Mesmerizing The Ultra

Lorin Gabriel Ashton (born February 16, 1978), better known under his stage name Bassnectar, is an American DJ and electronic music producer. With a career spanning several decades, Bassnectar has gained recognition for his innovative sound design and energetic live performances. His music and performances typically combine elements of dubstep, drum and bass, and various other electronic subgenres, often characterized by heavy basslines and intricate, layered production, helping contribute to the popularization of bass-heavy dance music in the United States.

Career

Early years

Ashton is a native of San Jose, California. When Ashton was 16 years old, he played in a death metal band named Pale Existence, which contributed to his heavy style of music. In 1995, he attended his first rave 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.

He continued his studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, producing tracks using Opcode Systems Studio Vision Pro.

Ashton began DJing parties in the Bay Area and drew fanfare at Burning Man by playing multiple sets a night. Around this time, several mixtapes were released under the moniker Lorin, including ''Gardens'', ''Dreamtempo Mixtape'', and ''Freakbeat for the Beatfreaks''.

Making an appearance at the 2002 Health and Harmony Festival in Santa Rosa, California, with a 16-track mixing board and alongside a Gamelan Orchestra, it is believed Ashton performed for the first time using a laptop and controller in lieu of standard DJing equipment. It was around this time that Ashton began formalizing his stage name, sometimes still booking under Lorin Bassnectar before dropping Lorin altogether. His second album ''Motions of Mutation'' from 2003 and its 2004 successor ''Diverse 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.

In 2005, Ashton signed with Madison House, a booking agency predominantly known at the time for its work with jam bands. 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 (albums ''Mesmerizing the Ultra'', '' Underground Communication'', '' Cozza Frenzy'', along with the EP ''Timestretch'') added to Bassnectar's popularity and influence in the growing electronic scene in the United States.

In 2010, Bassnectar performed at Wakarusa, Camp Bisco, The All Good Music Festival, and Outside Lands.

2011–2014: Touring era and mainstream breakthrough

In 2011, ''Divergent Spectrum'' became the first album to chart on the ''Billboard'' Top Dance/Electronic Albums, spending 35 weeks on the chart and peaking at 2nd position, marking a turning point for the Bassnectar project from a commercial standpoint.

Following the success of ''Divergent Spectrum'', Ashton released his seventh studio album, ''Vava Voom'', on April 10, 2012. The album debuted at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart and remained on the chart for 15 weeks. The success of ''Vava 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 and playing over 150 shows a year 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. The resulting album, ''Noise vs. Beauty'', was released June 24, 2014 and debuted at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, remaining on the chart for 16 weeks. The album received generally favorable reviews, with ''Rolling Stone'' giving the album a 3/5 rating and noting the release was Ashton's "most mature".

2015–2019: Festival circuit and curated events

In 2015, Bassnectar stopped touring his own show and shifted focus towards playing the festival circuit almost exclusively, making multiple appearances at Bonnaroo, Camp Bisco, Electric Daisy Carnival, Electric Forest Festival, Lollapalooza, and Okeechobee 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 the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. As popularity and demand grew, various curated events were added over time, including " Basslights" (a collaborative event between Bassnectar and Pretty Lights), Halloween and Day of the Dead themed events (sometimes referred to as "Freakstyle" or "Dark Parties"), New Year's Eve celebrations ("NYE360"), and others, such as "Freestyle Sessions" and "Spring Gathering".

By 2016, Bassnectar's in-house productions like Bass Center at the 25,000 person capacity Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver were sold out and featured popular supporting acts including Wu Tang Clan, Flying Lotus, Lupe Fiasco, Flux Pavillion, and Porter Robinson.

In 2019, the first international concert destination event "Deja Voom" was announced, to be he held at the Barceló Maya Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

2020–present: Hiatus and return

In January 2023, following years of silence from Ashton stemming from sexual assault allegations, a new mix, titled ''Music for Optimists'', was discovered on the Bassnectar Mixcloud profile. 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.

Later that year, a two-night concert was announced as a "members-only" show to be held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 6–7, marking the first public event put on by Ashton since playing at Okeechobee in 2020. Around the same time, Ashton released his twelfth album, ''The Golden Rule''. One month after the Las Vegas announcement, another two-night concert was announced and scheduled for October 27–28 at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina; however, backlash stemming from the abuse allegations resulted in the show's cancellation the same day of its announcement. On December 30–31, Bassnectar returned to playing New Year's parties, as he had held since 2011 and continued to do through 2019, when he played a two-night show at the Palladium Times Square.

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 the Gateway Center Arena. Subject to similar public outcry as other recent show announcements, this show was subsequently cancelled. Following this cancellation, the team attempted to relocate the show to The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas for the same dates, but on February 16, this show too was postponed, officially citing "health issues."

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.

In 2025, a live stream event for a new album called ''Relive'' ''Forever'' was announced, with an expected release in May 2025.

Legal issues

Max Hattler copyright infringement

In 2011, visuals created by Max Hattler, a German visual artist and experimental 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".

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 his Facebook artist profile, Ashton attempted to apologize and mitigate the issue, explaining their use was above-board, citing sampling 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.

In July 2016, Hattler filed suit against Bassnectar for copyright infringement. In June 2017, the case was settled and dismissed. None of Hattler's visuals remained in use after 2016.

Sexual assault allegations

On July 3, 2020, Ashton announced that he was "stepping back" from music, amid allegations of sexual misconduct. He denied the allegations but stated that "some of my past actions have caused pain, and I am deeply sorry." 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 as Datsik.

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 hearts are also breaking." DJ and producer Dylan Lane, known professionally as ill.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." In response, Ashton removed nearly all their collaborations from streaming services. Others, such as PEEKABOO and Apashe, donated proceeds from the tracks they produced with Bassnectar and offered support to victims of sexual abuse.

In April 2021, the allegations were formalized when Rachel Ramsbottom and Alexis Bowling filed suit with the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against Ashton and several other Bassnectar-affiliated entities. One month later, the complaint was amended to add two additional women, Jenna Houston and "Jane Doe #1", to the suit. In July 2021, Jane Doe #1 terminated from the suit. In November 2024, three years after the initial filing, the legal team representing Ashton requested summary judgment by Judge Aleta Trauger, which was denied.

On February 18, 2025, the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice following an out of court settlement.

Legacy

Live performances

Bassnectar concerts have been characterized by high volume sound systems, immersive lighting and visual fx, and an "amorphous" blend of genres and musical elements, both electronic and non-electronic. Reflecting on moments from his career, fellow dubstep artist Skream had this to say after watching Ashton perform at the Shambhala music festival in 2008:

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. Originally making use of a pair of M-Audio Trigger Finger mini pad (MIDI) controllers, these connected to two laptops that each ran Ableton 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 by ill.Gates to more easily interact with the software and manipulate tracks in a creative way. After the original Trigger Finger was discontinued, Ashton commissioned 60 Works, a Minneapolis based boutique MIDI controller company, to create a new controller customized for his approach to live shows.

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, d&b audiotechnik, L-Acoustics, Meyer Sound Laboratories, and PK Audio. 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. The reaction wasn't always positive, however, as demonstrated in 2016 when Bassnectar drew complaints from neighbors while performing at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce 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."

By 2012, the production crew had grown to dozens of people manning arrays of computers to orchestrate each performance. As part of the "Immersive Music Tour" in the fall of 2013, the "Ultimate Nerd Server" (U.N.S.), a custom Ableton plug-in designed by amethemachinefor the production, made its debut. 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. Complimenting these video backdrops were expansive lighting and laser arrays, sometimes eclipsing over 100 individual elements. 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.

Activism and community engagement

Ashton's personal views have been constantly intertwined with his Bassnectar persona, with public statements, interviews, samples in released music, and even portions of his live performances focused on the state of politics and human rights in the United States with a strong liberal slant. Words and sound-bytes from the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., Noam Chomsky, Fred Hampton, and Mumia 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 as Conscious Alliance, HeadCount, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, To Write Love on Her Arms, and BetterHelp. 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.

Personal life

Although born in Santa Cruz, California, Ashton grew up in a hippie commune until age five, when his parents became born again Christians and left the commune. He was originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and was described by the ''Rolling Stone'' as "a long-haired neo-hippie." Through adolescence, he worked odd jobs such as a grocery bagger, children's entertainer, and census-taker. He initially identified with visual arts rather than music, creating movies with his father's camera. Eventually, Ashton came to attend Bellarmine College Preparatory.

In 2016, Ashton was diagnosed with skin cancer under his left eye, for which he underwent surgery to remove. The operation was successful.

Ashton endorsed Bernie Sanders in his candidacy for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Ashton has been vocally anti-Trump, offering to play a free show following the former President's impeachment in 2019. The show did not materialize.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Motions of Mutation'' (2003)
* ''Diverse Systems of Throb'' (2004)
* ''Mesmerizing The Ultra'' (2005)
* ''Underground Communication'' (2007)
* '' Cozza Frenzy'' (2009)
* ''Divergent Spectrum'' (2011)
* ''Vava Voom'' (2012)
* ''Noise vs. Beauty'' (2014)
* '' Into the Sun'' (2015)
* '' Unlimited'' (2016)
* ''All Colors'' (2020)
* ''The Golden Rule'' (2023)
* ''No Colors'' (2024)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassnectar
1978 births
Living people
American electronic musicians
Breakbeat musicians
American dubstep musicians
American electronic dance music DJs
Monstercat artists
Musicians from California
Owsla artists
Songwriters from California