Never mind the formula, he’s got the Serum: Bassassin

Dubstepping to Step Brothers: Much of the 140 beats-per-minute dubstep and hip-hop-fused stomper “Riddim And Blues,” by Tyler “DJ Bassassin” Williams was created on a computer in his Poway studio. It’s where he pulls beats and oscillating electronic sounds from the Serum program, then tweaks them to generate his own repetitive “boom-tsika-boom” infrasound frequencies, the sort that’ll wobble any fervid dubstepper’s soul. As with most bass-bountiful dubstep tracks, lyrics are sparse. Sample: “I am warning you now, if you touch my drums, I will stab you in the neck with a knife.”

The vocals Williams added onto the 180-second thugstep track were all sampled “from one of my favorite movies ever, Step Brothers,” says Williams, who used Covid downtime to develop his creative arsenal by modifying his modulated sounds. Another recent track, “Open Your Eyes,” features System Of A Down singer Serj Tankian. The deep-bass laced 140 BPM dubstepper features samples of Tankian playing guitar, keyboard, and live drums. “Again, I used Serum for the bass,” says Williams.

As DJ Bassassin, Williams wasn’t always as hardcore as on the dubstep-thugstep tracks he’s producing. Prior to DJing at clubs and events throughout San Diego and LA, he paid his dues at underground parties. “I have had the cops shut down a warehouse party when the doorman wouldn’t let them in and shut the bay door on them. I heard a welding torch at one point, and they tried to knock it down with a battering ram until they got in.”

Nowadays, he and his wife create videos to accompany his thugstep joints, including one for “Rage Room.” “[The video] stars my wife and me, in a rage room in Murrieta,” he says. “My wife and I smash stuff and let our rage out.” DJ Bassassin will hopefully keep his rage in check when he performs live August 21 at downtown’s Donut Bar.