A long-standing and influential figure in California's electronic music community, DJ, producer, and remixer Bassnectar delivers a heavy, physical blend of aggressive electronic, embracing elements of extreme bass, dubstep, breakbeat, and other IDM styles, as well as shifting tempos and contrasting dynamics that go from gentle to bruising and back during the course of a set. Known for high-energy live shows, he debuted in the early 2000s and made his first appearance on the U.S. charts in 2009 with his fifth album, Cozza Frenzy. From there, a string of dance chart-topping albums followed, including 2014's Noise vs. Beauty, his first number one. Additionally, Bassnectar has a strong activist streak, which he uses to promote social and political causes, as well as to foster a sense of community. After taking a hiatus, he returned in 2023 with The Golden Rule.
In 1996, Ashton started learning how to DJ, and coupled with his earlier experience in percussion, he recorded four-track demos with his band and studied electronic music at the University of California in Santa Cruz, soon mastering the basics of spinning and producing dance music. He started producing recordings for other acts in his spare time, and in 2001 he was invited to remix a track by Michael Franti & Spearhead for a single. Later that same year, the first Bassnectar album, Freakbeat for the Beatfreaks, was released; Ashton produced and released on his own label, Amorphous Music.
While his first few albums earned him a buzz on the indie electronic scene, the fourth Bassnectar album, 2004's Diverse Systems of Throb, expanded his audience and influence. After that, he began issuing a steady stream of albums, singles, and podcasts in which he collaborated with artists including KRS-One, Ellie Goulding, Perry Farrell, Lupe Fiasco, Rye Rye, Buckethead, and Gogol Bordello, as well as producers Diplo, BT, DJ Vadim, and Rjd2. Divergent Spectrum, released in 2011, was his first album to reach the Billboard charts. One year later, Vava Voom broke into the Top 40, and his 2014 LP Noise vs. Beauty reached number 21.
Bassnectar also became a popular live attraction, spinning up to 150 nights a year at venues ranging from clubs and warehouses to festivals such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza. He staged his first Bass Center Festival in 2010, and the events (roughly twice a year) grew in size and stature until Bass Center 8 filled Madison Square Garden in October 2014. Into the Sun was released in 2015, with the bonus-track CD Mixtape 13 added to the album's limited-edition version. The LP Unlimited followed in 2016 with Rye Rye, Zion I, and the Glitch Mob as guests.
The following year saw Ashton issue Reflective, a six-track EP with collaborators Dorfex Bos and G Jones. A sequel, Reflective, Pt. 2, was also released that year. Before the arrival of Reflective, Pt. 3, he joined rappers Big Boi and Killer Mike on Tom Morello's 2018 single "Rabbit's Revenge." Reflective, Pt. 4 appeared in 2019 and included the track "Dive" featuring RD. Early 2020 saw the release of the single "Nice & Easy" featuring Rodney P ahead of the arrival of the full-length All Colors, which was issued later that June.
After stepping away from music for a three-year hiatus, Bassnectar resumed work in 2023 with another full-length, The Golden Rule. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Music Style and Influence[]
BBorn Lorin Ashton in Santa Cruz in 1978, he was raised in a bohemian environment and claims to have been introduced to the power of bass by the rumbling of a minor earthquake he experienced as a child. As a teenager, he was exposed to world music by an uncle who brought him a set of hand drums and recordings of African and Latin music; at the same time, the youngster had become a serious thrash metal fan, and was also interested in grunge (particularly Nirvana) and hardcore rap (especially N.W.A). Ashton taught himself to play guitar and formed an extreme metal band, becoming a fixture on the local grindcore scene until he attended his first rave in the fall of 1995. He was immediately won over by the sense of community in the rave scene as well as the music, and he began attending raves as often as he could, as well as helping to organize and promote events.
Discography[]
Studio Albums[]
- 2001 Freakbeats for the Beatfreaks
- 2002 Beatfeak Bohemia
- 2003 Motions of Mutation
- 2004 Diverse Systems of Throb
- 2005 Mesmerizing the Ultra
- 2007 Underground Communication
- 2009 Cozza Frenzy
- 2011 Divergent Spectrum
- 2012 Vava Voom
- 2014 Noise vs. Beauty
- 2015 Into the Sun
- 2016 Unlimited
- 2020 All Colors
- 2023 The Golden Rule
- 2024 The Golden Rule Remixes (Part 1)
- 2024 No Colors
Singles / EPs / Remixes[]
- 2002 Float
- 2003 Landslide - Don't Give Up Now (remix)
- 2004 Creation Lullaby
- 2005 Booty Line / California Sunrise
- 2005 Taurine Thruster
- 2005 Everybody
- 2006 Blue State Riddim
- 2007 Yo ft. Kristina Maria
- 2007 Bomb The Blocks
- 2008 Viva Tibet (with Freq Nasty)
- 2008 Net Neutrality Rantapella (with ill.gates)
- 2008 Heads Up EP
- 2008 Zion I & the Grouch - Lift Me Up (remix)
- 2009 Art of Revolution EP
- 2009 Land of the Lupes
- 2010 Timestretch EP
- 2010 Here We Go
- 2010 Bass Head
- 2010 Magical World ft. Nelly Furtado
- 2010 Wildstyle EP
- 2010 Wildstyle Method
- 2010 Deftones - Prince (Remix)
- 2011 Ellie Goulding - Lights (Remix)
- 2011 Upside Down
- 2011 Above and Beyond (with Seth Drake)
- 2012 Vava Voom (with Lupe Fiasco)
- 2012 Ugly (with Amplive)
- 2012 Divergent Spectrum Remix EP
- 2012 Up All Night Vol. 2 - Dark Room
- 2012 Freestyle EP
- 2013 Take You Down EP
- 2013 Put It Down (with Excision, Downlink and Space Laces)
- 2014 Joker - Midnight (remix)
- 2015 Every Time (with Jantsen)
- 2015 The Glitch Mob - Beauty of the Unhidden Heart (remix)
- 2017 Interlock (with ATLiens)
- 2017 Watch Out ft. Ragga Twins (with Dirtyphonics)
- 2017 Noisia - Get Deaded (remix)
- 2017 Reflective (Part 1) EP
- 2017 Reflective (Part 2) EP
- 2018 Rabbit's Revenge (with Tom Morello, Big Boi & Killer Mike)
- 2018 Reflective (Part 3) EP
- 2019 Reflective (Part 4) EP
- 2023 The Golden Rule: Part 1: Unlocked
- 2023 The Golden Rule: Part 2: Move Like Helicopter
- 2023 Time for Some Action (Locoqueen Remix) / Acid Blackness (Bassnectar Remix)
- 2024 Hyper (Oooh Yes! & WCLF Remix)
- 2024 That Different Antidote
- 2024 A Strange World
- 2024 Nice & Easy (Remixes)
- 2024 Rewind The Track (Xoloja Remix)
- 2024 Y.K.U.L.I.
- 2024 The Adventures of West Coast Lo Fi
Mixtapes[]
- 2008 Smashers & Mashers
- 2008 Leftfield Downtempo Hyphop
- 2008 For Whom the Bass Tolls
- 2009 Live Mixset for KISS FM
- 2010 2010 IDJ Mixtape
- 2010 Bassnectar BBC Mixtape
- 2011 Color Storm Remixtape
- 2012 Amorphous Music Mixtape Volume 7
- 2012 European Vacation Mix
- 2012 Freestyle Mixtape
- 2020 The Lockdown Mixtapes: Inside For The People
- 2020 The Lockdown Mixtapes: Sound In Motion
- 2020 Music For Optimists Mixtape
- 2023 Bassnectar Radio Mixtape 1
- 2023 TOS Mixtape 7/23
- 2023 TOS Mixtape 8/23
- 2023 TOS Mixtape 9/23
- 2023 TOS Mixtape 10/23
- 2023 TOS Mixtape 11/23
- 2023 TOS Mixtape 12/23
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 1/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 2/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 3/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 4/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 5/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 6/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 7/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 8/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 9/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 10/24
- 2024 TOS Mixtape 11/24
Videos[]
- 2007 Bomb The Blocks
- 2012 Vava Voom
- 2012 Ugly