A quick survey of the cars surrounding you in rush hour gridlock will prove, once and for all, that the line between man and machine has been completely eradicated.
Look at these fleshy bags of bones and organs: Their bodies are frail, so they strap themselves in with seatbelts. Their brains (and metaphorical "hearts") are weak, so they follow the orders of their GPS system (which, in bumper to bumper traffic, tells them to move a few inches every few seconds).
Dubstep proclaims itself to be the bass music of the future. But if file sharing-friendly producers like wobble-bass pioneer Bassnectar are any indication -- not to mention the increasingly-cyborg evolution of mankind -- the future may very damn well be now.
Technology blog Techdirt recently ran a feature on Nectar (AKA Lorin Ashton), exploring the artist's stated download policy when it comes to his music. Ashton plays digital music for a digital audience, so you best believe that bass heads from Great Britain to Get Low are downloading that shit like they need it to stay alive.
And guess what? They probably do! You ever seen a bass junkie kicking a habit? Not a pretty sight.
Like any artist, Bassnectar prefers that people pay him for his music. But as a future bass'er, he also recognizes downloading as an inevitability, and offers a reasonable one-two response:
1. If fans are going to download your record before it comes out, reward the patient few with special features and exclusives on the official release.
2. There is no stopping the runaway train that is music pirating. So, artists, get fucking used to it. P.S. Hey fans, if you download it and you don't like it, you beat the system! But if you dig it, would you mind kicking a brother some spare change?
Bassnectar with Amp Live and Super Dre. Saturday, October 22. Fillmore Miami Beach, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. The bass future begins at 9 p.m. and tickets cost $30 to $45 plus fees via livenation.com. Call 305-673-7300 or visit fillmoremb.com.
Follow Crossfade on Facebook and Twitter @Crossfade_SFL.
