By Scott Hoffmann
Shaking the floor one last time, Trouble & Bass came through to end an era of reinvention for New York’s bass music culture. A record label based out of Brooklyn, T&B has been turning the American bass music upside-down since 2006. To shut the doors on the iconic collective, the crew showed up in full force at Verboten, a top spot in the Williamsburg circuit.
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The lineup felt like a dream as it brought through Plastician, DJ EZ, Drop The Lime, AC Slater, Star Eyes, Doctor Jeep, Tony Quattro, Addison Groove, Jubilee, and Petey Clicks all together into one stacked-up night. Vibes from Miami, LA, and London were present across the frame: DJ EZ‘s heavy garage basslines and many-years-strong technical prowess had the place roaring, Doctor Jeep‘s rolling drum & bass / dancehall fusions kept the side room captivated, and Plastician brought grime and dubstep classics into the mix during his intimate 3:30am set.
Everyone in the club knew that this night was something special – the DJ booth was filled to the brim with friends & family of the label, and it was clear from the crowds that they knew parties like this are few and far between. Dozens mouthed lyrics of familiar tunes like Skepta’s ‘Shutdown‘ and every soul in the place was tuned into of the dance floor.
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The euphoric night rolled on to six in the morning, and what better way to wrap up the night than with an incredible back to back set from the label’s artists showcasing the very best in the T&B archives. At the end of the night, label heads were quick to remind the morning warriors that they would be back on the dancefloor again sometime very soon. April 18th may have been the end of Trouble & Bass’s line of work, but the music remains timeless.
For more on Trouble & Bass’s historic back catalog, head over to their Soundcloud page.