Is This Wearable Subwoofer the Future of Clubbing or Just a Silly Gadget?

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The 'Basslet'

This article originally appeared on THUMP UK.

Have you ever been strolling down the street on your way to work, listening to a banger in your passable earphones, and thought, "Fuck, I wish I was in a club right now." Of course you have. That's what's great about dance music. In an otherwise forgettable, sober moment, you can immediately transport yourself to moments of outright euphoria, either lived and seared into your memory, or tantalisingly lurking on the horizon of the coming weekend. In fact, massive kick drums, minor chord changes and shameless, wobbly basslines take on heartwarming transcendence in the earbuds of any reluctant office temp revisiting their favourite Essential Mix on a lunch break. It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing, in your head, you're having it all the time.

Really though, you wouldn't want to be having it all the time, but thanks to the invention of the "Basslet", a part of you can be. More specifically, your right or left wrist. The invention of Daniel Buttner and Gwydion ap Dafyyd, two former big shots at both Ableton and Native Instruments, "Basslet", in their own words is "a subwoofer for your body… it delivers the beats and basslines of your music directly to your body, giving you the energy of a big soundsystem."

At first glance, the Basslet looks like a simple wristwatch. But if you were to ask the person wearing it what the time was, they wouldn't be able to tell you. They would only be able to tell you that it's time for bass. And lots of it too. The frequency response ranges from 10 to 250hz. For reference, the famous Void sound system installed at DC10 in Ibiza peaks at 150hz. That's not to suggest you can have as much fun alone and wearing the Basslet as you can at DC10, but there's nothing to stop you trying.

Recently, I had the opportunity to try the Basslet while at Sonar festival in Barcelona, where it was sprung on a drunk, sun-stroked crowd of industry types as if it were some sort of experimental new drug. I have to add a disclaimer appropriate to this sentence forward. While relishing the everyday digital conveniences I have been afforded—the alarm clock, the weather app, and the revelation that you can not only download podcasts but actively subscribe to them—I am one of those millenial luddites (milludities) you've been reading about since just right then, when I invented the term. I recently witnessed a man board a local train in North Yorkshire wearing a VR headset, and while my fellow passengers marvelled in hushed amazement, my immediate reaction was to burst into laughter. Then again, industry experts suggest that before long, I'll probably have one of the best masturbatory experiences of my life wearing one of those headsets. Who'll be laughing then? Whoever walks in on me during it, that's who.

All smut aside, truth be told, the only time I'd seen tech like this before, it had been used for self pleasure; OhMiBod already manufacture a series of vibrators that correspond with the rhythm of whatever you happen to be streaming on Spotify, ads and all. Naturally, the Basslet, despite it's silly name, is a much more serious proposition. It's a sleek, understated design, meaning that nobody will ever guess that you're experiencing "the illusion of standing next to a sub-woofer" while waiting to board a Ryanair flight, or sitting in KFC.

Trying on the Basslet, I was struck by it's power. There's no denying that for something so relatively minuscule, it makes a significant impression on your ribcage. And while it's not at all uncomfortable, it is undoubtedly pretty weird—at least initially. The Basslet team had picked a few tracks that'd showcase what the little fucker could do. Throughout a moody, slow build Trentemoller electro odyssey, the bass worked best, adding significant physical drama, without being overbearing. On a more consistently heavy, D&B leaning track with a higher BPM, I found it to have a distracting effect that quickly felt quite silly, as if Woody Woodpecker had taken a fancy to me.

While it's probable that you'd grow used to the effect, the Basslet's vibrations resonate as a very different sensation than those that timelessly fill dancefloors. Not to get all techno-spiritual on you, but there's something communal and tribal about a massive soundsystem that this doesn't approach. Still, nobody at Basslet's manufacturers are expecting to see a group of kids wearing these on their fingers at clubs, nodding in agreement with one another every sixteen bars. Failing all else, it could at least add another dimension to a Silent Disco.

The DJ booth is where the Basslet may come in truly useful. Any technically minded selector who's ever had to deal with an underpowered pair of monitor speakers, awkward room acoustics or a difficult combination of both will appreciate the instant response that the device offers when keeping records locked in the mix. And most importantly, bedroom producers can accurately monitor their levels without waking up their mum and/or significant other.

Personally, and while I was assured by email that my face was "#priceless" when the device did its thing, be it fogeyism or nostalgic reverence to the club, I'm dubious towards the Basslet in it's current incarnation. To use the device, you'll need to plug a bluetooth device into your standard headphone jack, which then transmits the frequency to your wrist. While far from a slog, this definitely registers as at least "fiddly" when on the move. This is a problem that would be eliminated if the Basslet's merciless rumblings end up installed in devices themselves, or even cars, which is probably where the tech will eventually be licensed.

For the time being, the Basslet has registered as a roaring success before the general public have had a chance to strap in and feel the woof. In just over 24 hours, the previously secretive project has scored almost double its initial Kickstarter target of $50000, prior to a limited rollout of the product later in 2016. Looks like we'll all be buzzing soon enough.

John Thorp is on Twitter.