OFFICIAL WEBSITE ARTIST PAGE Bassnectar is one of the longest standing and most respected artists in American electronic dance music, commonly referred to simply as EDM. He is the original long hair behind the tables, having been in the game well before most of his contemporaries by amassing an epic fan base and having sold over 220k tickets to his solo shows alone in 2012. His art brazenly oversteps the bounds of contemporary EDM, pulling from a dynamic array of source material and attracting lovers of all genres, from dubstep to metal, punk rock, hip hop, and all forms of EDM (drum & bass, trip hop, etc) and beyond. His art is more than just an auditory experience; it serves to evoke all human senses with live shows that feature unparalleled light shows and awe-inspiring visual queues. Bassnectar intends to not only foster his own community of loyal Bass Heads, but also contribute to the global community at large through charity and social change by giving one dollar from every ticket sold to a non-profit, as part of his “Dollar Per Bass Head” Program
Bassnectar is the brainchild of Lorin Ashton, a San Francisco-based DJ, producer and artist. Lorin, who released his first album in 2001, began the project as an open-sourced musical experiment exploring the interplay between music and community. His music covers any genre imaginable and fuses everything into an electro-synthesis of intense basslines and hypnotic soundscapes. Coming from a background in death metal, Ashton did not intend to approach EDM from a traditional standpoint. It was a very natural and unique progression. It is this openness to exploring new ways of creating dance music that has attracted droves of loyal fans to Bassnectar’s recordings and live performances. Being purposely limitless, Bassnectar is as diverse as he is heavy, as raw as he is meticulous, and as fierce as he is imaginary. Growing up in a Bay Area commune, Ashton initially identified with visual arts rather than music by creating movies with his dad’s camera at the age of 10. As his interest in all things creative grew, he bought a guitar and taught himself to play back cover songs and merge them- early versions of what came to be known as the “mash up”. During his first year of high school, Ashton honed his mastery of beats on a set of homemade drums and began incorporating the complex rhythm of Brazilian samba into his repertoire. This explorative take on music led to a deep involvement in the death metal scene of the 1990's. He started a band called Pale Existence and began playing and promoting underground shows. He also organized a local battle of the bands that inspired insane amounts of fun energy and crazy moshpits. In this pre-internet age, Ashton had gone from a commune, to high school (where he earned straight A’s), to his first musical community.
