Tape B and Levity Turn Brooklyn Bridge Underpass Into Bass Playground

Bass music fans packed Under the K Bridge Park in Brooklyn on Monday night as Tape B and Levity closed out their Summer Program Tour with a back-to-back set that neither act had originally billed. Tape B took the stage shortly before 9 p.m. for a 60-minute solo set before the two acts joined forces, and the night ended with the crowd still buzzing well into the early morning at an afterparty across the street at Brooklyn Steel.

According to a review from the New York Post, written by reporters Nishka Dhawan and Matt Levy, Tape B opened with tracks including “Underneath Your Skin” and “Word Scramble” before Levity took over with a set featuring “Neon Soul,” “By My Side,” and a Hey Jude mix. The two acts had planned a back-to-back set together, and it eventually arrived as one of the night's centerpieces, with the pair performing a rendition of “Make It Bun Dem” by Damian Marley and Skrillex along with a track the Post identified as “Temperature.” The night closed with a remix of “Beauty and the Beat.”

Levity performed a one-hour set of their own as part of the night, and support act Effin opened the show at 7:45 p.m. Tape B told the crowd, “I'll see you in one hour,” before stepping offstage ahead of the collaborative set, and he later apologized to the audience for a technical glitch that interrupted part of the performance, per the same account.

A Chicago Trio and a Turkish-Born Producer Behind the Bass

Levity is not a solo act or duo but a three-person Chicago-based group, formed in 2019 by John Hauldren, PJ Carberry, and Josh Tarum, who met as students at the University of Iowa before relocating to Chicago, according to MP3 Mag. Hauldren and Carberry originally bonded over downloading Ableton software before bringing Tarum into the fold. The trio's breakout came in June 2023, when they filled a last-minute cancellation on the Honeycomb stage at Michigan's Electric Forest festival, with Carberry reportedly driving from Chicago with just hours' notice after getting the call, per Moon Lvnding.

Tape B, meanwhile, is the stage name of Kemal Berk Alkanat, a DJ and producer born in Istanbul who immigrated to the United States at age three and grew up in South Florida, incorporating 2000s hip-hop influences into an old-school dubstep sound, according to UKF. The name Tape B traces back to a 2005 Volkswagen Passat he drove in high school, whose dashboard screen would light up with the words “Tape B” whenever a cassette tape auxiliary adapter was plugged in, the outlet reports. He has since collaborated with Zeds Dead and Subtronics, building a discography that leans on nostalgic cassette-tape flips of old hip-hop records.

From College Scholarship Money to National Tours

Tape B's rise began modestly. He bought his first DJ setup with $1,000 of his college scholarship money while attending the University of Central Florida, teaching himself beatmaking on GarageBand before graduating in December 2019, according to MP3 Mag. He had briefly lined up a car rental job before committing to music full time, the outlet notes.

Levity's own trajectory carries an unusual wrinkle: member Josh Tarum graduated from Creighton University School of Medicine with a Doctor of Medicine degree in May, balancing medical school with co-producing the group's music throughout its rise, according to EDM House Network. That balancing act is why Levity has often performed live as a duo, with Tarum handling more behind-the-scenes production work during heavy study periods, per the outlet. The trio's momentum has only grown since; this spring they debuted a large-scale “Volcano” stage production during a breakout set in Coachella's Sahara Tent, bringing out rapper Big Sean as a surprise guest for a remix of “Dance (A$$),” a performance Insomniac cited as one of the festival's most viral sets.

Bass Music's Boom, and a Park Built on Concert Revenue

The Brooklyn show landed at a venue with its own civic backstory. Under the K Bridge Park is a 7-acre public space beneath the Kosciuszko Bridge that opened in May 2021 on New York State Department of Transportation land, operated by the nonprofit North Brooklyn Parks Alliance. Live music events there, including this one, are co-produced by promoter Bowery Presents, and ticket restoration fees are reinvested directly into park maintenance and environmental stewardship, including an on-site native plant nursery, according to Pollstar. Hoodline previously reported on how the industrial site became an urban oasis.

The show also arrives amid a broader boom for bass music. The global electronic music industry hit a record valuation of $12.9 billion in 2024, up 6% year-over-year, driven largely by live events and festival demand, according to the 11th annual IMS Business Report from the International Music Summit. Independent record labels accounted for 30% of global dance label revenue in that period, per the same report. The Post's review also framed Tape B and Levity alongside five major EDM artists touring in 2026 — John Summit, Rüfüs Du Sol, Gryffin, Subtronics, and Steve Aoki — and described dubstep concert culture broadly, including so-called rave sprouts, as centered on community, positivity, and inclusivity.

What's Next on the Road

Both acts have packed fall and winter calendars ahead. Tape B is set to play the Rawhide Western Town and Event Center in Chandler, Arizona, on August 29, followed by Craig Ranch Amphitheater in North Las Vegas on August 28, Ramova Theatre in Chicago on September 4, Wet n Wild in Kapolei, Hawaii, on September 19, and Granary Live in Salt Lake City on September 26. He is also booked for a multi-night Red Rocks run in Morrison, Colorado, from October 8 through October 9, plus additional Red Rocks dates, before heading to Seattle's WaMu Theater in early December with support from Truth and Mersiv, and a two-night stand at The Armory in Minneapolis on November 20 and 21.

Levity has an equally packed schedule, including a run through Austin City Limits in Texas spanning October 2 through October 11, with a stop at Emo's on October 3 alongside Untitld, plus dates at Mission Ballroom in Denver on October 1, Red Rocks in Morrison on October 2, the Royal Grove in Lincoln, Nebraska, on October 8, the Criterion in Oklahoma City on October 9, and History in Ottawa on October 17. The trio will also perform at Temper Festival in San Diego on December 30, closing out the year on the West Coast.