Bassnectar | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Bassnectar performing in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lorin Ashton |
| Also known as | DJ Lorin |
| Born | (1978-02-16)February 16, 1978 (age 47) Santa Cruz, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1996–present[1] |
| Labels |
|
| Website | bassnectar |
Lorin Gabriel Ashton (born February 16, 1978),[2] better known under his stage nameBassnectar, is an AmericanDJ andelectronic music producer.[3][4] With a career spanning several decades, Bassnectar has gained recognition for his innovative sound design and energeticlive performances. His music and performances typically combine elements ofdubstep,drum and bass, and various otherelectronic subgenres, often characterized by heavy basslines and intricate, layered production, helping contribute to the popularization of bass-heavy dance music in the United States.[5]
Ashton is a native ofSan Jose,California.[6][7] When Ashton was 16 years old, he played in adeath metal band named Pale Existence, which contributed to his heavy style of music.[5] In 1995, he attended his firstrave and was drawn to this new type of music, attending as many shows as possible, promoting shows, and eventually learning to DJ after studying electronic music production.[8][better source needed]
He continued his studies at theUniversity of California, Santa Cruz, producing tracks usingOpcode Systems Studio Vision Pro.[9][10]
Ashton began DJing parties in the Bay Area and drew fanfare atBurning Man by playing multiple sets a night.[5] Around this time, severalmixtapes were released under the moniker Lorin, includingGardens,Dreamtempo Mixtape, andFreakbeat for the Beatfreaks.[11]
Making an appearance at the 2002 Health and Harmony Festival inSanta Rosa, California, it is believed Ashton performed for the first time using a laptop and controller in lieu of standardDJing equipment.[12] It was around this time that Ashton began formalizing his stage name, sometimes still booking under Lorin Bassnectar before dropping Lorin altogether. His second albumMotions of Mutation from 2003 and its 2004 successorDiverse Systems of Throb both garnered support from the Bay Area electronic music community, and through frequent sightings at various parties and festivals, his notoriety continued to grow. Ashton played one such event,Shambhala music festival, in 2001–2002 before formally returning to the grounds as Bassnectar in 2003 and kicking off a string of annual performances at the festival that would continue for 11 years straight.[13]
In 2005, Ashton signed with Madison House, a booking agency predominantly known at the time for its work withjam bands.[14] This move helped to elevate Bassnectar's stature at a key time as audiences became more receptive towards electronic music. Continued releases in the following years (albumsMesmerizing the Ultra,Underground Communication,Cozza Frenzy, along with the EPTimestretch) added to Bassnectar's popularity and influence in the growing electronic scene in the United States.
In 2011,Divergent Spectrum became the first album to chart on theBillboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums, spending 35 weeks on the chart and peaking at 2nd position,[15] marking a turning point for the Bassnectar project from a commercial standpoint.
Following the success ofDivergent Spectrum, Ashton released his seventh studio album,Vava Voom, on April 10, 2012. The album debuted at No. 2 on theBillboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and remained on the chart for 15 weeks. The success ofVava Voom was complemented by a sold-out North American tour. It was during this period that Bassnectar was at the height of his touring era, exceeding 200,000 ticket sales in both 2011 and 2012[16] and playing over 150 shows a year[5] in venues across the United States.
Through the end of 2013 and early 2014, touring dates tapered off to allow space to produce his eighth studio album. Ashton approached the effort by first composing each song's building blocks electronically, then deconstructing them into guitar, piano, and vocal arrangements that could then be sent to various producers and artists for workshopping. The feedback collected from these workshopping efforts informed the finalized version of each track.[17][18] The resulting album,Noise vs. Beauty, was released June 24, 2014 and debuted at No. 1 on theBillboard Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, remaining on the chart for 16 weeks. The album received generally favorable reviews, withRolling Stone giving the album a 3/5 rating and noting the release was Ashton's "most mature".[19]
In 2015, Bassnectar stopped touring his own show and shifted focus towards playing the festival circuit almost exclusively, making multiple appearances atBonnaroo,Camp Bisco,Electric Daisy Carnival,Electric Forest Festival,Lollapalooza, andOkeechobee Music & Arts Festival. However, before this time of exclusively playing festival shows, Bassnectar began orchestrating his own "curated" events.
In 2010, the first of these events, named "BassCenter", was held at the1stBank Center inBroomfield, Colorado.[20] As popularity and demand grew, various curated events were added over time, including "Basslights" (a collaborative event between Bassnectar andPretty Lights),Halloween andDay of the Dead themed events (sometimes referred to as "Freakstyle"), New Year's Eve celebrations ("NYE360"), and others, such as "Freestyle Sessions", "Spring Gathering", and "Deja Voom". His latest curated event was to be held in March 2020 at the Barcelo Maya Resort inRiviera Maya, Mexico, but was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In January 2023, following years of silence from Ashton stemming from sexual assault allegations, perpetual discussion from his fans, and rumors regarding a possible return, a new mix, titledMusic for Optimists, was discovered on the BassnectarMixcloud profile.[21] Newsletter subscribers received an email inviting them to a new website, "UnlocktheOtherSide.com", which would act as a “centralized hub” for the community going forward.[22]
Later that year, a two-night concert was announced as a "members-only" show to be held atMandalay Bay inLas Vegas, Nevada on October 6–7, marking the first public event put on by Ashton since playing at Okeechobee in 2020.[23] Around the same time, Ashton released his twelfth album,The Golden Rule.[24] One month after the Las Vegas announcement, another two-night concert was announced and scheduled for October 27–28 at theHarrah's Cherokee Center inAsheville, North Carolina; however, immediate and intense backlash stemming from the abuse allegations and the ongoingcivil suit resulted in the show's cancellation the same day of its announcement.[25][26] On December 30–31, Bassnectar returned to playing New Year's parties, as he had held since 2011[27][28] and continued to do through 2019, when he played a two-night show at thePalladium Times Square.[29]
The Palladium show was followed up by an announcement a few weeks later for a new curated event, titled "Boombox ATL", which was to be held April 26–27, 2024 at theGateway Center Arena. Subject to similar public outcry as other recent show announcements, this show was subsequently cancelled.[30][31] Following this cancellation, the team attempted to relocate the show toThe Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas for the same dates, but on February 16, this show too was postponed, officially citing "health issues."[32]
In August 2024, it was announced a three-day event would be held in Miami, Florida from December 29–31. The following month, the thirteenth album from Bassnectar,No Colors, was released.[33][better source needed]
In 2011, visuals created byMax Hattler, a Germanvisual artist andexperimental filmmaker, caught the attention of Ashton and his team. Before the end of the year, they began to repurpose select works for use in live performances, particularly Hattler's "1923 aka Heaven" which accompanied the track "Plugged In" by Rollz, and "Sync", which accompanied an unreleased Bassnectar song named "Frog Song".[34]
While Hattler was contacted by the Bassnectar team in 2013 to commission new visuals for the tour, a contract never materialized. For six years, the Bassnectar team continued to use the visuals, until in 2016 when Hattler learned of his visual's use without permission or compensation. After voicing his displeasure on hisFacebook artist profile, Ashton attempted to apologize and mitigate the issue, explaining their use was above-board, citingsampling culture in electronic music and exposure benefit Hattler would enjoy stemming from the visual's use in live performances. Hattler refuted these claims, citing the business nature of the Bassnectar enterprise and the ongoing unauthorized use over a significant period of time.[35]
In July 2016, Hattlerfiled suit against Bassnectar forcopyright infringement.[36][37][38] In June 2017, the case wassettled anddismissed.[39] None of Hattler's visuals remained in use after 2016.
On July 3, 2020, Ashton announced that he was "stepping back" from music, amid allegations ofsexual misconduct.[40] He denied the allegations but stated that "some of my past actions have caused pain, and I am deeply sorry."[40] Following this announcement, past collaborators and artists in the electronic music community spoke out against Ashton and led fans to draw comparisons to other artists in the electronic music industry who had been accused of sexual abuse, such asDatsik.[41]
Mimi Page, who provided vocals for a few Bassnectar tracks, including "Butterfly" and "Breathless", tweeted that she was "devastated" and sends "love and healing to the fans in this community who's [sic] hearts are also breaking."[42] DJ and producer Dylan Lane, known professionally asill.Gates, who produced music with and had previously defended Ashton, ultimately reversed his stance and concluded: "I'm feeling sad. I feel used, I feel betrayed, I feel like my musical history is stained by this."[43] In response, Ashton removed nearly all their collaborations fromstreaming services. Others, such asPEEKABOO andApashe, donated proceeds from the tracks they produced with Bassnectar and offered support to victims of sexual abuse.[44]
In April 2021, the allegations were formalized when Rachel Ramsbottom and Alexis Bowling filed suit with theUnited States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against Ashton and several other Bassnectar-affiliated entities.[45] One month later, the complaint was amended to add two additional women, Jenna Houston and "Jane Doe #1", to the suit.[46] In July 2021, Jane Doe #1 terminated from the suit. In November 2024, three years after the initial filing, the legal team representing Ashton requestedsummary judgment by JudgeAleta Trauger, which was denied.[47][48]
On February 18, 2025, the lawsuit was dismissed withprejudice following an out of court settlement.[49][50]
Bassnectar concerts are characterized by high volumesound systems, immersivelighting and visual fx, and an "amorphous" blend ofgenres and musical elements, both electronic and non-electronic.[51] Reflecting on moments from his career, fellow dubstep artistSkream had this to say after watching Ashton perform at theShambhala music festival in 2008:
“I played before Bassnectar in the Fractal Forest, I think it was, and it was insane,” he says. “I’d never seen anything like it. People were losing their absolute minds.”
— Skream[52]
One key ingredient in making these performances so captivating was Ashton's adoption of "controllerism", an alternative approach to live mixing compared to more traditional setups that used CDJs.[53] Originally making use of a pair ofM-Audio Trigger Fingermini pad (MIDI) controllers, these connected to two laptops that each ranAbleton Live's Session View, which enabled the selection and cueing of tracks to be mixed together. Both instances of Ableton Live, which were synchronized as a safeguard against technical issues and to allow flexibility in the live performance, utilized custom "performance templates" designed byill.Gates to more easily interact with the software and manipulate tracks in a creative way.[54] After the original Trigger Finger was discontinued sometime around 2010, Ashton commissioned 60 Works, aMinneapolis basedboutique MIDI controller company, to create a new controller customized for his approach to live shows.[55]
In addition to the innovative mixing approach, another key element of Bassnectar's live show experience was an ever-increasing emphasis on high quality sound, making use of various sound systems over the years, including Anya,[56]d&b audiotechnik,[57]L-Acoustics,[58]Meyer Sound Laboratories,[59] and PK Audio.[60] Even as early as 2012, relatively early in the tour's infancy, several hundred-thousand watts of loudspeakers were regularly at the disposal of Ashton's audio engineering team. Over time, this number grew even larger, with hundreds of speakers regularly being deployed for curated events.[61] The reaction wasn't always positive, however, as demonstrated in 2016 when Bassnectar drew complaints from neighbors while performing atDick's Sporting Goods Park inCommerce City, Colorado. While the city confirmed the show was within the permitted loudness levels, one nearby resident remarked during a city council meeting, "I thought it was an earthquake. I looked and realized it was bass."[62]
By 2012, the production crew had grown to dozens of people manning arrays of computers to orchestrate each performance.[63] As part of the "Immersive Music Tour" in the fall of 2013, the "Ultimate Nerd Server" (U.N.S.), a custom Abletonplug-in designed by [namethemachine] for the production, made its debut.[64] This plug-in allowed Ashton and his production team to more easily cue and manipulate video clips as audio tracks were being played, keeping the two elements highly synchronized in both tempo and feel, as any audio-effect manipulation while performing would affect the video as well.[65] Complimenting these video backdrops were expansive lighting and laser arrays, sometimes eclipsing over 100 individual elements.[66] While audio and video clips were kept in-sync via the U.N.S, lighting was approached more improvisationally, with lighting designers making choices on the fly to accompany the music.[67]
Ashton's personal views have been constantly intertwined with his Bassnectar persona, with public statements,[68] interviews,[69][70]samples in released music,[71] and even portions of his live performances[72] focused on the state ofpolitics andhuman rights in the United States with a strongliberal slant. Words and sound-bytes from the likes ofMartin Luther King Jr.,[51]Noam Chomsky,Fred Hampton, andMumia Abu Jamal have been frequently recalled in various mediums used by Ashton, and in the earlier days of the project, long diatribes on stage airing grievances were not uncommon.
The Bassnectar organization is also recognized for its activist and philanthropic efforts, bringing awareness to political, social and environmental issues and directly supporting organizations such asConscious Alliance,[73]HeadCount,[74]Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and theNAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund,[75]To Write Love on Her Arms,[76] andBetterHelp.[77][78] Other programs, such as "Dollar Per Bass Head", which collected $1 for every ticket sold, donated funds to charitable causes voted on by the community.[79]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) |
Although born inSanta Cruz, California, Ashton grew up in ahippie commune until age five, when his parents becameborn again Christians and left the commune.[16] He was originally from theSan Francisco Bay Area and was described by theRolling Stone as "a long-haired neo-hippie."[80] Through adolescence, he worked odd jobs such as a grocery bagger, children's entertainer, andcensus-taker.[81] He initially identified with visual arts rather than music, creating movies with his father's camera.[82] Eventually, Ashton came to attendBellarmine College Preparatory.[83]
In 2016, Ashton was diagnosed withskin cancer under his left eye, for which he underwent surgery to remove. The operation was successful.[84]
Ashton endorsedBernie Sanders in his candidacy for the2016 U.S. presidential election.[85]
Ashton has been vocallyanti-Trump, offering to play a free show following theformer President's impeachment in 2019.[86] The show did not materialize.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
