Thundercat Breaks Down His Favorite Bass Lines | Under the Influences | Pitchfork

Songwriter and bass connoisseur Thundercat takes an in-depth look at some of his favorite bass lines of all time. From Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" to The Brothers Johnson's "Strawberry Letter 23," Thundercat breaks down just what makes them so spectacular.

Thundercat's new album "It Is What It Is" is out April 3rd.

Featuring:
D'Angelo - Lady
The System - You Are in My System
Bernard Wright - Haboglabotribin
Cream - Sunshine of Your Love
Graham Central Station - Hair
Herbie Hancock - Chameleon
Jaco Pastorius - Portrait of Tracy

------
------
------


Thundercat Breaks Down His Favorite Bass Lines | Under the Influences | Pitchfork

[gabrielsabode]

thundercat's favorite basslines: 3 notes, 2 bars
thundercat's basslines: とてもたくさんのメモ

[mikesemie]

“If your feel sucks you just suck” - Thundercat

[anxietyprimev]

My dude plays bass, is a fan of Evangelion, and literally goes by the name "Thundercat". I think I just found a new idol.

[TenThumbsProductions]

"If your feel sucks, you just sucks." So true. That's why all musicians should dance as much as possible too.

[upmysleeves]

"There's a fine line between funky and ... disaster." 😂

[ktmtxt]

00:37 D'Angelo - Lady
02:40 The System - You are in my system
03:58 Bernard Wright - Haboglabotribin
04:04 Marcus Miller
05:35 The Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter 23
08:00 CREAM - Sunshine of your love (Jack Bruce)
08:27 808 frequency
09:41 Graham Central Station - Hair (Larry Graham)
11:31 Herbie Hancock - Chameleon (Herbie and Paul Jackson)
12:36 Jaco Pastorius - Portrait of Tracy

[birthfserpents]

seeing tcat on the 4 string is more surreal than what he's wearing

[theofficiallobst]

Thundercat: touches bass

Subtitles: *[funky music]*

[aaronguzmanaj]

As a musician, i found his in depth knowledge of bass lines motivating. I love how he talks about the overall structure of the song and not just how dope the bass line is. Really cool stuff honestly

[ydungur]

I think he's basically Rick James that got high on anime instead of cocaine...

[TiagoLageira]

When your customizable character enters a cutscene

[tetrasoundlab]

Cream wrote Sunshine of your love while jamming right after going to a Jimmy Hendrix concert. That line is pure Hendrix....

[rekterscale]

Thundercat looking like a straight up anime character here

[mrdrummer]

That's what I like: musicians talking about their influences and letting them explain why they like certain songs and how it influenced their view on music.

[lefthandpathmedia]

I come here often to watch him play Portrait like it's no big deal. This dude is a LEGEND.

[henryfullmer]

“D’Angelo’s self titled album... Brown Sugar” 😂

[diegoguillen]

This is pretty much a bass masterclass.

[OGReggieRegg]

Thundercat is a true student of music. I respect his art alot more now

[cabofalcone]

0:37 D'ANGELO - Lady (1995)
2:37 THE SYSTEM - You Are In My System (1982)
3:57 BERNARD WRIGHT - Haboglabotribin (1981)
5:33 THE BROTHERS JOHNSON - Strawberry Letter 23 (1977)
8:00 CREAM - Sunshine Of Your Love (1967)
9:40 GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION - Hair (1974)
11:30 HERBIE HANCOCK - Chameleon (1973)
12:36 JACO PASTORIUS - Portrait Of Tracy (1976)

[zr]

The way he describes the bass as being a mix of rhythm, melody and harmony is actually spot on. The bass - whether it’s a double bass, a bass guitar, or key bass - is such a unique instrument and role. It really is the glue that brings everything else together.