Electro bass shaped an entire generation of underground DJs and producers, and most music history books barely mention it. DJ Natural Nate®, who has personal relationships with electro bass legends like Egyptian Lover and Dynamix II, traces the complete history of the genre and explains why it remains one of the most important and underappreciated movements in electronic music.
What Electro Bass Is and Where It Came From
Electro bass is a genre of electronic music characterized by heavy bass lines, Roland TR-808 drum machine patterns, and a production aesthetic that prioritizes physical impact over melodic complexity. The genre emerged in the early 1980s from the intersection of hip hop, funk, and electronic music, particularly in Miami and Los Angeles. The Roland TR-808, with its distinctive bass drum sound that could be felt as much as heard, was the central instrument. The genre's name reflects its defining characteristic: the bass is not just present, it is the primary expressive element. Everything else in the production exists to support and amplify the bass.
Miami Bass: The Foundation
Miami bass emerged in the early 1980s from the Miami hip hop scene, developing a sound that was heavier, more aggressive, and more explicitly physical than the hip hop being produced in New York at the same time. Artists like 2 Live Crew, Maggotron, and Dynamix II developed a production style built around the TR-808's bass drum and bass line capabilities, creating music that was designed to be felt in the body as much as heard by the ears. Miami bass was not just a regional sound. It was a statement about what electronic music could be when it stopped trying to be polite.
Miami bass was not just a regional sound. It was a statement about what electronic music could be when it stopped trying to be polite.
The Egyptian Lover and the West Coast Electro Sound
The Egyptian Lover, Greg Broussard, developed a West Coast electro sound that was distinct from Miami bass but equally influential. His productions combined the TR-808 with synthesizer melodies and a more sophisticated harmonic vocabulary than Miami bass typically employed. His 1984 album On the Nile is one of the foundational documents of electro music. The West Coast electro sound influenced generations of DJs and producers, including DJ Natural Nate®, who cites the Egyptian Lover as one of the key figures in his musical education. The relationship between Miami bass and West Coast electro, similar in their use of the TR-808 but different in their aesthetic priorities, defines the breadth of the electro bass genre.
Dynamix II and the Florida Electro Bass Legacy
Dynamix II, Todd Walker and David Noller, are among the most important figures in the history of electro bass music. Their productions for Pandisc Records in the late 1980s and early 1990s defined the Florida electro bass sound: heavy TR-808 bass, aggressive production, and a commitment to the physical impact of the music over commercial accessibility. DJ Natural Nate® has a personal relationship with Dynamix II, he has performed with them, spent time with them, and considers them among the most significant influences on his career. The photo of DJ Natural Nate® with Todd Walker and David Noller is not just a celebrity photo, it is a document of a genuine relationship between an artist and the people who shaped his musical identity.
Dynamix II didn't just make music. They defined what electro bass was supposed to sound like.
How Electro Bass Influenced Breakbeat and Breaks
The relationship between electro bass and breakbeat music is one of the most important and least discussed connections in electronic music history. The bass-heavy production aesthetic of electro bass: the TR-808 bass drum, the heavy bass lines, the emphasis on physical impact, was directly influential on the development of breakbeat music. Many of the DJs and producers who defined the American Breaks scene came from electro bass backgrounds. The crossover between genres was not just stylistic, it was personal. The same DJs who were playing electro bass in the early 1990s were playing breakbeat by the mid-1990s, bringing the values and aesthetics of electro bass with them.
DJ Natural Nate® and Electro Bass: A Lifelong Relationship
DJ Natural Nate's relationship with electro bass is not just musical, it is personal and biographical. The genre shaped his DJ style, his production approach, and his understanding of what electronic music is for. His personal relationships with Egyptian Lover, Dynamix II, and other electro bass legends are not just networking, they are evidence of a genuine connection to the culture and history of the genre. His career has been built at the intersection of electro bass and breakbeat, two genres that share a commitment to the physical impact of music and the values of the underground.
The Labels, the Records, the Culture
The electro bass label ecosystem was built on independent labels operating outside the mainstream music industry. Pandisc Records in Florida, Macola Records in Los Angeles, and dozens of smaller regional labels created the infrastructure for a genre that the mainstream music industry largely ignored. The culture was regional and community-based, built around specific cities, specific venues, and specific communities of DJs, producers, and fans. The records were often pressed in small quantities and distributed through independent channels. The culture valued authenticity and community over commercial success.
Electro Bass in Colorado
Building an electro bass community in Colorado required the same sustained commitment that building any underground music community requires. DJ Natural Nate® brought electro bass culture to Colorado through his performances, his relationships with artists, and his events. The BRO Electro Bass show featuring Dynamix II, documented in the show flier archive, is one example of the kind of event that brought the electro bass community to Colorado and connected the local scene with the global one.
Why Electro Bass Never Really Died
Electro bass has experienced a significant revival in recent years, with new artists, new labels, and a renewed interest in the genre's history. But the revival is not a resurrection: the genre never actually died. It went underground, continued to be made and played by a committed community of DJs and producers, and waited for the broader culture to catch up. DJ Natural Nate® and the Colorado electro bass community are part of that continuing tradition, keeping the music alive through performances, releases, and the relationships that sustain underground culture.
Electro bass went underground, but it never stopped. The culture was too strong, the music too good, the community too committed.
