Incredible Miami Bass Documentary Surfaces Online

The Bass That Ate Miami is a lovingly made documentary that charts and contextualises the wild rise of the Miami Bass scene. The film is rich in historical background starting with the foundation of Florida, moving on to James Brown recording in Miami in the 60s, and going right up to the cocaine explosion of the 70s and 80s. The first 20 minutes are entirely devoted to filling in the developments that led to Miami artists producing their own hyped up version of techno.

As a genre, Miami Bass is often dismissed as a genre made from clownish x-rated lyrics and cheap breaks – The Bass That Ate Miami relocates the sound as a crucial stage in the development of modern dance music. There are great moments, from Afro-Rican talking about combining James Brown's Night Train with Kraftwerk's synth action, to 2 Live Crew producer Mr Mixx explaining how he – against received opinion –  forced 808s to rumble to get that distinctive Miami sound. 

Enjoy below –