DJ Hippo’s new February Mixtape brings out some intense bass head nostalgia

February 22, 2021

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DJ Hippo is a heralded figure in the underground bass movement. Best known for his highly-boisterous monthly mixes, the somewhat enigmatic artist always drives home a message that resonates with bass heads: “Do you like bass in ya mf face?” Time and again, this seems to be the thesis for all his mixes, but none more than his newest February Mixtape.

Filling a full hour, DJ Hippo’s February mixtape is filled with his “favorite tracks mixed and mashed in a deliberate order,” says the artist.

What sets DJ Hippo’s mixes apart in this day-and-age is how he fearlessly fills his mixes with the discography one could expect to find in a usual Bassnectar set. Since Lorin Ashton’s fall from grace in mid-2020, many in the once-strong fan community have lambasted using any Bassnectar music in their sets. The cancel culture squad has even shunned fans for streaming Bassnectar’s music on any DSP, all in a concentrated effort to lower Ashton’s royalty earnings. In one brave fell swoop, DJ Hippo’s newest mix flies in the face of all that.

Beyond a few short samples of “Freestyle,” Butterfly,” “Unlimited Combinations,” and “Delamure,” all used as transitions, DJ Hippo doesn’t play any Bassnectar-produced tracks out fully. Still, DJ Hippo carefully curates track after track of non-Bassnectar songs that would typically be heard in his immersive live sets. When one hears that coveted “American Beauty” sample into Owen Westlake’s remix of Tiësto’s “Take You Out” around minute 19, for instance, it makes for a rather nostalgic arrangement for bass heads everywhere.

Whether one still supports Bassnectar or not, they can’t deny listening to this mix and being struck with a whole range of conflicting emotions.

On the one hand, the move says, “yes, I’m still a fan.” On the other, it says, “who says these have to be Bassnectar tracks?!” In any case, it’s a bold and brave move. But most of all, it says, “this is me.” DJ Hippo’s style has always been an homage to Ashton’s mixing style and his complex layering of hip-hop samples—whether one likes it or not. We’d venture to guess that, in more cases than not, “you know you love it.”

Following a January 2021 mixtape, DJ Hippo has promised he is ramping up the monthly mixes that his fanbase so adores him for. Falling largely silent since August of 2020, DJ Hippo says to expect one mix for every month in 2021. Listen to his second mix on the year now.