The Bassline livemusic venue and club was established in 1994 in theMelville neighborhood ofJohannesburg, South Africa. The venue closed in 2003 and reopened the following year in the downtownNewtown Cultural Precinct, featuring a concert venue with a capacity of 1000 and a performing space with 150 seats. In its 24-year history, Bassline hosted over 3200 concerts featuring many emerging music acts and well-known South African, African, and global music icons.
Many popular albums were recorded live at the Bassline, and the record company of the same name became a fixture in the Johannesburg music scene.Vusi Mahlasela andLouis Mhlanga recorded their live albumLive at the Bassline in 1999.[3]
From 2017, Bassline evolved into Bassline Live, producing and promoting live concerts for broadcast and live audiences. Bassline Live hosts regular performances at Johannesburg's Lyric Theatre atGold Reef City, as well as annual festivals - Bassline Festival held on the Saturday closest to theAfrica Union's officialAfrica Day on 25 May, Bassline Summer Fest in December, and theFete de la Musique Festival for the French Institute of South Africa.[4]
Bassline's history is chronicled inLast Night at the Bassline, by David B. Coplan & Oscar Gutierrez.[5]
