Radio Created The DJ Star

Bassnectar is San Francisco-based DJ and producer Lorin Ashton.

He is one of the most popular DJs in the world and sells out shows worldwide.

Bassnectar is playing the Kanrocksas Music Festival. Lorin recently wrote in to discuss how college radio got him into dance music, his early days as a raver and his creative process.

For more info on Bassnectar, check out http://www.bassnectar.net/.

What albums/artists first got you into dance music?

I was about 16 or 17 when i first started hearing “techno music” played on the college radio station KFJC. I was 100% obsessed with death metal, black metal, grindcore at the time, and I think the hardcore show went back to back with the rave show on that station (both late at night). I think I would tape record the death metal show, and then start hearing the next DJ’s show start up at 3 or 4 am, and just found it all so intriguing. It was super synthed-out acid house and jungle and ambient music back then.

How old were you when you first started DJing?

I guess I was 18 when I went to my first rave, 19 when I started creating events, and 19.5 when I realized how easy it was to DJ. I always identified as a creator of music, but never thought I would DJ. I was more intrigued with the community aspect, and wanted to curate events. DJing is as simple as taking a friend aside and saying “check out this track!” and playing it for them. of course as an artform it gets deep, but at the heart of the matter, it is just sharing what you love with other people.

What have been some of your favorite DJ sets you’ve seen over the years and why?

I do not get to enjoy it like I used to, because I used to dance for 6-9 hours straight (completely sober too!) and absolutely lose my mind and dance like a lunatic, without caring if I looked silly or not. The best experiences for me were crazy psy trance raves in a warehouse, or small, secret full moon parties out in the forest.

What are the biggest mistakes you see DJs and producers make?

It is hard to say what is a mistake. I guess it depends on what rules you are following, so I would just say sonically: FOLLOW YOU OWN RULES.
Do you follow a certain process when creating tracks?

Total anarchy, total abandon.
How do you feel your creative process has grown since you first started producing?

I mean…it has grown immensely! Constantly changing, developing, playing off itself. If you count writing and recording songs for my band, I have been doing it for 20 years, so it is always evolving.

How do you approach a remix to give the track your own sound?

There are many different approaches, but in general, I just like to REINFORCE music, make it heavier. I also like to compliment music, and use music to compliment other things. So take one extreme and blend it with another, or find a middle point. It is different in every case.
You skillfully mix so many different styles of dance music together. Are there certain styles that you feel work best with your sound?

No, I love all tempos and styles. Currently my own body moves best between 70-90 bpm. (or 140-180 bpm….or 280-360 bpm!) But I love it all. And I always change my preferences, so it is a constant journey for me.
You tour all over the world. What have been some of your favorite moments onstage?

My favorite moments are when there is no stage, and every being in the room feels like ghosts without bodies who commune together as a single, formless entity.

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome in your career?

Personally, I did not have an infrastructure to plug into, and had to basically pave the way (with a lot of help from my friends of course). These days, a young producer can make 1 dope track, and then slide right into a scene/circuit that simply did not exist 10 years ago. But the total pain, sweat, and sheer nonstop work that was required to build this network is something I would not change for anything. All the biggest challenges are the highlights (or at least overcoming them).

What advice would you have for up-and-coming DJs?
Work with your friends. Learn to produce and create with a small team. Find other people and build the local scene together. Try and keep the it about the music and the community, and let it unfold as an act of passion. I would also say there is a HUGE need for creative people who do not want to be on the stage, but who want to be involved (as assistants, agents, managers, tour managers, sound techs, light techs, video techs, LD, content creators, promoters, designers, etc etc etc).