Bass Down Low
Encyclopedia
"Bass Down Low" is the debut single by American recording artist Dev
Dev (singer)
Devin Star Tailes , better known by her stage name Dev, is an American singer. She was discovered by The Cataracs via MySpace after her friend Shane Crislip, posted her singing to some beats...

. It was written by Dev alongside its producers, The Cataracs
The Cataracs
The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at...

, who are also featured on the track. The song was released on December 6, 2010, through Universal Republic as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...

 for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up
The Night the Sun Came Up
The Night the Sun Came Up is the debut studio album by United States recording artist Dev. It was released on September 2, 2011 by Universal Republic in association with Island Records. Dev worked exclusively with American alternative hip hop production duo The Cataracs, who helmed the production...

(2011). Initially, the song was made for The Cataracs with Dev as the featured act, but she was made the main artist as they believed it would be a suitable follow-up to Far East Movement
Far east movement
Far East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...

's "Like a G6
Like a G6
"Like a G6" is a song from Far East Movement's 2010 album Free Wired. The track features female vocals by Dev and male vocals by Far East Movement. It was written and produced by The Cataracs. It was number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks ending November 6, 2010, and then again for...

", which she appeared on. British rapper Tinie Tempah
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...

 is featured on an official remix of "Bass Down Low" that was made for the song's release in the United Kingdom. Musically, "Bass Down Low" is an electro
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...

 song with skittering synths and the lyrics speak of different forms of debauchery.

The song was met with positive reviews from critics. Commercially, "Bass Down Low" performed moderately in the United States, peaking at number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and number two on the Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...

 chart. The song also reached the top forty in Canada and Ireland. It achieved its highest peak in the United Kingdom at number ten, and became Dev's second top ten hit on the chart, following "Like a G6". The accompanying music video for "Bass Down Low" takes place in an underground club. The clip was directed by Ethan Lader who took inspiration from fashion and the film Fight Club
Fight Club (film)
Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...

.

Background

"Bass Down Low" was written by Dev alongside The Cataracs
The Cataracs
The Cataracs are an American hip hop indie-pop duo formed in Berkeley, California, consisting of David “Campa” Benjamin Singer-Vine, a songwriter and vocalist and Niles “Cyrano” Hollowell-Dhar, a songwriter, vocalist, and producer. The duo started out as an independent group, during their years at...

, consisting of Niles Hollowell-Dhar and David Singer-Vine, who also produced it. The song was originally convinced with Dev as a featured act, but she was later made the main artist. Dev described "Bass Down Low" as "sassy and fun" and believed it would be a great follow-up to "Like a G6
Like a G6
"Like a G6" is a song from Far East Movement's 2010 album Free Wired. The track features female vocals by Dev and male vocals by Far East Movement. It was written and produced by The Cataracs. It was number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks ending November 6, 2010, and then again for...

". In an interview with teen magazine Seventeen
Seventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...

, Dev spoke about the song's conception, stating, "We'd been in the studio writing some really bossy, fun stuff. We've got a studio in the loft that we live in together, so it was made in there. We were just kind of kickin' it and it came. There's one version where The Cataracs are just rapping on it, which I love as well." "Bass Down Low" was sent for rhythmic
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...

 airplay in the United States on November 16, 2010, one month after Dev signed her record deal with Universal Republic. It was later released digitally on December 6, 2010, and sent for mainstream
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...

 airplay on January 11, 2011. An alternate version with The Cataracs as the main artists was released in a remix extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 (EP) on March 29, 2011.

For the single's UK release, the track was remixed with guest vocals from British rapper Tinie Tempah
Tinie Tempah
Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...

. The remix was released as part of a digital EP on April 23, 2011. In an interview with Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....

 in July 2011, Dev spoke about collaborating with Tempah, stating, "We actually did the duet over the internet as we're both really busy and it was through the management that I was introduced to him, but he buffed up my track pretty good! I haven't caught him live yet, but I've managed to see him on a couple of late night chatshows and he's doing an amazing job out there." The remix was released outside the UK on May 23, 2011, labeled "The U.K. Mix".

Composition

"Bass Down Low" is an electro
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...

 song with skittering synths and a pulsating electropop groove. Dev utilizes her sing-talk vocal style throughout the song, but also uses her singing voice near the end. In the song's hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...

, she sing-talks in a "deadpan
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...

" delivery while remarking that "If you wanna get with me, there's some things you gotta know / I like my beats fast and my bass down low." According to Scott Shetler of AOL Radio
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...

, Dev entices listeners with lines such as, "Straight buzzin' Robotussin
Robitussin
Robitussin is a line of cold and cough medicines currently produced by Pfizer. Robitussin is available in various formulations. Robitussin contains an expectorant ; Robitussin DM adds a cough suppressant to the expectorant ; Robitussin CF is a cold formula that adds an expectorant and a nasal...

 / Wanna get ya mitts in my oven? / Wanna get a lick of this lovin'?" The song includes a shout-out to the The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...

 while The Cataracs sing about a sexual promise: "giving you that Black Eyed Peas – you know, that 'Boom Boom Pow
Boom Boom Pow
"Boom Boom Pow" is a song by The Black Eyed Peas released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The E.N.D. The song uses the auto-tune vocal effect, and blends the genres of Electro-rap, dance-pop, electro hop and hip hop....

'". Lyrically, the song speaks of taking shots and various forms of debauchery.

Critical reception

Ed Masley of The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...

recognized "Bass Down Low" as one of December 2010's best singles, placing it as number four on his "December's 10 best singles" list. He wrote, "The Black Eyed Peas may be the ones who earn the shout-out here. But every other element of 'Bass Down Low' feels custom-made for squeezing 15 extra minutes off that 'Tik Tok
TiK ToK
"Tik Tok" is the debut single by American recording artist Kesha. The song was produced by Benny Blanco and Dr. Luke and co-written by Blanco, Dr. Luke and Kesha. It was released on August 7, 2009 as the lead single from Kesha's debut studio album, Animal...

' clock." Masley praised the spoken-word intro, the song's electropop groove and Dev's "Valley Girl swagger" vocals. Masley concluded his review by writing that the song sounds "a whole lot" like Far East Movement
Far east movement
Far East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...

's "Like a G6". Ron Slomowicz of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....

 was positive on the song and called it a "slinky, sleazy, sexy affair". Slomowicz wrote, "Dev proves she's got the cahones to challenge anyone on the scene with vulgar and seductive lyrics and a crazy hot beat provided by The Cataracs. [...] With any justice, this track will dominate in 2011."

Chart performance

In the United States, "Bass Down Low" debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 chart on the issue dated December 25, 2010. The following week, it rose to number 74 but fell off the chart afterwards. On the issue dated January 15, 2011, the song re-entered the chart at number 99. It ascended for the next four weeks and reached its peak of number 61 on the issue dated February 12, 2011. The song also spent three non-consecutive weeks at number two on the Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...

 chart. To date, the song has sold 443,000 downloads in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...

. In Canada, "Bass Down Low" debuted at number 49 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...

 on the issue dated January 1, 2011 and was the week's highest new entry. The song later acquired its peak of number 35 on the issue dated February 12, 2011 and spent a total of 16 weeks on the chart. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 66 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 on the issue dated May 7, 2011. After having ascended on the chart for five weeks, the song peaked at number ten, becoming Dev's second top ten hit on the chart after "Like a G6". The song also peaked at number 18 in Scotland, and number 28 in Ireland.

Music video

The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for "Bass Down Low" was directed by Ethan Lader and shot in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, California. Lader had previously directed the video for Dev's promotional single "Booty Bounce
Booty Bounce
"Booty Bounce" is a song by American recording artist Dev. It was produced by The Cataracs. Although it was released after, "Booty Bounce" was sampled in Far East Movement's hit single "Like a G6" which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and sold over three million downloads in...

" (2010). The inspiration behind the "Bass Down Low" clip was "Fight Club
Fight Club (film)
Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...

meets high fashion", with Lader describing the approach as "sexiness, but it's effortless". The shoot marked the first time Dev worked with extras. She explained that she wanted the video to have an organic party energy. The video had its premiere on the music video site Vevo
Vevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...

 on December 2, 2010, and was later made available for digital download on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

 on December 7.

The video takes place at a party in an underground club where Dev gives out signals to the crowd when to dance. It also includes scenes of Dev and several other women standing against a wall while thrusting their chests out. The scenes are interspersed with shots of things being broken and a scrolling shot of people standing still like statues. Ron Slomowicz of About.com positively reviewed the video, calling it "pretty simple but fun".

Track listings

  • Digital download
  1. "Bass Down Low" – 3:31

  • Digital EP – The Remixes
  1. "Bass Down Low" – 3:30
  2. "Bass Down Low" (Static Revenger
    Static revenger
    Dennis White, better known as his stage name Static Revenger, is an American record producer, video director, and DJ based in Los Angeles. He is best known for the worldwide club hits "I Like That", "Happy People", and "Everything is Beautiful"...

     Remix) – 5:43
  3. "Bass Down Low" (Proper Villains Remix) – 3:18
  4. "Bass Down Low" (5K Remix Club) – 5:52
  5. "Bass Down Low" (Performed by The Cataracs) – 3:37

  • UK digital EP
  1. "Bass Down Low" (Edited Version) – 3:28
  2. "Bass Down Low" (Tinie Tempah
    Tinie Tempah
    Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu , better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He made his first mixtape in 2007 with 28 songs, freestyles and remixes, the album features Mz Bratt, Chipmunk and G-Unit...

     Remix) (Clean) – 3:28
  3. "Bass Down Low" (Tinie Tempah Remix) (Explicit) – 3:29
  4. "Bass Down Low" (Static Revenger Remix) – 5:43
  5. "Bass Down Low" (5K Remix Club) – 5:52
  6. "Bass Down Low" (Music video) – 3:37

  • The U.K. Mix
  1. "Bass Down Low" (The U.K. Mix) (featuring Tinie Tempah) – 3:28


Charts

Chart (2010–11) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

)
66
Australia Urban (ARIA
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

)
24

Radio add dates and release history

Region Date Format
United States November 16, 2010 Rhythmic radio
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...

Australia December 6, 2010 Digital download
New Zealand
United States December 7, 2010
January 11, 2011 Mainstream radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...

March 29, 2011 Digital remix EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

Germany April 22, 2011 Digital download
United Kingdom April 23, 2011 Digital EP
United States May 23, 2011 Remix download
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