Benjamin Tesser, better known as Bass of Spades, stopped by to discuss the Rave Roulette stage he’s hosting at The Homie Collective Campout.
Heading into its third public year, The Homie Collective Campout is a festival that embraces the do-it-yourself spirit. This grassroots event has been run by local artists, creatives, and vendors since its inception. While relatively new in the festival space, the event has become a staple in New England, offering an immersive and safe experience through art and music. One of the key figures behind the festival is Benjamin Tesser, better known as American hard dance DJ and producer Bass of Spades.
With a background in software engineering, marketing, logistics, and much more, Bass of Spades has played an integral role in dance music’s expansion throughout the East Coast, beginning with positions at Sony BMG and Ministry of Sound. Over time, he has dipped his toes into nearly every creative avenue imaginable.
This year, he’s crafted one of the best hard dance lineups on the East Coast for his Rave Roulette stage at The Homie Collective Campout. Featuring top dogs of the industry like LNY TNZ, the hottest rising stars with KAMI, and the future of hard dance in J. Slai, the Rave Roulette stage promises hard kicks, high energy, and great times all weekend long.
Before kicking off this weekend, Bass of Spades stopped by to reflect on his journey from his beginnings as a Facebook employee trying to keep people connected during the pandemic to hosting his festival stage and everything in between. Be sure to stream his newest record, “Lucid Dream,” on your preferred platform, snag a ticket to The Homie Collective Campout, and read on for our full conversation with Bass of Spades!
Stream Bass of Spades and Bad Grizz – “Lucid Dream” on Spotify:
Hey, Ben. To start, I’d like to dive into your career in the music industry. Fans know you make music and DJ as Bass of Spades, but you wear many other hats, too. Can you share more about your creative endeavors outside of DJing and producing music?
I’m so honored to speak with you guys. As a child, I was really into magic and could do wonders with a deck of cards. As I got older, I got into web design, and graphic design is a huge part of that. I got my start in the music industry at Sony BMG and Ministry of Sound America doing marketing in the form of artist websites and advertisements.
I’ve always been a huge techie, so I love projects that involve electronics. Once the Bass of Spades project started, I dove deeper into various art forms, such as laser design, custom LED signs, 3D modeling, photography, videography, and design. Music is an amazing outlet for me to share my art.
One of the many hats you wear includes being a promoter for events like The Homie Collective Campout. What specific conversations or events led you to get the opportunity to host a stage dedicated to hard dance at this festival?
When the pandemic happened, my job at Facebook went fully remote. Everyone was trying to find ways to stay connected, so some coworkers and I organized an online music festival for my company’s employees. We raised over $60,000 for charity!
Two years ago, one of my best friends, Barry (½ of Hy3rid and Trinitiii), was helping organize the first public year of The Homie Collective Campout. When his job started getting crazy, he asked if I could help. After an insane amount of work, we successfully pulled off one of my favorite American festivals. I was the first and only hard dance artist to play at the event.
Then, when I saw that Felix from Audiophiles Events in NYC was throwing a hardstyle event, I knew I had to jump in and help out. I worked with him and Sounds So Sweet to help grow the scene in New York. When Felix and I stepped back from throwing regular shows, it was great to see Hard Dance NYC fill that gap by bringing amazing headliners to New York regularly.
I leveraged my experience to throw an Ultra Music Festival afterparty in Miami in 2023. Afterward, I went to Charlie from The Homie Collective with a full plan and logistics. It created a win-win situation that would benefit everyone. The rest is history.
You’ve created one of the best hard dance lineups on the East Coast with your Rave Roulette stage. What is your thought process behind booking talent for a unique event dominated by other genres?
I was tired of flying to the West Coast or The Netherlands to hear my favorite music live. I noticed that Ultra Music Festival and Lost Lands hosted hard dance stages. Meanwhile, main stage acts play hardstyle and uptempo with amazing crowd reactions today.
I knew it was time to jump in and share hard dance in this part of the US. American audiences like a unique blend of hard dance, so I booked a varied lineup. I tried to book artists that people can’t see anywhere else nearby, resulting in a unique lineup with the best artists that the US offers and some of my international favorites.
What’s the best way for artists to get on your radar to be booked for other events you promote and book for?
It’s pretty simple for me.
- Make good music. A producer will always be a bigger draw to me than people who only DJ.
- Have a unique sound and exciting live performances.
- Reach out to me! I respond to every message on social media. I love meeting talented artists and supporting them.
- Don’t be an egotistical douche. To me, the artists I book are part of my hardstyle family. Even if you sell tickets, I won’t book you if I don’t want to hang out with you.
How do you feel about contributing to the expansion of hard dance in the USA, specifically on the East Coast, where it has historically been lacking?
My sole motivation for this event is to grow the scene. I love music, especially the harder styles. It’s heartwarming to see fellow Americans having success in an industry where everything is an uphill battle. My friends like AbstructA, Tryptid, and The Ripper are releasing amazing music on Dutch record labels now! I’ve met so many amazing people in this scene, and I want to share their art with as many people as I can.
Back to the Bass of Spades project, you released a brand-new record, “Lucid Dream,” together with Bad Grizz. What was the production process like for this record, considering that it was getting released on LNY TNZ’s label, FVCK GENRES?
Brandon (Bad Grizz) and I are good friends. We started the track together in my bedroom studio, but we live over an hour apart, so much of the production was done by sending edits back and forth. Brandon is an amazing producer and sound designer. He’s been doing this for a long time, so working with someone so talented was a pleasure.
When we sent the song to FVCK GENRES, I knew it was a long shot because I had only self-released tracks in the past. I was blown away when they accepted the track. The single was just released a few weeks ago, and it will also be released on a compilation soon with other amazing artists like Adieh Flowz from Indonesia and Benster from Germany. It’s been an honor to work with such an amazing team.
You’ve produced in other genres, like bass music, in the past, but you’ve found your footing in hard dance. How were you exposed to the harder styles, and what made you want to focus on hard dance with the Bass of Spades project?
I started my journey in EDM with artists like Skrillex, John Dahlbäck, and Afrojack. As long as the music is unique and danceable, it gets me going. My tastes are always changing, and the music I produce reflects that. Crossover artists like Gammer exposed me to the harder styles, but I never fully understood hardstyle until I saw Rob GEE, Lady Faith, and Darksiderz at Electric Zoo. Since then, I can’t get enough!
Hosting the Rave Roulette stage at The Homie Collective Campout stage hosting is one of your biggest projects to date. After this event, what does the future of Bass of Spades or your event promotion career look like?
I’m excited about my upcoming unannounced tour dates all over the US, including a festival in the South in November. I’m also joining a brand-new project with some of the best American uptempo artists. We have a track that will be released soon and collaborations with legends I’m honored to work with. Bad Grizz and I also have something in the works.
Finally, I’m working behind the scenes to put together a cross-country tour. It’s going to be a crazy year! If you want a sneak peek, come to the Wildcard Presents Rave Roulette stage for my set at The Homie Collective Campout to hear some of my unreleased tracks!
Follow Bass of Spades:
Facebook | Instagram | SoundCloud | Spotify
