Bass comes naturally to Lorin Ashton, the 34-year-old dreadlocked DJ and electronic dance music (EDM) producer. Bassnectar, as he is internationally known, has stood out for his unique experimental approach to the genre and has done so without resorting to cheap gimmicks. In fact, Bassnectar has been producing electronic music since the 1990s, but it is only in the last few years that his music seems to have really clicked with the masses.
Over the last two decades, Bassnectar, who hails from San Francisco, has acquired a loyal, rapidly growing international fan base made up of self-professed "Bass Heads." Bass Heads have a reason to be proud, too; Ashton is widely praised for both his charitable activism and his all-embracing philosophy. He brings a cool head to a scene flooded by musicians eager for fame.
When asked about his thoughts on illegally downloading music, Bassnectar answered on his website, "If you love something, you should support it because you will allow it to grow and continue. If you do not love something, simply move on and find something else that you do love, instead of hating. Life is too short and precious for anything else."
Ashton employs this mindset during his live shows as well, where he displays his heartfelt thanks to fans by breaking mid-set for a "family shot" that displays Lorin posing with his crowd in the background.
But Bassnectar is much more than a role model with an impressive mess of hair. His bass-heavy music has proven his name quite apt, but his experimentation with sampling, tempo and rhythm makes his style impossible to categorize. If there is one way to capture the essence of Bassnectar's music, it is his consistent and expert use of massive bass and sub-bass. As a matter of fact, his musical influences include natural disasters—such as the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that struck his hometown—because they reveal the possibility for musicians to creatively incorporate those low-register sounds.
Such influence on Bassnectar's sound has never been more apparent than on his April 10 release, "Vava Voom." At Miami's Ultra Music Festival, he wowed the crowd by playing a bunch of new tracks, some from this album, which made him undoubtedly one of the weekend's most memorable acts.
As always, this release defies pigeonholing by virtue of its constantly changing tempo and style. The first song, also entitled "Vava Voom," delves into the world of hip-hop, featuring two brief verses from none other than Lupe Fiasco over a backdrop of climbing electronic beeps and boops. But those first two and a half minutes render the ensuing low-range vibrato and bone-crushing drop a pleasant surprise.
The next song, "Empathy," harkens back to a familiar Bassnectar style—the weighty yet chilled out sounds that he used on his famous remix of Ellie Goulding's "Lights." Like "Lights," this track features a hauntingly beautiful female voice (though not Ellie) that sings over the pulsating bass and futuristic noises.
Halfway through the album, Bassnectar changes pace again with "Pennywise Tribute." I initially found this punk-rock themed jam annoying, but after a few more plays, it furnishes definitive proof as to why Bassnectar continues to be a permanent fixture in the EDM scene. The tune has the angst and crazed fun of Pennywise's "Bro Hymn," but Bassnectar makes it his own with a powerful drum beat and his signature wobbling bass.
Switching styles again, the last few tracks take down the intensity and lead the album to its tranquil end. "Laughter Crescendo," for instance, begins with what could be an Owl City tune, which is soon accompanied by samples of giggling. The song's progression is straightforward enough and mesmerizing in its simplicity. The next two tracks follow suit, keeping with the tranquil mood and completely changing the atmosphere from the first half of the album.
In fact, I wonder whether these slower songs might have been better off interspersed between some of Bassnectar's more intense tracks. As it stands now, the album's first and second halves could be completely different projects. Actually, the last track, "Chronological Outtakes" is just what it sounds like, but it feels tacked on to what is otherwise a professional electronic album.
Track order aside, "Vava Voom" attests to Bassnectar's perseverance—this is his ninth full-length album—as well as his changes as an artist. Whereas his tunes used to be far more repetitive and mesmerizing, his recent projects tend to move and progress far more, making them much more interesting.
In no case is this more apparent than in those songs that unleash the most powerful drops. Without the frantic drum beat and the "u-u-u-ugly" vocal sample in the build-up, "Ugly" would not be nearly as forceful.
The same can be said of "Ping Pong" and "What"—two of the album's strongest songs. The former is absolutely brimming with swag and has quickly become one of my favorites. It begins with the echoing sounds of a Ping Pong game, but those harmless pings soon morph into an aggressive pattern that builds to a pulsating bass line. Featuring fellow dubstep producer Jantsen, "What" is the album's most aggressive dubstep tune and my probable favorite. The opening distant-sounding boops define the ambient space the song occupies and make full use of stereo sound. The harmonious series of staccatoed ohs that comes next gives way to a massive synth reminiscent of some of Doctor P's heaviest drops.
"Vava Voom" really has it all. If you are looking for the album's most powerful bass, "What," "Ping Pong" and "Vava Voom" are your best bet. All the same, the album is not without experimentation ("Pennywise Tribute") or songs reminiscent of his "Lights" remix ("Butterfly" and "Empathy.")
What is most apparent here is that Bassnectar has retained his typical "womp" sound while still improving as an artist. The more heavily-layered, dynamic songs of his recent albums impress me more than his earlier work, and "Vava Voom" beats out all the rest.