We ask some of bass music’s finest to choose five tunes from any era, any genre, and any period of their lives that have not only inspired or influenced them but changed their lives in some way.
Skrillex changed my life with this tune. Spag Heddy was born shortly after.
Kirk Franklin “Lean On Me” (Gospo Centric, 1998)
I come from a pretty big evangelical family and all of us either play instruments and/or sing. There would be Sunday ceremonies where the entire band was us, with me playing the drums. At home, one of my sisters always sang along with gospel music. I liked it but couldn’t be bothered. When I heard her play this one, though, it really struck me. The power of the vocals—especially the background choir—still gives me goosebumps!
Limp Bizkit “Break Stuff” (Interscope, 1999)
Being a Christian teenager I wasn’t used to aggressive music styles or pretty much anything other than music from the church or brothers and sisters. I played the electric guitar and Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2, and got obsessed with the soundtracks of Papa Roach, Millencolin and Lagwagon. But it was “Break Stuff” that really did the job for me. The simple but so full-on power chords and riffs, insane drums, and legendary voice of Fred Durst made me step over to the “dark side.”
Sticks & Delic “Utopia” (Top Notch, 2007)
While I had been making hip-hop beats for a few years on a keyboard and with the [Fruity Loops] demo—making hardly any progress technically—I was a huge fan of the Dutch group Opgezwolle. These were golden years for Dutch hip-hop, with Opgezwolle smashing the scene with their poetic lines, clever word games, and rich beats. When member Sticks produced this tune with producer Delic, it opened my eyes, producer-wise. The way he chopped and flipped gypsy samples into a hip-hop jacket was genius to me. From then on, whatever genre my productions they always have had these dramatic, epic, nostalgic, gypsy-kinda influences.
High Contrast “Sleepless” (Hospital, 2007)
As a video-design student I had to move to the “big city” (Utrecht, a half-hour from Amsterdam) for an internship. On one of the many woozy, never-ending chill nights, a friend of mine played Tough Guys Don’t Sleep by High Contrast, and it blew my mind. For some reason I had never heard this liquid style of D&B before and it just seemed perfect. The beautiful melodies on smashing drum beats; I was sold to this “new thing.”
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Skrillex “Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites” (Mau5trap, 2010)
What other track than this one could I say changed my life forever? While the Fabriclive 37 mix by Caspa & Rusko got my attention and pulled me into the dubstep world, it was “Scary Monsters” that made me go absolutely through the roof. I remember just sitting there with my headphones on completely in shock, listening at full volume trying to figure out how the hell a person could make music like this. The monstrous growls, lovely deafening high screeches, and perfect compositions were different and more captivating than I, and the whole world with me, had ever heard before in this genre. Skrillex—yes I mean Sonny—changed my life with this tune. Spag Heddy was born shortly after.