live in an age where online presence and social media techniques have become essential as parts of a promotional campaign, and we feel that it’s something everyone is perfectly capable of being able to get involved in, without being bogged down in stats and figures.

As ever in the bassline world, Bru-C is on job, putting in the tireless work which has seen him rise to be one of the premiere MC’s in UK dance music. Through continuous tours, high profile release campaigns, exciting music videos and a tonne of live giveaways, Bru-C has social media in the palm of his hand, keeping his finger steadily on the pulse of the UK bass scene.

It’s a very exciting time for the Leeds based bass dyanmos known as Vital Techniques right about now, who seem to be hitting a serious patch of form, both in their live performances and releases. As an entity, the boys have been smashing it with the tracks they have been putting together, catapulting themselves to the top end of the spectrum within the bass scene.

Within the now extensive circles of underground dance music in the UK, there are few that can really hold a candle to the efforts of the legendary DJ Zinc over the years. Across his vast empire of a catalogue, we have been treated to such a broad range of styles it’s often actually quite difficult to comprehend. 

We are thrilled to see that Mr Virgo has dipped into his production arsenal to put together an awesome new sample pack, designed specifically to add a touch of spice to your Bassline compositions.

As a label, Night Bass really have been setting the pace in the bass scene for quite some time now, headed up by the insatiable appetite of AC Slater, who continues to supply the US, UK and beyond with a stream of excellent, forward thinking bass music. Amongst their roster we see regular apperances from the likes of Chris Lorenzo, Taiki Nulight, Jay Robinson, AC Slater himself and many more high profile names, all forging a unique sound for the LA based imprint.

In the UK, the male to female ratio of music producers is 49:1. Nevertheless, female DJ’s and producers stay rising; breathing fresh air into the underground, in what can be intimidating, patronising and sometimes unsafe environments. In a conscious effort to bring these powerhouse talents to the forefront of your mind, I will be sharing the stories of some of my favourite producer babes in our weekly #WomxnInBass series.

It’s been a great start to their reign for FooR’s brand new YosH imprint, who have hit the ground running with a selection of very refreshing releases  from a range of diverse artists, encompassing a wide range of bass music styles and designs.

As bass music grows and the spectrum expands ever further into the unknown spheres of creativity, it’s always pleasing to see the more established labels embracing this expansion with real finesse. Today we are here to take a look at the latest offering from the Brighton based 877 Records, who boast a super impressive catalogue to say the least. With releases from the likes of My Nu Leng, Majora, Distro and Kry Wolf just for starters, it’s safe to say that label head honcho Dom certainly has his finger on the pulse of British bass culture.

In our opinion, the long standing labels that have constantly provided the scene with top draw music deserve praise above all others, as consistency within a constantly altering musical landscape is one of the most difficult thing to maintain. At 3000 we really try to keep an eye on those who have been putting the work in, which is what makes this article so enjoyable for us.

2018 proved an exciting year for relative youngster MPH; with his upcoming release ‘Business Mode’ sounding masterfully tight and boasting some huge collabs, we at 3000 are sure the trend will continue long into future. This hard-hitting release pulls no punches and is announced by eponymous artillery shell ‘Business Mode’ featuring textbook vocal cuts from none other than Dread MC. Compact drum patterns and a prominent clave motif underscore Dread’s apocalyptic introduction, which soon makes way for the track’s bouncy, dissonant main theme. The opening track does what a good introduction ought to and foreshadows much of what is to come and nicely makes way for a VIP of the previously released ‘Mud’.

War season is upon us. Not only have the Grime scene’s MC’s been going at it, but now has come the time for producer’s to get busy too. BeatBoss, the genre’s #1 clash tournament for producers, returns for its 8th instalment.  

It’s no secret that as both a producer and as a live performer, Holy Goof has been spearheading the bassline movement across the UK and beyond for the last couple of years, consistetnly delivering fantastic DJ sets and highly reveered recordings. Through collaborations with My Nu Leng and his remix of Drake’s ‘God Plan’, he boasted some of the most celebrated releases to hit shelves throughout the course of 2018. 

Beastwang have proven themselves to be one the greatest independent promoters of the last few years. Throwing parties all over their hometown Leicester, and plans to go further afield, Beastwang have shown that with hard work and artistic sense, up-and-coming promoters can run successful nights without sacrificing their integrity. We spoke to Nico Singh, the founder of Beastwang, and the newly formed Wang Records, about the history of the project, and where its headed in the future…

Bristol based producers ‘My Nu Leng’ are basically synonymous with the UK bass scene at this point. From funky releases back in the day with the likes of Majora (Hips n’ Thighs still bangs), to their latest EP on Maraki, featuring artists such as Holy Goof and Iyamah, they’ve definitely been around the block.

What a whirlwind of a year 2018 was for Southpoint, who as a label put together 19 full releases, along with 50 free drops via their secondary ‘Southpoint: Introducing’ SoundCloud channel. There are few labels that seem to be able to handle such a bulk of releases and yet still maintain their maticulous quality control across all of the artists they bring into the fold.

We have heard tell of this for a while, but we are very pleased to see that the team at CruCast have decided to expand the camp. It’s always extremely important in our eyes for independant labels to look the future, looking to bring new, upcoming faces into the fold as often as possible, without disrupting their primary release schedule. It appears that CruCast have been plotting away with this one as they finally unveil the first recruit to their ‘New Blood’ roster.

Creativity is everything within bass music in our humble opinion. We are often subject to endless repetition as producer after producer joins the slowly expanding echo chamber that exists within the heart of any genre, Therefore, when we strike a goldmine of originality, we can’t help but get involved as we continue our quest to bring you guys the low down on the freshest bass music out there.

Now to begin with, the term UK bass music is a pretty broad one. In our eyes, this can cover an extremely wide range of genres and styles, anything from dubstep to bassline to garage to funky to grime to breaks and everything inbetween in fact.

It’s been a brief minute since we last touched down to take a peek at the goings on of Inkline, who it has to be said ended up with a fantastic 2018 catalogue. Throughout the year he worked closely with a range of labels to showcase his work, which arguably boasts some of the most original sound design in the world of bass music today.

For us, the current front runner across the now vast UK Garage scene is without a doubt Conducta. Over the course of 2018, the Bristolian bred prince of UKG was at the forefront of the genre, constantly putting together new projects, releases, remixes, live show and streams to showcase just how expansive it has become. UKG is without a doubt one of the most important genres to ever emerge out of the UK’s underground music peninsula, often being used as a certified shortcut to liven up a dance.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’re likely to have at least caught glimpses of Distinkt’s newest release that is nearly two weeks young to date.

It’s no secret at all that we are absolutely massive fans of the Articulate Sound movement, a label founded in 2015 with an incentive to deliver creative, original bass music, often bridging the blurred gap between bassline and UK funky, two cousin genres that were estranged for quite some time. 

As one of the main contributors to the threethousand brand, it’s very pleasing for us to see Brighton based all around music man: KXVU kick off his year with a pair of hearty heaters. Following on from his inclusion on the epic sixth edition of ‘Southpoint Presents’, we seem him now team up directly with FooR and Tengu, on their latest label venture: YosH Pit.

Guildford based Xeonz has recently hit the spotlight, with tunes being picked up by bassline tastemakers Skepsis and Darkzy to name a few. It’s not just the DJs either, Xeonz has a healthy portfolio of bookings, and releases on labels such as Crucast, 3000 Bass, Listed, and now Saucy Records. Also hailing from Surrey, Contaktz is even fresher faced on the scene.

Well, what a fantastic year 2018 was for the Brighton born now Bristol based bass wizard known as Bushbaby. Since first arriving on the scene in early 2016, the young mastermind has gone from strength to strength relentlessly, building an incredible level of momentum whilst simultaneously crafting his own truly unique sound yet delivering exactly what bass fans in the UK were asking for every single time.

Whilst we have a variety of different genre’s to thank for the initial emergence of Grime, it is perhaps Dancehall which has retained the most recognisable contributions to today’s scene (from a live performance aspect, at least). The very notion of a pull-up (or a ‘restart’ if you’re asking a journalist from the Evening Standard) is derived directly from Dancehall’s sound clash culture, and has grown to be an integral part of any live Grime set.

Brighton’s premiere dance music station, Trickstar Radio, has been gracing the airwaves since 2014, and has built up a fantastic reputation not only in the seaside town, but across the South-East and UK. Founded by dance fanatic Si Twiddy. Trickstar has gone from strength to strength under his guidance. Something that surprises a lot of new DJ’s is the quality of professionalism at Trickstar – from the equipment to the staff. When Si moved to Brighton in 2013, he noticed something. “Whilst I was walking my dog along the seafront, I realised that Brighton had a huge scene dedicated to dance music, with massive DJ’s and headliners filling clubs every week – yet there was no radio station to compliment this popularity.” So he set up Trickstar as a way to give this city’s bustling music scene a voice – and 7 years later, the station is stronger and more popular than ever.

Following on from our first installment of ‘the Bass Coast’ I decided to venture deeper into the chasms of bass music on the North American West Coast. Throughout my various conversations and attended events ‘Jesse Disociate’ seemed to be a name that regularly featured in and around line-ups across the family of venues in Vancouver. I was fortunate enough to drag the man along to interview (at a café called ‘Yolks’ no less, Irish heads rejoice) which you can read in full below:

If there is one genre that has made a serious impact on UK underground music through it’s revival in 2018 it has to be UK Funky, which through a combination of inclusions from top selectors and an internal need for more rhythmic influences within the scene has become a major influence across multiple underground genres.

Within a crowded underground scene, there is massive competition large areas of different genres to stand out and be as original as possible, without losing track of the genres you are supposedly attached to. However in an age where collaborations and cross genre experiments are appearing on every corner, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to tell who is associated with what anymore.

After what can only be described as a successful year for the team at Titanium Audio, we are very excited to see them make an early return to releasing in 2019, but in an unexpected move we see the primarily grime based label move into a heavy piece of  UK Bassline in the hands of none other than high flying bass wizz kid Sammy Virji.

As a genre, Bassline is an area that breeds expansion and forward thinking producers left right and centre. Some would actually describe this expanse of variation as a more vast umbrella genre called UK Bass music.

Well as a proud Brightonian it’s always an exciting moment for me to see fellow artists from the area push themselves out onto the world stage. In recent times we have seen a large range of Brighton acts set off on tour, including the likes of Taiki Nulight, Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn and more. The most recent name to be added to this is none other than the well deserving Hadean, who smashed 2018 out of the park through a combination of weighty live appearances and well received releases.

There is always a bit of a buzz towards the beginning of the year within our ever expanding bass culture, with the Christmas break working as both a pallet recharger and musical inspirer, kicking the year off with a flurry of vibrant creations following the expansive range of end of year giveaways.

Bassline as a genre is nowhere near as young as a lot of the newer additions to the fanbase would believe. There were many years or northern dominance within the vibrant expanse of the bassline scene before it ever ventured anywhere near the south. This was the era of compilations and mixpacks such as ‘Birmingham Bassline’, a major contributor to my younger musical influences, to the point where I would be pushing these tapes upon my friends at every available opportunity.

Over the Christmas period, it’s safe to say that the internet is a wash with compilations, both celebrating the holidays and providing a yearly round up of different label’s progress over the last twelve months. One label that continues to push the best out of their artists for their Christmas eve giveaway is Southpoint, who have yet again put together a colossal collection of heaters as they bring out the sixth edition of their ‘Southpoint Presents’ series.

In recent times we have been keeping a key eye on a number of emerging artists. In a time of such mass expansion for the bass scene, we feel it is important for us to stay tuned in to both the forefront and the team of up and comers keeping everyone on their toes.

As far as upcoming producers go, there aren’t many who have been putting in work as consistently as Southampton’s own SILK, who has spent time this year refining and formatting his potent bassline sound, rendering him one of the strongest new faces on the scene. He has been making regular event apperances as well as stacking up some seriously impressive support, which is why it made perfect sense to us when we saw that he had teamed up with the infamous Lengoland, for their label’s third official release. 

For us it’s always incredibly pleasing to see labels burst onto the scene alongside fresh, exciting new artists, brimming with ideas and futuristic sounds. For this reason, we are very excited to get stuck into this weighty four track arrangement from the likes of MPH, a Canterbury located bass wizard, who gets very busy indeed across this one.

For those readers out-of-the-loop Strictly Flava has enjoyed a steady and consistent output this year with a number of notably catchy releases from the likes of Witchdoctor, Jay Barret, and Echelon amongst others. In a fitting testament to the productive year that the London-based label has overseen, Strictly Flava has nodded to two forthcoming releases, one produced by On1 and the other, a joint endeavour from Kobe JT & Minista.

hen it comes to bass, grime, garage, funky and even dubstep to an extent, there is still a stigma around a lot of labels that they are going to be the bad guys. This for the most part is a pretty wide misconception, given that the majority of people running the independent labels often share the same passion for the music as the artists they have involved. This often leads to certain figures not getting a lot of the credit they deserve.

Bristol-based A-Bee has been going from strength to strength this year. Following several appearances on Rinse and 10-Twenty Radio, and shows alongside the likes of Jossy Mitsu, A-Bee is now the head honcho of Mangoes + Melons, one of the most exciting new UKG labels that have arisen in 2018. We spoke to her about 5 racks she’s feeling at the moment, and the list does not disappoint…

The relatively niche realm of 160bpm is one that, until recent years, has had difficulty breaking into the forefront of the underground scene. The very nature of footwork, juke, and all offshoots of this diverse tempo is that of spontaneity, often comprising of heavily syncopated drum patterns, erratic vocal snippets and unruly structures. These fast, complex rhythms were synonymous with the dancing associated with footwork,a street dance that coincided with the Chicago-born genre in the 1990s. It is therefore not surprising to see why the genre has been floating around the edges of electronic music for so many years. This is arguably what makes it so special however, placing itself within a unique corner of the underground scene, yet consistently making a global impact.

In recent years the underground scene in the UK has been blessed with a wide range of talent from outside of the nation’s Capital. Of course there has always been skilled producers, singers, and MC’s in all pockets of the country however the social media revolution seems to have leveled the playing field, allowing someone from a small town in the midlands to have more or less the same opportunities and access as those in the big cities. It’s a transition which has been of huge benefit to the musical world with the only real drawback coming in the form of over saturation.

Well it certainly appears to be an exciting time for the In:Flux Audio camp, who are currently coming off the back of a tremendous anniversary release, celebrating some of the best releases across the label’s history. As a label project they clearly pride themselves on their consistency, as it’s hard to pinpoint a a drop in quality along their long run of EP and LP releases.

It’s about time we had Tony Wonka back on the site after his fantastic premiere with us a few months back. His stock has since soared, with a lot of the scene’s top names taking a major interest in his bassy endevours. 

Over the course of 2018 there has been a major influx of new producers starting to make headway within a very crowded scene, some of them bringing a bag of original flavours to the table and therefore making a majorly positive impact on the scene. We were very pleased to see that Lijah is one such artist, consistently supplying the bass scene with potent bangers. 

The EP starts slowly, with ‘Perctrak’s gentle build leading into a sub heavy breakdown, dominated by an ethereal vocal sample. We’re then launched straight into a drop clearly inspired by 9TRANE’s previous grime and dubstep productions, with eski clicks and 808 bass abound.

As a label, Punks have been one of the most consistent outlets for bass and breaks music throughout the entirety of 2018, constantly providing the scene with original creativity within their releases, always moving forward into exciting new ground. The label has gained a lot of steam in recent months, seeing them propelled rapidly to the forefront of their genres, which is no less than they deserve in our humble opinion!

While certain blogs are concerning themselves with the idea of Grime being dead, those of us with our finger on the pulse are celebrating the rise of the next generation.A scene that remained stagnant for so long is now in the midst of what feels like a Golden Era. The hard labour conducted by Grime’s forefathers is beginning to bear fruit. The internet has provided asylum for the genre, progressing from the days of Grime Forum to bring everyone together through social media. No matter what the root cause is, the result is undeniable: Grime’s alive and kicking.

As a label project, there really are few who have contributed as much to the UK’s thriving bass music scene than the legendary Four40, who continue to surge forward moving towards 2019, pushing out solid release after release. 2019 has seen them move into some new territories, but this brand new remix from Barely Royal drops us right into the centre of a UK bass blast off. 

Infamous for his well-crafted, hard-hitting music Taiki Nulight is by now something of a household name in the scene. Showcasing his sonic diversity and talent for production over the years whilst proving instrumental in bass music’s continued popularity it is no wonder that fans and critics alike have been eagerly awaiting his latest drop.  One of the many perks of being a music writer is being able to listen to releases ahead of schedule and listening to Taiki Nulight’s ‘Murky Manor’ proved to be much more than consuming another derivative bass music release; it was an unexpected journey across a broad range of House and Bass influences.

As a producer and DJ, Manchester’s own: Hypho has gained some critical acclaim and serious support over the last few years, solidifying himself as one of the most creative names in the post dubstep / tech arena. We were thrilled to hear therefore that he is now involved alongside Xakra in setting up Manuka Records.

My Nu Leng’s latest EP Junction is an announcement: no matter how much popularity the Bristol duo may gain within one scene or another, their music will never be easily tied to one category. The four-track release represents the latest in a six-year slew of genre-fluid projects from the pair, whose penchant for reanimating established sounds drawn from across the UK’s electronic underground has positioned them as bass music’s foremost fusionists.

The last 22 months for NLMT have been nothing short of exciting for himself and listeners alike. From posting teasers on Lengoland to seeing heavy rotation from DJ’s across the scene, NLMT sat down with us to chat everything from his Dad buying his first DAW to his adolescent Dubstep duo with Darkzy. You can find the interview in full below:

Within Brighton’s tight knit musical community, there is a real mix of local veterans and rapidly rising stars, across bass, dubstep, grime, funky and even garage, really adding fuel to the extensive revival movement currently underway. As far as veterans go, there are few who are as unsung as Moony, who has been a staple within bass music in the South for the last six or seven years.

Over the last two years it has been an absolute pleasure to watch the reemergence of UK Funky. As a genre, it’s simplicity and rhythmic drive was something that was notably missing from a large portion of underground music.

Now unless you’ve been living under a very hefty rock for the last couple of years, you will undoubtedly have heard of Bushbaby. One of Lengoland and the bass scene revivals best success stories, the Brighton/Bristol based producer has been releasing banger after banger, steadily pushing his crisp neuro-bass sound to the tops of charts and line-ups.

October was a mad 31 days for urban music as a whole, but for the grime scene, we saw more up and coming artists coming through, more collaborating and even more releasing debut projects along the way.

Bass as an overseeing genre is an expansive one by it’s very nature, incoorporating hundereds of different sub-genres into it’s folds, giving us something truly beautiful in the long wrong. There are some producers who are able to use this to their advantage by crossing the boundaries of different segements seamlessly, ending up with truly innovative material at every turn.

After a really well received premiere from N.Y.T.A earlier in the month, we are thrilled to be bringing him back to the forefront of the channel again as we bring this official premiere for Zinc’s exceptional Bingo Bass imprint.This time however, we are joined by one of the most talked about MC’s in grime at the moment: Jammz, who’s flawless top draw work ethic and flawless vocal precision has recently gained him a new Rinse.FM residency alongside Jackdat.

Just between the pulsating culture of London and the cutting edge atmosphere of the South Coast, Surrey appears at first to be just another sleepy home county. Over the last few years, however, it has become a hotbed for new talent, kicked off by the likes of two – house making brothers by the name of Disclosure.

It might be unfair to portray Mr C as an unsung hero, particularly if you’re going off his local support. A producer/DJ who has dropped some of the most creative and titanic bangers in the scene to this day, (‘You’re Telling Me’ still makes me screwface nearly 4 years down the line!) Mr C has a sizeable, dedicated following that fly the flag for West Yorkshire Bassline.

If you’re familiar with the funkier side of the UK Bass scene, you’ll certainly know about Pharaoh K. With previous releases on Champion’s Formula Records, and In:Flux Audio, his absolute funky weapon ‘Chagga’ is being released on Roska’s Label ‘Roska’s Kicks and Snares’ (RKS).

It’s safe to say that the team at Saucy Records have had a pretty monumental year. As a label they have really solidified their position as an extremely forward thinking collective, pushing the boundaries of bass music into zones previously unexplored, all with a great degree of finesse along the way.As well as this, the label extended their reach to a now thriving management arm, looking after the best interests of some of the most influential artists in the scene, including the likes of PVC, Pelikann, Barely Royal and Affiliate. Along with this, the label have hosted multiple takeovers and events, all with nothing but positive feedback.

As a genre, bassline is made up of all different types of people, with new school high flyers and seasoned imprint’s constantly working in unison, providing a crowded genre with bags and bags of fresh inspiration. One label that has been established since before the epic re-rise of the genre, is Sheffield’s own: Project Allout Records. As a label, there are few who have contributed as much to the scene by way of releases, events and giving artists old and new a platform to showcase their individual prowess.

Across the recent garage revival movement that has been taking place for the last couple of years, there are few who have made such an immediate impact as London’s own: Limita. Known for his hard hitting garage designs and explosive rhythmic energies, has been making a major name for himself of recent, finding his way onto a bag of high profile releases and exciting remixes.

fter the announcement of his two pieces of good news, I had to shine a light on the blindingly obvious: the pieces in the puzzle of prosperity are starting to come together for Big Zuu. He took care of his debut show on BBC Radio 1Xtra with ease, inviting JME, Merky Ace and D7 along for the ride, and then proceeded with the roll out of his second project of 2018, named Content With Content.

When you think about Vancouver a few things might come to mind: its immense natural beauty, the towering skyscrapers or its international community. What undergoes less consideration is the sprawling underground music culture that finds its home in the heart of the city, hosted in a variety of public to semi-hidden venues.

As a platform, we are always excited to see labels going out of their way to be as innovative and creative as they possibly can in releases they support and put together. This is such an essential step in pushing our scene forward and keeping it from getting stagnant and in our eyes is a trait that labels are praised on not nearly enough.

What’s better than a banger? Yes, you are correct, a banger that is also a free download. We were thrilled to see that last night, Brighton’s Freddie Martin announced a brand new freebie dropping on his page today, much to the excitement of the bass community. It had been a little while since Freddie last released music, with his epic ‘Feel’ EP dropping on Southpoint earlier this year, along with a few top draw singles and remixes. Since the release of that EP, Freddie has made himself a staple on the UK bass circuit, performing around the country to packed out venues, bringing a potent energy to every set he touches down upon.

So, it’s time to take a peek at an artist we feel has gone without his due praise for just about long enough. As a DJ, producer and general bass music figure, Clean Shirt has established himself in both the dances and in the online communities, through providing technical and vibrant live sets and stepping up as a crucial moderator for the infamous Lengoland forum. It’s pretty undeniable that the young London based entity has played a pretty pivotal role in bass music’s assent to nightclub dominance across the country, being one of the go-to faces for quite some time.

Anyone who’s been in or around Grime for the past few years will know about Big Zuu. From the earlier days at Mode FM through the more recent sets at the now defunct Radar Radio, he’s always been a charismatic figure who warranted attention.

The past 2 years have seen a huge UK Funky resurgence, with key artists such as Roska, Champion, Marcus Nasty and Murder He Wrote bringing a huge variety of Funky sounds back to the forefront of the UK Underground. With a whole host of new talent pushing the genre, UK Funky is sounding fresh and exciting and over in Ireland a producer by the name of Ozwald is doing bits.

As one of our major representatives among a crowded bass scene, we are thrilled to be bringing man like Hot Goods into the ruckus for an exclusive #Charted listing. For us, he is without a doubt one of the brightest sparks to emerge out of the South in recent years, honing is style into a futuristic jackin tech fusion, perfect for sending dancefloors into a daze. We were in fact lucky enough to put together and official two track project with him earlier in the year by the name of ‘Loanshark’. As a release, the project received some fantastic feedback and helped propel Hot Goods into the forefront of the bass scene.

Fork and Knife is back with yet another standout single, released by a standout label in 1Forty. Right in time for Halloween ‘Real Monsters’ decorates its nerve-wracking soundscape with skippy drums, swelling basslines and nightmarish synths which make for an all-round screamer (excuse the pun).

As we draw towards the close of 2018, we can look back and say that this year was quite possibly bass music’s strongest episode so far, with festival stages around the country being stacked with representatives, radio stations taking a 4×4 hammering and the raves being dominated by bass DJs. One of the most notable names to be involved in this continued growth of the scene is none other than Sheffield’s own: Deadbeat UK.

So, the time has finally come. It’s safe to say that unless you have been living under a rock for the last three years, if you follow bass music in the UK, you are likely to have come across the formidable Lengoland storm.

Brighton and Hove has long been the creative hub of the South Coast – arguably the country – harbouring a wealth of talent throughout its history. Whether it’s Charles Dickens in the 1800s, Fatboy Slim in the 1990s, or Ocean Wisdom in 2018, the City has invariably acted as a haven for innovation, freely allowing artists to express themselves.

Newschool garage is well and truly back at the forefront of UK dance music as we conistently see heavyweight line ups across both releases and live events grace our fair shores.

J Fella is back at it again with another belter entitled ‘Gassin Ya’. Sonically this seems to be his muckiest release yet and whilst it treads familiar territory with shimmering, bell-heavy leads and vocal samples, the range of sounds utilize in this single makes for head-scratches and screwfaces.

Throughout the UK bass scene’s rise to it’s current prominence and dancehall domination, there have been a definitely few labels that can be classed as leading lights, who have consistently provided high grade fire for the rest of the scene to take inspiration from and grow. There is no doubt in our minds that the Yorkshire based giants at In:Flux audio are one of these projects.

In a discussion of artists that truly mastered the art of vocal bassline tunes, A dot R would surely have to be carefully considered. Having been around for 10+ years in the scene, it was only recently that A dot R re-emerged in the scene and started putting out teasers of his new work. We at 3000 Blog got the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with the man himself to ask where he’s been, his views on the scene and where he’s going next.

Within the UK Bass scene, there are few that have managed to make themselves as applicable across the board as N.Y.T.A. Known for his super futuristic style, blending tech inspired bass moogs and rolling percussive drum progressions, the Bristol based producer has become renowned for the defying the ordinary and yet remaining as relevant as ever, a skill few have ever mastered within UK dance music in general.

Brighton based imprint: Southpoint look set to continue their explosive run across the entirety of 2018 as they unveil the latest in a long run of EP’s, this time coming from Brighton based garage and breaks producer: Movement. As a resident writer on the site, we were very pleased to see Movement make his full EP debut with his Brightonian neighbors, having made his debut on the project in mid 2017 along with a plethora of well received appearances. 

Few Sheffield producers are creating a buzz like local lad Palizé. With a musical portfolio as diverse as it is bass-heavy, the last 3 years have taken Palizé to a variety of stages, from the lovably dingy Harley in Sheffield to the prestigious Eskimo Dance.

Einstein is said to have described creativity as “intelligence having fun”. This is a quote that really carries some weight once you’re acclimated with artists such as Hertfordshire’s Esskay. The UK’s underground scene, and Grime in particular, has always been a beacon of creativity – shining through in various different forms – Esskay’s latest project Essence is a true testament to that fact.

or the majority of the UK scene, it’s pretty obvious that DJQ has established himself as bassline royalty, both as a celebrated solo producer/ DJ and as ⅓ of the titanic trio of TQD, who’s album last year was hit with nothing but positive responses.

Since bursting onto the bassline scene during the genre’s recent resurgence, Pelikann undoubtedly proven himself to be one of the most forward thinking producers working across the scene today. Through his use of super innovative bass design and lethal drum processing, Peli has managed to nail his futuristic neuro sound down to a t, making his live sets and releases a real highlight across the UK’s bass community.

The Saucy Records imprint has been on fire as of late, putting together a bag of really experimental high profile releases from some of the most creative minds across the bass scene. We were thrilled therefore that they are clearly keen on keeping this run going as they invite back long standing associate: Barely Royal to bring that fresh heat to the table.

After inviting us down to their weekly radio show for a 3000 Bass Takeover on Pyro Radio a few weeks ago, we couldn’t be happier to be returning the favour by welcoming SISTER over to 3000 to christen our brand new multi genre mix series; ‘3000 Sessions’ in which you will see us exploring a wide range of electronic music all across the bass spectrum.

Over the last few years, bass music in the UK has surged and spread, managing to decimate dances from north to south, east to west and everywhere in between.

As the 3000 Bass Takeover at fabric fast approaches, we prepare for an onslaught of bass and feel honoured to be one of three brands flying the flag for a bass driven sound in their respected genre of music, alongside Nero Presents and Eatbrain and we couldn’t be more humbled by the experience.

You would struggle to find an artist – in any genre – with longevity comparable to Dizzee Rascal. It’s been exactly 15 years since the inception of his first album, and nowadays the Boy In Da Corner can roam freely round the room.

In the ever-expanding realms of UK Bass music, it’s often hard to keep track of those who have been setting pace for the longest. As far as labels go, there aren’t many that have held as big an influence as Cheap Thrills, headed up by long term bass expert Hervé.

Upon first listen you’d be mistaken for thinking that J Fella had been around since the scene began. With stomping kick drums, emotional vocal leads and bubbling basslines J Fella manages to touch upon that sweet spot left by old school artists that at present remains underexploited.

As one of UK Funky’s foremost DJ’s and advocates, Baloo has been introducing the UK to the infernal and exotic sounds of Funky, Carnival and Tribal music for the last two years.

As the bass scene moves forward in leaps and bounds, it incorporates styles and elements from different areas of underground music as it goes.

In my relatively short time on earth I’ve heard a veritable range of descriptors: ‘Harrowing’, ‘custardy’ and ‘stinky’ are amongst my favourites but I wouldn’t be alone in reporting I’ve even heard tracks referred to as ‘evil’ before. Mattik’s latest EP release on In:flux ‘Can’t Step’ is a cut that demands a creative description, so I will do my best below.

For those who grew up listening to grime and bassline, there are few who affected both genres with as much clout as Dexplicit. Known for it’s truly unique expressive melodies over and rhythmic perfection, it’s hard not to call ‘Bullacake’ an original banger.

Mr Virji is back at it again bringing his signature charisma and calculated creativity to a weapon of a live set.

We are thrilled at threethousand.co.uk to be introducing you all to our brand new artist led article series, bringing you off the the top tens direct from your favourite artists in underground bass music.

For us, there are few producers and DJ’s within the UKG sphere that remain as unsung as Moony, who has been Brighton’s leading light within the genre for quite some time.

If you’ve had your ear to the ground regarding bassline releases no doubt you will have at least seen a meme relating to Venz’s new release ‘a Few Venz Riddims’.

We were lucky enough to grab a slice of such insight from none other than Southpoint co-founder Josh Gunston, who has recently gone on to form his own management company whilst looking after some of the bass and grime scene’s hottest prospects.

“DJ Semtex is raised on the principle of furthering the art form and giving back to make the scene better than how he found it. That’s gold. He remains humble and being of utmost service to the culture.” – Chuck D.

Now, when it comes to UKG, it’s safe to say that within the current sphere of directly dedicated labels, Stictly Flava is one of the standout projects, consistently putting forward exciting, vibrant, modern garage music.

Following a string of super high profile releases and and a tonne of sell out shows, including notable appearances at Parklife and SW4, Notion really is looking like the man of the minute within the bass scene. We were thrilled to see another new drop from him appear on our timelines via the legendary UKF YouTube platform.

Overrated. Untalented. Uncharismatic. These are just three adjectives you will never hear when it comes to describing Ghetts. A true pioneer – there are very few artists birthed from Grime’s early days who can cause as much havoc today as they did back then.

Sister Radio recently celebrated their 50th show on Pyro Radio and we had the pleasure of taking over their airwaves with 2 great bass driven mixes courtesy of Faded and Ralston. We also stayed around for chat with their two hosts Shan Mcginley and Carly Wilford about the wonderful world of 3000.

Our new resident grime correspondent Duke Sky takes a look at the events of the most recent Rated Awards.

Having featured earlier this week in one of our ‘Ones To Watch’ series from Movement, Kobe JT is back at it as we take a look into his new project alongside the Slime Recordings team. 

3000 Blog proudly welcomes British DJ/producer Kissy Sell Out (KSO) to our new website as a special columnist, bringing you a regular series of interviews with influential players in the global bass music scene.

Starting as a club night aimed at bringing more diversity to the scene in Leeds, 1Forty are back with their third release this year, after a slew of three massive free EPs in 2017. With a pretty impressive social media presence, 1Forty is pretty hard to miss.

As the ever progressing realm of UK Garage continues to flourish under it’s current revival phase, we felt it was only write to get our resident UKG scholar: Movement on the case. He has assembled a must read ‘Top 5’ Garage artists to keep an eye on over the coming months, and we couldn’t agree more!

This collaboration sees Krudd founder and all around mic man extraordinaire: Bru-C team up with man of the moment Tsuki for a bass fueled thrill ride, injecting some serious bass flavour into the dance.

Here we see the two names combine on their brand new collaboration ‘Riot’, which has caught some serious attention, premiering now on UKF.

After returning from touring America, southern based DJ & producer Albzzy has put together a team of bass scene professionals to form his new engineering and press company: B2B Audio.

Rikki Van Berkel aka RVB has been heading up the ‘The UK Is Funky’ Facebook community, from which a bag of fresh talent has been found.

The mighty Saucy make their return to free releases here with an absolute corker from the likes of Underground Traffic.

Over the last few months, the term “Southern Bassline” has become more and more common in its usage, with critics and commentators identifying a serious talent pool down on the south coast.

What a year it’s been for the team at Maraki as My Nu Leng and FineArt’s explosive new home label continue to roll out the belters, rolling on from Bushbaby’s extremely well received ‘Force’ EP earlier in the year.

As the UK Garage undergoes a serious revival movement, it’s becoming more and more apparent that certain new school producers are spearheading the genre forward, none more so than the don dadda Conducta.

It’s without a doubt in our opinion that over the last two years, the Wolverhampton based duo of TC4 has solidified themselves as one of the most original production outfits across the bass scene.

As one of our lead writers, we were thrilled to see this brand new Cub Chop from KXVU as he gets to work redesigning Zhu’s classic ‘Faded’ original.

After a legendary appearance at SW4, Skepsis made his way backt to Rinse.FM for a super shelly appearance, providing us with some festival blues.

It’s been a hot minute since we were presented with a new drop from Brighton’s PVC, and it’s safe to say that it has been worth the weight as the Punks team unveil this potent two tracker.

Welcome to the brand new home of everything 3000 and more!

1Fortys genre-specific cycle welcome’s its latest boundary pushing release – 1FBSS002.