Opening of this track has isolated bass only. A horrible vibration came from the right speaker. I played again with head near cabinet, it sounded like internal down firing woofer Panic, SWMBO loves her speakers.
Tried holding speaker terminals in turn, no change. Then had the inspiration to check feet. One of the feet bolts was only very slightly loose, thankfully tightening removed all vibration.
Lesson learned - I already check cables, speaker terminals and jumpers on both speakers weekly, as our cats have a tendency to go behind speakers. From now on I will check feet bolts too! Obviously lots of bass had shaken loose.
I’ve heard the James Blake track quite a few times on lesser systems - just read your piece and tried streaming it via Tidal into my Harbeth HL5’s through a Vincent SV236mk amp.
I see what you mean. Subsonic wobble between the speakers I’ve never heard the like of before!!! Quite startling.
A good one for vocals only (albeit through a vocoder) is ‘A Satisfied Mind’ live by Bon Iver. The vocals wobble…
Implosion. That’s monstrous.
Had to know - how - what - who ?…
This is what the internet said…
The sub-bass in the first track (“Hooked” by The Bug) on The Bug vs Ghost Dubs - Implosion is created through a combination of extreme industrial sound design, high-pressure, low-frequency oscillation, and deliberate, “in-the-red” production techniques designed to emulate sound system vibrations.
Key elements creating the sub-bass in “Hooked”:
“In-the-red” Beat Production: Kevin Martin (The Bug) uses heavy distortion and maximized gain, pushing the mix to its physical limits to create a claustrophobic, “booming” sonic atmosphere.
Industrial/Industrial-Dub Fusion: The bass is characterized by “sinister, slo-mo slogs” that blend industrial drone with classic dub weight, creating a “pneumatic” or “charred-to-the-bone” effect.
Sound System Emulation: The bass is mixed to emulate the physical experience of high-power sound systems, such as Jah Shaka’s, focusing on immense sub-harmonic resonance that is described as “bone-rattling”.
Mastering: The tracks were mastered by Stefan Betke (POLE), who is known for his work in dub-techno, ensuring the bass remains incredibly deep while staying "heavy without continuous distortion”.
The first track, along with others on the album, aims to make the sub-bass a “physical mass,” often described as “10,000 fathoms-deep,” designed to be felt at extreme volumes.
To be honest, had to turn the volume down.
Really enjoyed “Engine Trouble”, in fact the whole album “Bass Chalice”, (2005). Very much my cup of tea. Loving the electric bass. Thanks.
Two great recommendations - Francis Thirteen - Nenad Vasilic - really enjoyed both.
Particularly enjoyed listening to Bass Room ( 2019). and have come back to this album several time since your post. What an amazing musician. Probably one of the most interesting double bass pieces I’ve heard. Brilliant. Thanks
I picked up a few albums from a subwoofer forum, Implosion was one of them.
Our system unfortunately isn’t good enough to do these albums justice. The baby SF floorstanders are fabulous speakers which we enjoy immensely, but they simply can’t move the bass weight required. I must try some of these in the office, our sand loaded MA sealed boxes sometimes surprise with bass weight and speed.
I shall continue working on SWMBO on the new speaker front, but she is mightily attached to her beautiful SFs. I’d have ATC 50s in a heartbeat.
Thanks for the research. Typed POLE into Tidal and Stefan came up and there are a number of avenues of exploration there. Once I’ve got my head round it I will use some chatGPT assistance to delve further. Exciting to discover new music!
I meant the first track, simply called “Nuuk”, on the album Aubrite | Thomas Köner | Force Inc. / Mille Plateaux (also available on many streaming services). Indeed Thomas Köner has several tracks with ‘Nuuk’ in the title; maybe some of them have similar impact. [I didn’t try them all…]
Panic, SWMBO loves her speakers.
