Bass Relief

DJing first touched Lloyd Briones’ creative senses in 2011. Right away, he realized, it’ll stick with him for the long haul. After 3 years of squeezing the craft’s mastery into his 9 to 5 job as an executive producer for a sports channel, Briones was ready to speak to the public through his art.

​

He adopted the moniker Bass Relief, as he is known today, and shortly after, landed his first gig in Cubao’s popular watering hole: Today X Future. In just two months, Bass Relief’s performances generated enough buzz for him to have his own regular event at Future called Love&Bass. Held every first Friday of the Month, Relief and his cohorts’ pumped up the regulars and the first-time audience members with an ample supply of sound encompassing the genres, Future Beats, Future Bass, Post RnB, Trap, Hip-Hop and Electronic music. Although he was quickly building a reputation as a solid performer, Bass Relief’s best artistic qualities stem for his work in the “lab”, when he’s alone, creating and recreating melodies. This talent was recognized by no less than Raimund Marasigan. Bass Relief received the Filipino Music icon’s stamp of approval when the latter asked him to remix a song for his new band: The Assembly Generals, called “In the Glass”. The end-product can be heard on Lockeddown Entertainment’s Soundcloud page.

​

Prolificacy is one of Bass Relief’s primary strengths. By 2015, his consistent release of fresh creations, which are all uploaded on Soundcloud, has led him to do more gigs, in different venues and avenues, such as The Rocketroom BGC, The Blackmarket, Skate events and various art exhibits. In the early stages of his blossoming career, among his best works came in the form of his Dub, Trap. Downtempo, Hip-Hop and House vibe-infused Christmas-themed EP named Under a Tree. It features eight songs, including originals and collabs with Squid9, Stassi, RedI, League of Paul and FXXXYBLNT. But during the same period, it was his songs, “Rainbow”, “Cubao City” and “Based on a True Story” that attracted the most attention, even getting rave reviews from Radio Republic, Vandals on the Wall and Buwan Buwan Collective.

​

A pivotal moment that lit up Bass Relief’s fire brighter was an invitation to play in Sandwich’s <5> on the Floor” album vinyl launch. After sharing the stage with the likes of Stick Figgas, Squid9 and Sandwich and BP Valenzuela, Bass Relief had his sights set on pushing his music forward. Like his precisely measured beat patterns, the next steps Bass Relief took excited his listeners. His 2nd EP, released in early 2015, Sandwich VS Bass Relief: “<5> on the floor remixes was highly recommended by Status Magazine as one of the most download-worthy tunes of the month. And with the momentum he gained from his exquisite Soundcloud offerings such as remixes of Radio Active Sago Project’s “Astro”, Urbandub’s “Fight is Over” and Chicosci’s “Sleep Station”, plus his rocking gigs with THE clothing’s “Enter Summer” and at the Assembly Generals album launch, a 3rd Bass Relief EP was released in August. Named Wall of Sound, the collection clearly ran a different course this time. The 8 songs were traditionally structured glazed with Trap and RnB elements. It was a musical direction that Bass Relief whimsically labeled as Future Classic.

​

In between his 3rd and 4th EP, Bass Relief was a monthly fixture at Today X Future under MONO/Stereo and I love Hip-Hop and Bass. You might’ve also caught him in Mao Den at the Black Market and at BRKLSS shirt affairs. His 4th EP – Future Pop Trill, which he unearthed last November, was more upbeat than his past works and had a fuller sound. It still was sample heavy with odes to the local music scene.

With Future Beats as his sole influence supplemented by his dirty batch off of his third EP, Bass Relief produced one of his more danceable records in FPT. By the end of 2015, in typical Bass Relief fashion, he was once again looking to elevate his artistry to new heights. Still a work in progress at the moment, his shows in the coming days will display components of a conventional live-set. He himself will actually play instruments as he performs his songs. It’ll be something new. It might even ignite a movement. Whatever happens, Bass Relief knows where to take it.