Monthly Electronic Dance Night Debuts at 216 McDermot Ave.
BY William Rhoda
Marc Saurette, AKA: Hallmark, easing into his second set of the night at Footw3rk Dance Club on May 30. /WILLIAM RHODA
Fans of dance music rejoice, and enemies of noise pollution despair: Bassment just landed in the Exchange District. On Friday night, the bass could be heard thumping down three blocks of Albert St.
After a one-month hiatus, the monthly electronic dance night found a new home at Footw3rk Dance Club at 216 McDermot Ave.
“Music stays the same. It’s just a new venue,” said Steven Ngo, 28, who deejays as Haus of Panda. “We’re excited to play this room. It’s probably got the best sound system in the city.”
Ngo started Bassment in 2014 with Marc Saurette, 33, who deejays as Hallmark. Their goal was to create an environment where they could play harder dance music, all the songs they loved, that weren’t commercial enough to play at nightclubs.
“It’s nothing against the club scene, but this a totally different thing,” said Saurette. “Bassment’s where you come when you want something a little grittier.”
The title Bassment is a nod to the event’s original location: 555 Osborne St., the basement bar beneath Sawatdee Thai. In 2015, Bassment relocated to the Garrick Hotel Bar, at 287 Garry St. The event ran there for three years until management pulled the plug.
“I think some of the hotel patrons didn’t appreciate the level of noise we caused,” said Ngo.
About 60 people showed up at Footw3rk for Bassment’s Exchange District debut. The relatively small club – with about a 100-person capacity, according to residentadvisor.net – lit up with lasers and projector screens, and fog machines clouded the atmosphere on the dance floor.
Two tube TVs flanked the deejay booth, flashing animated versions of the deejay’s logos and giving a bit of a retro feel to the room. Hard snares and funky basslines ripped through the room all night. For most in attendance, involuntary head nodding gave way to uncontrollable foot shuffling, at some point during the evening.
“The room’s great here, and the music always has been,” said Kryssel Fernandez, 29, who’s been attending Bassment since the event’s inception. “I’m already looking forward to next time. I can’t wait to see how this place turns out for them.”
If you’ve got any residual stress left from this semester that you’d like to take out on a dance floor, Bassment happens next on May 25, at Footw3rk Dance Club. Admission is $5 before 11:00 p.m.
Follow Bassment on Instagram: @bassment_wpg
Amber Joy Rogan, who spent most the night front-and-centre on the dance floor, sings her way through one of the night’s last breakdowns, with closed eyes./ WILLIAM RHODA
