For the last decade, Lorin Ashton has helped develop the North American underground dance music scene. From touring full time as a DJ (an average of 125 shows per year), to his production & remixing under the alias Bassnectar, he has ammassed a dedicated fan base, crossing over from hip hop to electronica to breakbeat to ragga/dub to the greater Burningman Scene. He’s usually booked 3-4 months in advance was rated number three in Nitevibe.com’s DJ Dreamteam contest. On Bassnectar’s double album debut, Lorin collaborated with the likes of KRS One, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Buckethead, The String Cheese Incident, and Mumia Abu Jamal. He took time in his busy traveling schedule to answer some late night questions via email.
At eighteen, you made a dramatic transformation from death metal fan to djing? What happened?
Well, honestly I don’t really feel like I fully ever made a transition. Not fully. I mean, it was a 360 degree turn around in terms of the scenes I spent my time in, the people at events, etc… the face changed, but the raw spirit of massive, surging sonic energetics is still totally in tact.
From the moment I stepped into my first electronic music gathering, my life changed because the spirit of the room was so wide open, so engulfing, warm, intriguing…I felt an instant sense of community, acceptance, encouragement. The death metal scene was fun as well, full of really sweet people who played around with funny shock value, and loved mass burly music….the dance music scene was a vaster landscape on so many levels…
Your music manages to integrate a wide spectrum of genres? How would you describe its transformation over the years?
It’s always been super eclectic. The spirit of it underneath is a mix of enchantment and perversity…beastial, primal power and intoxicating dreaminess… Music has always been super emotional for me; melody affects me in such a commanding way that I feel like a slave. But something about the pure rawness and abandon of grinding basslines and rhythm section drives that defiant, unbreakable human spirit that lurks deep inside.
I heard that your career changed when you hooked up with Perry Farell at burning/”>http://www.burningman.com”>Burning Man. What’s the story on how you met and what happened from there?
Yeah, he stumbled across a set I was doing at Arena, and stayed the whole time…I ended up getting hired to do a remix for him, and when he heard it, he fired his production team, and hired me to produce the whole album for him…we were partners for a bit and really good friends. I was one in a long line of people trying to please all the angles of that team on a 4 year project… he was in love with so many different sounds, and so many different, conflicting directions (I can so relate!) And seemed to have different management forces pulling him different ways… so the ones who supported him getting into the electronic side of things loved me, and the ones who rather he reunited with Jane’s Addiction found reasons to move him on toward that more rock-centered sound. It all worked out for the best, but one of my favorite memories is both of us in my crappy self-built sound-proofed box in my garage, our shirts off, me holding the mic in front of him (I didn’t own a mic stand) and him covering his eyes and chanting Hassidic hymns and phrases; me yelling “no english! Just channel!” and he went the fuck OFF.
What’s in store for those who check out your double CD debut, http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,3425833,00.html“> Mesmerizing the Ultra?
35 tracks, spread across 2 CDs… it’s a taste test of different musical directions I was exploring in 2004 and 2005…ranging from down tempo trip hop to up tempo breaks, and everything in between like hip hop samples, wobbly basslines, mid tempo breakbeat loops, fucked up noises, and loads of collaboration with folks from rock, hip hop dub, and electronica.
In the album, you collaborate with a diverse array of artists. What was the process?
I love to collaborate as much as possible…and it’s a differnet monster with everyone. With Sayr, he’s my best friend, came over to live with me for a month and was running my computer cuz my carpel tunnel was jackin me, and we ended up making Enter The Chamber off of a silly voicemail he had on his machine…I sang it in, and we went to town. With Bucket Head, we never spoke (I’ve still never met him!) …we just sent files back and forth across the Internet and communicated through his girl friend. With Michael Kang (String Cheese Incident) we went to Kauai and rocked out on the beach for a week, and cut up DAT tapes of ayahuascahttp://www.ayahuasca.com”>Ayahuasca> chants from Peru, and made “Dubuasca.”There’s a political bend to several of the songs. Could you tell us about the Noam Chomsky and Mumia Abu Jamal samples?
Well, social action is very important to me. Integrity, intention, generosity, compassion, resistance, education, community…all of those areas need more attention in our time. At least that’s what I believe… and it is inevitable for messages that are inspiring to me to show up in my music… Noam Chomsky says: “Privilege confers responsibility”… we are so rich, and blessed in this country…in some ways, we have a hand in controlling the world. To the degree that we as citizens have power, influence, rights, and a voice (privilege), we are responsible to make use of it on behalf of those who don’t… When I watch current events, there is so much going on that is just plain RIDICULOUS. It’s so easy to see when shit is headed the wrong way (in the best interest of a few)…Its important to speak out…both Chomsky and Mumia Abu Jamal are great heroes of our time, and have so much to say…I read and listen to them regularly.
You’ve said that you don’t identify yourself as a DJ, but as a participant in the global community. How does your music fit in with that?
Partly it’s an expression of my passion. Partly it is a tool to build networks and community. Partly it is a way for me to have fun artistically before things get really intense.
Do you see yourself having a mission or intention when you’re performing?
Not as much as a general sense of dedication to what I believe in, that rises to my surface in most circumstances.
Your shows have been rumored to induce mystical experience. Is there a sort of shamanic magic in Djing?
Yeah, that’s because I lace the water with acid. No. I don’t actually do that. Hmmm…shamanic..thats a loaded word. It would be easy to take oneself too seriously. All I know is this: I fuckin love music. When I am alone I am completely consumed by it…while I drive I hum and slam my car around rhythmically and beat my steering wheel, when I sleep I create music, or attend amazing concerts, when I think it is to a massive soundtrack. When I make music alone at night I fuckin rock out and mash my body around… I channel all my dreams and love and fear into the music, and I see people, and places, and I scream, and sometimes I cry. When I play music at a public gathering, I behave the same way, sometime more internally, sometimes more externally, but its all energetic and is spawned in an intentional source of enchantment with existence.
Do you have any thoughts on the changing club scene, especially after the “Utah Rave Raid?”
My main thought is that I was originally booked to headline that party…and due to a very lucky schedule change I was not the unprepared star on America’s Most Fucked Up videos…. when I saw that I almost lost it… A perfect illustration of how hectic the current administration is, and how ludicrous the war on Drugs is…
Even with a pretty insane schedule, you’re still flying out to New York for the freek/”>http://www.freekfactory.com”>Freek Factory’s Bass Nympho’s Ball this Friday? What is it about these shows that has you keep coming back?
As if…. I wouldn’t miss it for de werld, man. I am so grateful for the Freek Factory for creating an essential center for expression and experimentation in New York City… honestly I don’t know of much else within the city that is quite as full on, nor that rides the boundaries of bass alchemy and group freakout energy… VAVOOOOOM!
What’s next?
Damn…so much. Touring constantly, waiting for Mesmerizing The Ultra to make its way into other territories and following suit with tours… the next Bassnectar album is called Metamorpho[p]sis …the tracks for that are already built, and I’ve got heaps of new ones…working on a more interactive set…in addition to means of jamming and collaborating live… lots of personal work in my attempts to understand what the next big step it. Eating my vegetables, practicing graciousness, gratitude, patience, and generosity. Check out http://www.bassnectar.net for more info, to get in touch, to score the CD, and for all other bassnectar necessities…
Thanks for your time!
Posted by Jonathan Phillips on October 17th, 2006 under Interviews, Spirituality, Music, Culture. Comments: none | EMail This Post
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