No matter what medium he’s using, the Bassnectar experience is always a treat for the senses. Whether he’s fusing the familiar with the strange or the classic with the cutting edge, his music coupled with his enigmatic stage presence makes every set an adventure free of rules and limitations.
Born and raised in the outskirts of San Francisco, Ultimate Music Experience talent Lorin Ashton, better known as Bassnectar, was drawn to visual arts rather than musical arts, often making movies on his father’s camera. After attending raves at the age of 18, Lorin began researching electronic music. Though he recorded songs off the radio to create makeshift mixtapes, being a DJ was the furthest thing from his mind, “I never cared about being a DJ, but I cared deeply about creating community events or inciting gatherings that were subversive to mainstream culture. I wanted to reach out and kind of give back to the world because I felt inspired to a point that was almost out of control. I also identified as a musician, so there was no doubt in my mind I would make music for the rest of my life.”
Honing his style, the UME talent began playing house parties in the Bay Area as DJ Lorin. Quickly picking up momentum in his home state, Lorin was asked to perform at Burning Man multiple times, often playing up to seven sets in a night. Using a varied workspace, Lorin’s open-sourced musical format is unlike any other artist in the industry, drawing inspiration from every genre imaginable, “My influences are not necessarily how I sound, they include everything from NWA to Simon & Garfunkel to The Cure to The Field Of Dreams Soundtrack to Sibilant & Metal Spark to Cannibal Corpse, Exhumed & Emperor to My Dying Bride to FreQ Nasty, Tipper, Ed Rush & Optical, to Frank Zappa to The Who to Boards Of Canada to REM to Salt N Peppa to Run DMC to Led Zeppelin to Grave to Disembowelment to Beethoven and Mozart to Oizo, Mr. Rogers, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Mr. Mayagi, to loma prieta earthquakes to Native American flute music and the soft humming of my mother. I guess Bassnectar is an amalgamation of every sound I’ve ever heard, mixed with ultra wicked basslines.”
He released his first album Freakbeat for the Beatfreaks in 2001 and in the following year, Lorin performed as Bassnectar for the first time. Through the years, Bassnectar worked and toured relentlessly releasing an extensive list of singles, EPs, and albums every year since his first while continuing to be a staple at music festivals like Camp Bisco, Coachella, and Lollapalooza. Even when he’s not playing at a festival, his solo shows pull some huge numbers. In 2012 alone, Bassnectar sold over 250,000 tickets. His fans, “Bass Heads,” are one of the most devout communities in the world, traveling long distances to experience the notorious live performances whenever they can.
Outside of making stellar music, Bassnectar’s active involvement with the community is another reason we love this bass veteran, “I want to give back and catalyze my fan base to have a greater impact. A part of that is the Dollar Per Bass Head campaign. I will donate a dollar from every ticket sold for the rest of my life to go towards charities that my fans vote on each year.”
Currently, you can find Bassnectar hard at work in the studio, “I’m working on an album of songs and collaborating like a lunatic. And I’m looking forward to having some adventures in unexpected places, exploring new things, and trying new ideas.” Taking a break to come vacation and party with us at Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark, we’re excited to have Bassnectar close out the second day of Ultimate Music Experience.
Join the celebration and pre-party taking place March 12-15th. Tickets are now available, buy your tickets online today.
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