Car sound systems.
I remember seeing a big bass car system for the first time. It was the early 80s and it rolled by clearing a whole schoolyard. Basketball games, street hockey games. All of us, 10 to 20 years old, were jumping
down the middle of the street following this car in euphoric frenzy. If there were several hundred of us it would have been a full riot. Can’t remember the music. But it was pre-Rick Rubin 808 kick drum days. Something like Burundi Black but with lot’s of bass.
Safe to say alot of us were hooked that day, like a sonic meth.
There were more and more systems until in the late 90s, when I think, at the height of it all, Brooklyn was pretty much in constant vibration. You could keep track of a car cruising your neighborhood because you could hear the bass 4 blocks away. I loved it! Don’t really hear a lot of systems in the cities these days. The laws got wise to it. Although, I always get a kick when a tricked out car passes by me, here in Vienna, and they are blasting a Turkish Oud solo.
But to the point… these days a system proves it’s weight with something called “flexing”. How much the bass bends the panels of the car and more astoundingly the windows. Only video can really explain.
I want to get one of these when I grow up!!!!
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/mHlxKap51L4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999.swf" /]
The second half of this one is sick. I didn’t know you could turn glass into liquid with bass.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjfvfAcdCAw&playnext_from=TL&videos=5xBZ60SOh88
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jj23ZPrkHc&playnext_from=TL&videos=iEgf4acrL2k
I even like the bass running through cheap video camera mics and sounding like your grinding them up in a tree shredder.
Then there is the hair tricks.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/dpN31WViPFs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999.swf" /]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e96WIHhdJ8&playnext_from=TL&videos=DAbzJGrVdBE
And of course the occasional windshield replacement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQPcV9ssl14&playnext_from=TL&videos=fN7-MMSnXpQ
On a final note sometimes clubs have decibel meters on stage or in the DJ booth …. I used to like to push it to about 120 db and that is really loud. I think my ears are suffering for it these days. Those competition systems are producing 170 db . Enough to turn your brain into a milkshake.

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