Bass-heads flocked to Metronome Tuesday, Feb. 15, for the one-year anniversary of Bassculture, a weekly Dub/House event. Neon lights, strobes, lasers and balloons were in abundance, spraying a riot of color across the room, with huge speakers pumping out nonstop bass tones. The crowd that braved temperatures skirting zero degrees is proof enough that the dubstep genre has managed to infiltrate even the jam band-heavy music scene of Burlington. Resident DJs Jahson and Nickel B threw down relentless beats filled with poppy hooks and vocal samples ranging from catchy to downright strange. The act for the night was filled out by Sycofont — aka UVM alum John McMillin — of Burlington’s own DJ collective Mushpost, and guest DJ Roommate, hailing from San Francisco. Each DJ threw down their own unique sounds, similar only in their extensive bass tweaking, while bursting with energy on stage. Partway through his set Sycofont called out to the crowd: “Keep it real, Burlington, we don’t give a fuck!” Though some embraced this challenge and headed straight for the dance floor to show off their moves, many hung back to simply watch, nod their heads and tap their feet. “With this kind of music, you can’t just stand around,” self-proclaimed dubstep enthusiast Nick Pellino said. “People either hate it or embrace it.” As the night wore on, however, those not already busting moves filtered closer to the stage and the dance floor for Roommate’s set. “I’ve never, ever been to Vermont before, so I need to see how y’all party,” he said as he stepped on stage. The crowd responded accordingly, producing more energy than is often seen at a DJ set on a Tuesday night around town. The bass was heavy enough to vibrate the entire building, and could be heard from the end of the block — a testament to the powerful speaker stacks of Metronome, which were blasting off at full capacity for Bassculture. Burlington may not have embraced dubstep as wholeheartedly as many college towns, but DJ groups like Mushpost and events like Bassculture are doing their best to change that. If you can’t get enough of the latest electronic music craze, you can get your fill of dubstep every Tuesday at Metronome.
