AC Slater Comes Clean as Night Bass Conquers America

AC Slater's sixteen-year-old self had no idea those West Virginia hip-hop mixtapes would pave the way to a successful career in DJing. He's since travelled around the world dropping boisterous beats, rubbing shoulders with the music industry's elite, and is currently bringing the Los Angeles party scene to its knees with his event series, NIGHT BASS.

The party started way back for AC Slater. "We would travel an hour north to Pittsburgh where I would be raving and DJing in the late '90s," he recounts. Immersing himself in the scene, the young producer would raid local record stores and hustle decks for miles around. Fast-forward a few years and AC Slater's become the center of a scene that's taking UK garage and bassline rumblings and jamming them up with a distinctly LA flair. On top of that, he's been remixing everyone from club favourites to rising stars. Slater's remix work craftily builds upon and complements the original, but adds that famous Slater bassline swagger–best heard in his recent remix of Shift K3Y's poppy vocalled track "I Know."

Slater's very own label Party Like Us and Dim Mak's own hyped Night Bass event, bring a different flavour of music to the LA setting. Together they introduce emerging artists and surprise fans every month with special guests from Defected Records and OWSLA artists, to the Dirtybird Records clan. "I think if you named a DJ who is often in LA there's a good chance they've been there hanging out," says Slater. "Night Bass parties are a refreshing alternative to large-scale carnival-like events of late.

Slater's concept of Night Bass is simply a 'back to basics' approach. "I wanted to throw a party in a nice club, with a nice sound system with great artists playing great music. It's not a show, it's a party." And that it is. Bassline driven tracks are blended with house and garage, and topped with a zest of old school rave qualities. Together they form the finest ingredients for a deep, dirty and soulful Night Bass evening.

With production skills that match his prowess behind the decks, AC Slater, along with fellow bass-bandits Astronomar, Petey Clicks and resident DJ Bones, and the UK family Taiki Nulight, Chris Lorenzo, Royal-T and Shift K3Y, ensure that energy levels build up at just the right moment. Slater's mission is for party folk to have a "banging good time" and he personally sees to it. While walking through the crowd at the peak of the night, there's a strong vibe in the air; smiling party goers are happily breaking out in a sweat. Every bass aficionado is either wiping their brow or donning a #NightBass towel. And with all the towels thrown out by the crew at the end of the night, "it's enough to dry up a small club full of sweaty people," AC explains. Rest assured the Night Bass curator has got you covered.

Kandi bracelets and raver-esque gear rarely make an appearance in the underground setting, nevertheless you'll get your fair share of kids dancing on tables and going absolutely nuts. On one bass infused night, AC recounts three kids jumping up on the booth trying to get his attention. Eventually they passed on a kandi bracelet they had made for him that read, "I EAT ASS." Certainly a special kind of keepsakes from these crazed evenings.

With the overwhelming success of the parties, it seemed like the right time to take the show on the road. The Night Bass Tour will bring a fusion of house, bass and UK garage to North American bass havens. Mr. Night Bass himself have team up with UK's Jack Beats—masters of the wickedest bass and wobble. They'll share rubbery basslines with Kry Wolf and Hannah Wants, who are known to cause a ruckus from Birmingham and beyond.

Jack Beats' devotion to grime and bass has served us several successful hits and remixes of hard hitters like AC Slater's "Jack Got Jacked." Thus, a natural fit for the Night Bass Tour. "Jack Beats and I have always been in a similar mindset musically," said Slater.

"DJ Hannah Wants is totally out there pushing the sound far and wide so I had to have her on the line up, likewise for Kry Wolf, who are always raising the bar." The edgy underground players [and Food Music founders] Kry Wolf, made up of Bill Francis and Lewis Darvill, also share a lengthy friendship with Slater and have released their music on his label Party Like Us in the past.

On October 1, 2014 bass house champion AC Slater takes his Night Bass party on the road for the first time, for twelve consecutive nights, across twelve cities throughout North America.

Not only will these stellar acts be racking up a whole lot of frequent flyer miles, they are a bass force to be reckoned with. Together they encapsulate a wide spectrum of styles that fall under the Night Bass blanket. Slater states that "this tour is to show America how much they want this music and that we are the ones pushing it forward."

As sounds of Night Bass travel across North America the crew's tastemaking fusion of house, dirty basslines with the best of UK garage, will be bringing it back to the bass-ics and hitting a city near you. And after the tour… the show ain't over as Night Bass have way more up their sleeve. From November they'll be hitting up Sound Nightclub (L.A) for the monthly #NIGHTBASS parties and taking to the high seas for Holy Ship! 2015.

Tour dates:

Find AC Slater on FB // Soundcloud
Find Night Bass on FB and check out our Night Bass mix series 

You can follow Carine on Instagram: @delinquent_valley