Bass Down Low

"Bass Down Low" is the debut single by American recording artist Dev, written and performed by Dev and The Cataracs. Produced by The Cataracs, the song was released on November 16, 2010, through Universal Motown as the lead single for Dev's debut studio album, The Night the Sun Came Up (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's "Like a G6", which Dev and The Cataracs appeared on. British rapper Tinie Tempah was 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 song with skittering synths and the lyrics speak of different forms of debauchery.

"Bass Down Low"
Single by Dev featuring The Cataracs
from the album The Night the Sun Came Up
ReleasedNovember 16, 2010 (2010-11-16)
GenreElectro
Length3:30
LabelUniversal Motown
Songwriter(s)Devin Tailes, Niles Hollowell-Dhar, David Singer-Vine
Producer(s)The Cataracs
Dev singles chronology
"Like a G6"
(2010)		 "Bass Down Low"
(2010)		 "Backseat"
(2011)
The Cataracs singles chronology
"Like a G6"
(2010)		 "Bass Down Low"
(2010)		 "Backseat"
(2011)

The song was met with positive reviews from critics. Commercially, "Bass Down Low" performed moderately in the United States, peaking at number sixty one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Top Heatseekers chart. Internationally, the song peaked within the top ten of the charts in the United Kingdom and the top forty of the charts in Canada and the Republic of Ireland. 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.

Background

In 2008, Dev recorded two songs using the software GarageBand on her MacBook that a friend posted onto her Myspace page.[1][2] Production duo The Cataracs, consisting of Niles Hollowell-Dhar and David Singer-Vine, came across the songs and asked Dev to come to Berkeley, California to produce music with them.[3] Six months later, the first song they made together, "2night", gained exposure on the television channel MTVU and local radio channels, which resulted in a debut on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart.[3] In 2009, Dev signed with Indie-Pop Records and moved to a loft in Los Angeles, California to begin working on her debut album.[4] The Cataracs eventually made the beat for a song called "Booty Bounce".[5] Afterwards, a hook was written for the song and The Cataracs suggested to interpolate it into a track they were making for Far East Movement. Dev agreed to what would become "Like a G6", and later said, "It ended up being a massive song and gave me so much experience and opportunity and it was absolutely beautiful. Thank god I agreed to that!"[5] The song was released in April 2010 and reached the top ten on several charts worldwide,[6] including the United States, where it reached the top position and sold over three million copies.[7] In August 2010, Dev issued a viral music video for "Booty Bounce" and subsequently signed a record deal with Universal Republic two months later.[8]

Writing and release

"Bass Down Low" was written by Dev alongside the production duo The Cataracs. The duo also produced the song, and recorded it at The Indie-Pop Sweat Shop.[9] It was later mixed by Manny Marroquin at Larrabee Studios and mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound in New York City.[9] The song was originally conceived with Dev as a featured act, but she was later made the main artist as they believed it represented her.[10] Dev described "Bass Down Low" as "sassy and fun" and considered it a great follow-up to "Like a G6".[10] In an interview with teen magazine Seventeen, she spoke of 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."[11]

"Bass Down Low" was sent for rhythmic airplay in the United States on November 16, 2010,[12] one month after Dev signed her record deal with Universal Republic.[8] It was later released digitally on December 6, 2010,[13] and sent for mainstream airplay on January 11, 2011.[14] An alternate version with The Cataracs as the main artists was released in a remix extended play (EP) on March 29, 2011.[15] For the single's UK release, the track was remixed with guest vocals from British rapper Tinie Tempah. The remix was released as part of a digital EP on April 23, 2011.[16] In an interview with Digital Spy 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."[17] The remix was released outside the UK on May 23, 2011, labeled "The U.K. Mix".[18]

Composition

"Bass Down Low" is an electro song with skittering synths and a pulsating electropop groove.[19][20] Dev utilizes her sing-talk vocal style throughout the song, but also uses her singing voice near the end.[19][21] In the song's hook, she sing-talks in a "deadpan" 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."[19][20] According to Scott Shetler of AOL Radio, Dev entices listeners with lines such as, "Straight buzzin' Robotussin / Wanna get ya mitts in my oven? / Wanna get a lick of this lovin'?"[19] The song includes a shout-out to The Black Eyed Peas while The Cataracs sing about a sexual promise: "giving you that Black Eyed Peas – you know, that 'Boom Boom Pow'".[20] Lyrically, the song speaks of various forms of debauchery, such as taking shots.[22]

Critical reception

Ed Masley of The Arizona Republic 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.[20] 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' clock."[20] Masley praised the spoken-word intro, the song's electropop groove and Dev's "Valley Girl swagger" vocals.[20] Masley concluded his review by writing that the song sounds "a whole lot" like Far East Movement's "Like a G6".[20] About.com critic Ron Slomowicz wrote a positive review of the song and called it a "slinky, sleazy, sexy affair".[21] 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."[21] While reviewing The Night the Sun Came Up, Jamie Horne of The Border Mail said that "Bass Down Low" and "In My Trunk" are "certainly Black Eyed Peas-esque but Dev... is no clone."[23]

Chart performance

In the United States, "Bass Down Low" debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on the issue dated December 25, 2010.[24] 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.[25] It ascended for the next four weeks and reached its peak of number 61 on the issue dated February 12, 2011.[26] The song also spent three non-consecutive weeks at number two on the Top Heatseekers chart.[27] To date, the song has sold 443,000 downloads in the US, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[28]

In Canada, "Bass Down Low" debuted at number 49 on the Canadian Hot 100 on the issue dated January 1, 2011 and was the week's highest new entry.[29] 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.[27]

In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number sixty six on the UK Singles Chart on the issue dated May 7, 2011.[30] On June 12, 2011, after having ascended on the chart for five weeks, the song peaked at number ten for the week ending date June 18, 2011, becoming Dev's second top ten hit in Britain following "Like a G6", her 2010 collaboration with Far East Movement.[31] The song also peaked at number 28 in Ireland.[32]

Music video
The music video includes scrolling shots in which all the party goers but Dev (middle) are standing completely still

The music video for "Bass Down Low" was directed by Ethan Lader and shot in a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, California.[33][34] Lader had previously directed the video for Dev's promotional single "Booty Bounce" (2010).[8] The inspiration behind the "Bass Down Low" clip was "Fight Club meets high fashion", with Lader describing the approach as "sexiness, but it's effortless".[33] The shoot marked the first time Dev worked with extras.[34] She explained that she wanted the video to have an organic party energy.[34] The video had its premiere on the music video site Vevo on December 2, 2010,[35] and was later made available for digital download on the iTunes Store on December 7.[36]

The video takes place at a party in an underground club where Dev gives out signals to the crowd when to dance.[21][22] It also includes scenes of Dev and several other women standing against a wall while thrusting their chests out.[21][22] The scenes are interspersed with shots of things being broken and a scrolling shot of people standing still like statues.[21] Ron Slomowicz of About.com positively reviewed the video, calling it "pretty simple but fun".[21]

Track listings

Credits and personnel
Recording
  • Recorded at The Indie-Pop Sweat Shop
Personnel

Credits adapted from The Night the Sun Came Up liner notes.[9]

Charts
Chart (2010–11) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[37] 66
Australia Urban (ARIA)[38] 24
scope="row"Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[39] 8
scope="row"Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[40] 35
scope="row"Ireland (IRMA)[32] 28
scope="row"Netherlands (Single Top 100)[41] 92
scope="row"Scotland (Official Charts Company)[42] 18
scope="row"UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[31] 10
scope="row"US Billboard Hot 100[26] 61
scope="row"US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[43] 35
US Heatseekers Songs (Billboard)[44] 2

Certifications
Country Certifications
United Kingdom Silver[45]

Radio add dates and release history
Region Date Format
United States[12] November 16, 2010 Rhythmic radio
Australia[13] December 6, 2010 Digital download
New Zealand[46]
United States[14][15][47] December 7, 2010
January 11, 2011 Mainstream radio
March 29, 2011 Digital remix EP
Germany[48] April 22, 2011 Digital download
United Kingdom[16] April 23, 2011 Digital EP
United States[18] May 23, 2011 Remix download
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gollark: ?remind 3m30s preempt g
gollark: GTech™ apioformic injection into ██% of ideatic/metaphorical/meta-ideatic/meta-meta-ideatic/noöspheric/computational/informational spaces has been successful and thus bees are now present in a substantial fraction of situations.
gollark: I'm sure you'd like to think so.

References
  1. Nika, Colleen (August 24, 2011). "Meet Dev: Stylish "Like a G6" Singer Flies Solo". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  2. Montgomery, Malcolm (September 22, 2011). "Dancing in the Dark with Dev". FENUXE. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  3. Sauro, Tony (July 23, 2010). "Manteca native inspired on tour by Cataracs". The Record. Stockton, California. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  4. Campbell, Jason (April 1, 2009). "Dev taking her singing on a spin around California". Manteca Bulletin. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  5. Bain, Becky (August 18, 2011). "Dev: The Idolator Interview". Idolator. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  6. "Far * East Movement feat. The Cataracs & Dev – Like a G6". Ultratop. Hitparade.ch / Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  7. Grein, Paul (January 9, 2011). "Week Ending Jan. 9, 2011: Songs: Another Taboo Falls". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  8. Johnson, Jr., Billy (November 10, 2010). "Pop Rap Newcomer Dev 'Feels So Fly Like A G6'". The New Now. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  9. The Night the Sun Came Up (booklet). Dev. Universal Republic. 2011. p. 2. 2781052.CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. Sciarretto, Amy (November 18, 2010). "Dev Talks "Booty Bounce", "Bass Down Low", Hip Hop and More". Artistdirect. Rogue Digital. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  11. "Interview with Singer Dev – Q&A with "Like a G6" Singer". Seventeen. March 14, 2011. Archived from the original on March 30, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  12. "Airplay Archive". FMQB. Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Inc. / Mediaspan Online Services. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  13. "Bass Down Low (feat. The Cataracs) – Single by Dev". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple, Inc. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  14. "Top 40/Mainstream – Future Releases". Allaccess. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  15. "Bass Down Low (The Remixes) – EP by Dev". iTunes Store (United States). Apple, Inc. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  16. "Bass Down Love (Remixes) – EP by Dev". iTunes Store (United Kingdom). Apple, Inc. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  17. Corner, Lewis (July 20, 2011). "Dev interview: 'I have a weird-as-hell voice'". Digital Spy. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  18. "Bass Down Low (The U.K. Mix) [feat. Tinie Tempah] – Single by Dev". iTunes Store (United States). Apple, Inc. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  19. Shetler, Scott (February 15, 2011). "Dev, 'Bass Down Low' Feat. the Cataracs – New Song". AOL Radio. AOL, Inc. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  20. Masley, Ed (December 28, 2010). "December's 10 best singles: Lil Wayne, Gorillaz". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  21. Slomowicz, Ron (March 3, 2011). "Song of the Day: Dev feat. The Cataracs – "Bass Down Low"". About.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  22. Bein, Becky (December 9, 2010). "Dev Wants The "Bass Down Low" On Her New Dance Single". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  23. Horne, Jamie (October 14, 2011). "Dev – The Night the Sun Came Up". The Border Mail. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  24. "Hot 100 – Week of December 25, 2010". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  25. "Hot 100 – Week of January 15, 2011". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  26. "Dev Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  27. "Dev – Bass Down Low". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  28. Lipshutz, Jason (April 21, 2011). "Dev and the Cataracs Join Usher's OMG Tour". Billboard. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  29. "Canadian Hot 100 – Week of January 1, 2011". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  30. "The Official Charts Company – Dev – Bass Down Low Ft The Cataracs". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  31. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  32. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bass Down Low". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  33. "Bass Down Low (Behind The Scenes)". Vevo. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  34. "Dev – Bass Down Low: Interview, Pt. 4". Vevo. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  35. "Bass Down Low (Explicit)". Vevo. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  36. "Bass Down Low by Dev & The Cataracs". iTunes Store (United States). Apple, Inc. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  37. "ARIA Report – Week Commencing 21st March 2011" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  38. "ARIA Report – Week Commencing 14th March 2011" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  39. "Ultratop.be – Dev – Bass Down Low" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  40. "Dev Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  41. "Dutchcharts.nl – Dev – Bass Down Low" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  42. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  43. "Dev Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  44. "In the Dark – Dev". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  45. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  46. "Bass Down Low (feat. The Cataracs) – Single by Dev". iTunes Store (New Zealand). Apple, Inc. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  47. "Bass Down Low (feat. The Cataracs) – Single by Dev". iTunes Store (United States). Apple, Inc. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  48. "Bass Down Low [Explicit]: Dev". Amazon.de. Retrieved October 22, 2011.

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