It’s a tough time for bass in pop music, with all the synths, 808s, and loops… is bass DEAD?
In this video we’re gonna check out the Top 10 off Spotify to see what people are listening to, and find out - is there any salvation for us bass players? Or should we just pack up our basses and call it a day?
Real talk - am I nuts, or is cowboy 808 the weirdest hybrid genre you’ve ever heard? 
I am going to try and wrap my head around the idea of cowboy 808. The 808 is just such an iconic kick drum sound for electronic music that I would probably trip and fall down if I heard it in a country song unprepared.
Dear Lord, it’s a thing. I even found something worse… I swear this one has a TB-303 clone playing its bassline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIahJ7QhxxA
This is the worst timeline.
Nope…
Here’s the list for people who actually spend money on music…
The ‘Most Collected’ list is pretty much the same list.
https://www.discogs.com/search/?sort=want%2Cdesc&q=&type=master
Bass is the reason these are still as thing lol
WTF is the cowboy 808?
I didn’t like this video. I try never to say something bad about music people like.
I guess this is why I don’t listen to much of today’s pop music. I gotta have that deep thumpin’ line in my music. Thanks for this video @JoshFossgreen !
Well, if bass is dead, someone just sold me a corpse 
One the positive side: I am proud to say I knew zero of the “songs” included in this video 
When I first glanced at my YouTube feed and saw a link to this video, I thought that Rick Beato was doing another Top 10 Spotify list. Then I looked more closely and saw the familiar orange color scheme.
I watched the video and while I was entertained, I also started to feel guilty. I felt even more guilty when I read this on our forum:
Time for a true confession. My fourth album, which came out in 2019, is titled
Western Twang Fusion. My double-digit YouTube and Spotify views were more influential than I previously thought. The seed was planted.
Two years later, I released my sixth album, Depth of Feel, which contained a track titled My Highway. Unbeknownst to me, this title was similar to a country song titled On My Highway.
There were a few negative reactions to my My Highway track from people who were looking for On My Highway. The combination of the Western Twang Fusion seed and the wrath of pissed off country fans must have lead to the weird cowboy 808 hybrid genre.
My sincere apologies.
However, on a more serious note, I am happy to say that I am playing real electric bass on most of the tracks on the forthcoming second album by the Bolsheviks of Madrid. Taking the B2B course and watching this video have added to the inspiration.
Right there with you, man.
And there’s nothing wrong with critiquing music, regardless of who listens to it/likes it, or not.
Thanks for the honest opinions, @JoshFossgreen. It absolutely does require effort, imagination and talent to create truly good music, especially in the estimation of musicians. Rock on, bassman.
Hatsune Miku singing polka is right up there
Abso-damn-lutely. 
Man I feel for you there. That sounds no fun to have dealt with. (j/k)
For me it’s more of a mix of something I love (the 808’s drum sounds, synth bass, etc) with something I very much don’t (modern pop bro-country). It’s… probably the feeling fathers had when their daughter brought punk teenage me home to meet them.
Country can work for me. One of my favorite punk bands is Cowpunk. I think Johnny Cash is awesome. But it’s also fine to dislike genres. The vast majority of this forum would dislike some of my favorite genres. You just have to be ok with that if you want to venture very far.
With all due respect to our favorite instrument, we probably don’t want to put it in a “deep thumping” competition with synth bass.
Trust me on this.
Yeah but Vocaloids singing polka is fun and cute. Bro-country culturally appropriating iconic electronic music sounds is simply bad fusion IMO.
Not all fusion works, in my opinion. And that’s okay!
Not that I am the arbiter of what’s good, I’m just making a subjective statement of opinion here.
When I think of interesting fusion/crossover for country and electronic genres, Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails comes to mind.
the original:
Cowpunk is freaking awesome punk/country fusion:
But sorry, just can’t get in to bro-country meets trap. I own that this is a “me” problem.
I’m a huge NIN and Johnny Cash fan. That cover is a masterpiece!
Agree. Reznor even jokes that Cash basically owns the song now
Well, or did.
Thanks Howard!
What Cowpunk band is your favorite?
When I was in college, my friend Jason Ringenberg taught me how to do live sound for some of the bands he formed before he started Jason and the Scorchers.
I have said that music is like food. I’ll elaborate a bit.
Music is a lot like food. People taste food and have a taste in music. We need to eat and I feel that music is also a need.
People have favorite foods and favorite songs. Some have types of foods they don’t care for and some have styles of music they don’t care for. Even though there are favorites and dislikes in both food and music, taking in a variety is considered to be good for you.
I have also found that I have a greater appreciation for more types of music since I started playing bass.
About three years ago I had this idea for Bass Driven Industrial Desert Country.
Driving bass lines, Peterbuilt engines, squeaking oil derricks, trains, lever guns, dry desert winds, and pile drivers.
I just bought a Chevy Silvereido. Country 808 sounds about right!