Asian Dub Foundation Artcles

DR DAS on Bass

1. Melody

Bass is a melodic instrument - it plays tunes! Dub bass isn't just about a deep, heavy sound. Many journalists remain ignorant of this and use phrases such as 'groove' (acceptable) and 'rumble' (totally unacceptable).
Don't just back up guitar chords. If you hear a good tune, especially from the vocalist - nick it. Me and Chandrasonic swap lines quite a bit often playing in unison. You can get into melodic lines by playing nursery rhymes on the bass, for example 'Twinkle twinkle little star' or TV themes such as 'The Magic Roundabout'.
Bass conveys emotion. Every bassline is like a sentence. String them together to tell a story.
Learn some scales. It's another way of developing a melodic sensibility. I play along with a Sunadamala, a sequencer that plays Indian scales and ragas in different rhythmic cycles.
Don't just play low notes, try playing the bassline an octave higher. Do the opposite as well. It's a good way of extending your basslines. (Check 'Kowalski' by Primal Scream, bassist - Mani.)

2. 'Dubbiness'

Throw away you plectrums. Cut your fingernails. Play up near the neck for a round sound.
Don't change your strings too often. This enables them to lose the 'clank,' 'twang' and nasty fret noise that indie kids think constitutes bass. You can try using flat wound or nylon wound strings but they have less sustain.
Restring your bass BEAD instead of EADG. This is like having a five-string bass without the G. It's not just about getting a few extra low notes. You get to play your basslines on thicker strings and again end up with a rounder sound.
Keep things simple. You don't necessarily need pedals or active circuitry. DI the bass so that the engineer gets a clean signal with no feedback. Get him or her to boost the bass and sub frequencies. Keep some mid so that the notes keep their definition and you can hear the melody, not just a rumble. Cut all or most of the top. Do this EQ-ing on your amp as well for your stage sound.

3. Timing

Practice, if possible, with a drummer, drum machine or percussionist to get solid on timing. If there are fiddley or fast bits in the bassline slow it right down till you can play it comfortably in time. Speed it up a few BPM every so often until you're eventually back to the right tempo.
Try out different rhythmic feels such as "dum-dum" - walking bass or "duga-duga" - running (punky) bass (both used in "Charge"). The latter gives the illusion that the music has sped up.
Let your body sway and move with the bassline for feel and timing. Don't just tap your feet. Eventually you must learn to pogo.
Learn to play percussion. This is good for timing, learning about cycles (not mountain bikes), phrasing and leaving spaces. I started off as a percussionist and my first basslines were two note melodies based on conga and agogo bell patterns.
Be aware of and react musically to all the instruments in your band/set up, not just the drums.

4. Gear

Any bass is good if it doesn't have a ridiculously high action and keeps going out of tune. It's the sound that counts, not the make. I use a (left handed) Hohner B2A (it's 'light yet filling') strung BEAD and have an Ampeg SVT III amp and 8x10 cabinet.

5. 'My Selector'

Here's some dubby listening:

... and untold dub LPs ...