Looks like we’ve got some womp-y beef on our hands: Last night, San Jose bass music DJ Getter hosted a Halloween party with Party Favor at Washington, D.C.’s Echostage. It being a bass-facing All Hallows event, the near-capacity crowd was surely dressed in a wide spectrum of costumed regalia. But as the audience filed into the venue, they began to notice security stopping fans with a specific kind of contraband: Bassnectar merch. According to EDM Sauce, security had been informed to not allow any gear with the polarizing veteran bass DJ’s name or logo on it into the venue.
News of the ban on Bassnectar threads at Getter’s Halloween party quickly hit social media, and sparked predictably split reactions, as Bassnectar’s infamously headstrong fan base reacted with righteous indignation while those who aren’t down with his music (or fans, or scene) found the move to be amusing.
Yo you can’t get into getter if you’re wearing bassnectar gear that’s fucking hilarious ???
— Hailey Heyliger (@HaileyHeyliger) November 1, 2017
literally that is so wild to me…they hate the 808. tragic.
— kt (@katietriller) November 1, 2017
I am DISTRAUGHT. I’m not even wearing bassnectar gear and I’m offended. Asked like 3 security guards why and they had no answers
— Jenna Kassul (@jennakassul) November 1, 2017
getter is the fucking lamest motherfucker …. wouldn’t let anyone in with kandi or bassnectar gear on….. like fuck off ????
— hannerzz ? (@dyson_04) November 1, 2017
Getter legit had security not allow anyone wearing Kandi or bassnectar gear into his show last night….lmfao
— MIDA Riddim-Tool (@Plurtoise) November 1, 2017
So the Getter concert wouldn’t allow anything involving Bassnectar…tell me why this guy in the crowd DEADASS has the symbol tatted on him
— Alex ? (@_vivid_dreams) November 1, 2017
The mixed emotions toward Getter’s Bassnectar gear ban are understandable. On the one hand, his fans have long carried some of the more negative stigmas in the EDM scene, from particularly heinous acts of wook-ery, to aggressively camping out at festival main stages hours before ‘Nectar’s set and disrespecting the other artists playing to hold down their spots, and so-on. We’ve all seen the fans, we’ve all heard the jokes…But on the other hand, censorship is whack, right?
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EDM Sauce speculates that this move may have been an attempt to quell the negative connotations many people associate with bass music due to the scene surrounding Bassnectar’s shows, and showcase the artist performing without the distraction of the extra-musical space in which he exists. Or, Getter could just really, really not like Bassnectar [Side note: would that make him a Bass-ist?]. OR, you know, maybe it was just a joke that got taken way too seriously. Whatever the reason, it does bring up an interesting question: Should Getter be entitled to ban Bassnectar gear at his show if he wants to, or was he in the wrong to do so?
[h/t – EDM Sauce]