The Divisiveness of the Bass Music Drop in the North American Festival Setting

This chapter investigates the ‘bass music’ genres of dubstep and trap at massive North American festivals in the 2010s, an era in which DJ sets were characterised by a sensationalised moment known as ‘the drop’. It begins by demonstrating that the sense of rupture delivered by the drop is emmeshed with social and musical disputes (especially in online festival groups). The chapter then examines the gendered dimensions of the bass music drop. It ends by considering bass music’s #MeToo moment of reckoning regarding alleged sexual misconduct by the dubstep producer-DJ Datsik. In doing so, the chapter suggests that despite previous and ongoing associations with unity, transcendence, and escapism, EDM is sometimes unable to escape the divisions and ills of the world as it is. Rather than ignoring the dark sides of EDM culture through affirmative scholarship, our field would benefit from a critical turn and methodological innovation.