Queen and David Bowie's iconic song “Under Pressure” has one of the most recognizable bass lines in music. It's so accentuated that it becomes inseparable from the song's ethos. The memorable sound has landed on “best bass lines ever” lists, including this 62-song-long playlist from NPR. This makes it no surprise that it's been repeated by bassists all over—but how about 200 bassists at one time?
YouTuber and bassist Charles Berthoud recently traveled to São Paulo, Brazil, to team up with 200 bassists from Rockin’1000, a band comprising musicians from all around the world. Together, they started their cover of “Under Pressure” with the iconic bass line, slowly integrating other parts from the song to round out their performance. The short clip showcases just how beautiful their instruments are and how incredible their synchronization is. They all blend so well together that it almost doesn’t sound like there are hundreds of performers playing.
On the same trip, Berthoud performed slap bass (a technique of creating percussive sounds on the bass) with 200 drummers from the massive musician collective. Similar to the “Under Pressure,” cover, it can be hard to tell that there are so many drummers performing simultaneously. One comment echoes this, stating, “I love that drummers can be so in time that the only real way to tell that there's 200 playing at the same time and not just stadium reverb is the different sizzle characteristics of everyone's crash [cymbals].”
Scroll down to see their powerful performances.
YouTuber and bassist Charles Berthoud recently teamed up with 200 bassists from Rockin’1000 to perform an incredible cover of Queen and David Bowie’s hit, “Under Pressure.”
Berthoud also performed slap bass with 200 drummers from the massive musician collective.
Charles Berthoud: Youtube | Instagram
Rockin'1000: Website | Instagram | Youtube
h/t: [Laughing Squid]
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