raverr
If you've ever stood next to the speaker stack and felt your pant legs flutter, and you liked it, you might already be one. A bass head is someone who goes to a show for the low end. Not the drop you can hum. The one you feel in your sternum.
Where the word comes from
I came up in the '90s, in warehouses you heard about by word of mouth. Nothing official, no tickets, just a number to call and a parking lot to find. Back then nobody said "bass head" much. You were just the kid who stood by the bins all night. The term grew with dubstep and later riddim, as the low end became the whole point of the night instead of the foundation under it.
Today "bass head" covers dubstep, riddim, drum and bass, trap, wonky, and the weird stuff in between. It's less a genre than a priority. If the sound system matters more to you than the lineup poster, you count.
How to spot a bass head at a show
- Location: near the subs, often off to the side where the low end is fattest, not dead center.
- Earplugs: always. The serious ones protect their ears so they can keep doing this for decades. (I wrote a whole guide to earplugs for bass shows.)
- Movement: less dancing, more headbanging, stomping, and the stank face when the bass hits just wrong enough.
- Shoes: broken-in and closed-toe. Pits happen.
- Shirt: something that says it plainly. That's where we come in.
What bass heads actually wear
Mostly practical stuff with something to say. A dark tee you can sweat in, a real hoodie for the line and the walk out, and shoes that can take a stomp. The graphic tends to be a wink to people who get it: a subwoofer, a wub, a line only the rail crowd understands.
That's the whole idea behind our bass music apparel. Small mark on the chest, big art on the back, because at a show people see your back. A few that started as things I'd actually say at a show:
- Bury Me in the Subwoofer hoodie: for the ones who'd live in the stack if security let them.
- They Came for the Bass hoodie.
- Bless This Bass hoodie.
- I Don't Dance, I Headbang tee, $32.
Tees are $32 ($36 for 2XL and up). Hoodies are $64 ($68 for 2XL and up). Shipping is $4.95 for tees and $6.95 for hoodies, and it's free on orders of $75 or more.
Bass head etiquette
The best thing about bass heads is that the scene runs on respect. Give people room to headbang. Pick up the person who falls. Share water. Don't film the whole set with your phone in someone's face. It's the same code we had in the warehouses, and it's why I still go.
FAQ
What does "bass head" mean?
A bass head is a fan who goes to shows mainly for heavy low end: dubstep, riddim, drum and bass and similar sounds. It describes a priority more than a single genre.
Is "bass head" the same as "headbanger"?
They overlap. "Headbanger" describes how you move at a heavy show. "Bass head" describes what you came for. Plenty of people are both.
What should a bass head wear to a show?
A light dark tee to sweat in, closed-toe shoes, earplugs, and a hoodie for the line and the walk out. Our hoodies run small, so size up.