Bassline South Africa

Brad Holmes
Founder and MD BASSLINE (Johannesburg)
September 1994 – to present

Brad Holmes is a highly experienced, versatile and accomplished producer, promoter and ex venue owner. With the advent of democracy in South Africa, he played an integral role in developing and sustaining the domestic and African music industry primarily though the founding of the Bassline Jazz Club in 1994. As documented in the book, Last Night At The Bassline by David B. Coplan & Oscar Gutierrez (Jacana Media, 2017), this 200-seater club provided a live performance space for legendary and emerging musicians as well as for South Africans of all backgrounds to come together as compatriots. In 2003 the Bassline moved into the heart of Johannesburg to create the 1200-seater Bassline Concert Hall. While running the venue between 2004 and 2016 Bassline produced the New Years Eve concerts for the City of Johannesburg , Live8 Johannesburg on hehalf of CIVICUS , 8 Goals for Africa on behalf of the United Nations and many other large scale events . In 2012, Brad used his skills, experience and insights to design the three-year music degree at AFDA (South African School for Motion Picture and Performance) when he was Music Department Head at the Cape Town campus
. In 2017 when the Bassline venue closed the Bassline focused on Bassline Fest - Celebrating Africa Day , Fete de la Musique (Johannesburg), the Bassline Live series at Lyric Theatre and Bassline Summer in December which is now going into its second year. All of the above would have not been possible without the partnership of Paige Holmes the Creative Director of Bassline