⏱ 2 min read
Supersaw chords, pitched-up vocals, emotional softness. Post-EDM’s kinder face. Occasionally reached depth. Mostly provided YouTube playlist filler.

What Future Bass sounds like

Wide, wobbling supersaw chords that pulse with sidechain, bright major harmony, and chopped vocal samples pitched up into hooks. Trap drums sit underneath at half time. The drop is a chord swell rather than a bass hit, and the crowd sways and sings instead of moshing.

What you would see

Pastel visuals, anime and glitch art on the screens, and festival stages at sunset. A young crowd in oversized tees and bucket hats.

Where and when

Future Bass took shape around 2012 in Australia, Scotland and the USA. Tracks usually run at 130 to 160 BPM.

Family tree

It grew out of Dubstep, EDM Trap and Footwork.

Artists to start with

Flume, Cashmere Cat and Hudson Mohawke.

Labels that carried it

LuckyMe (United Kingdom, 2007) and Future Classic (Australia, 2004).

One track to hear

Flume feat. Kai, Never Be Like You (2016). It is an official upload, and you can play it on this genre’s card in the Dance Music Timeline.

Where it stands in 2026

Absorbed into pop.

Want to hear how it connects to its neighbours? Plan a mix from here with Tempo Bridge, or see where it sits among 127 genres on the timeline.

From the booth

In future bass, the drop is a chord swell rather than a bass hit. Wide, wobbling supersaw chords pulse with sidechain, bright major harmony shines through and chopped vocals are pitched up into hooks. It runs at 130 to 160 BPM and grew from Dubstep, EDM Trap and Footwork.

Trap drums sit underneath at half time, and the crowd sways and sings instead of moshing. I would use it as a melodic, emotional moment in a bass set, or to soften the energy after something heavier. Keep an ear on the chord pulses. A beginner’s note: match keys when you can. The chords are so prominent that a clash is very noticeable.

Sources

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Matthew Clement plays house and disco in Seoul under the name Clement, and has been behind the decks here for more than two decades. By day he teaches business and marketing communication at a university...