What started back in the mid nineties as an experiment fusing youth culture and social action has turned into a multi-faceted, multi-faced creature called Bassnectar. It is the brainchild of Lorin Ashton, and it exists as an open-sourced musical project that is as diverse as it is heavy, as raw as it is meticulous, and as fierce as it is imaginary.
Bassnectar combines sound and force with weight while spanning the spectrum of sonic style, covering every genre imaginable, and smashing it all into a collision of wobbling, perverted basslines, hypnotic hide-and-seek adventures, and pretty much anything that strikes his fancy. He calls the end product “omnitempo maximalism,” which basically means no rules, no limitations, and no hesitation in fusing the familiar with the strange or the classic with the cutting edge.
Whether remixing, collaborating, writing, DJing, performing live or working on constant social networking, Bassnectar’s music is the lure and social impact is the very sincere intention. According to Ashton, “we are so blessed, and so deeply fortunate to be alive and awake right now…it’s a basic truth, but it’s very powerful. I think privilege confers responsibility, and Bassnectar is a reflection of that opportunity to give back; the motion of my cells bouncing back at the world.”
Idealistic? Maybe. But with wall-to-wall shows night after night in city after city, with endless music being concocted and pumped out of the labs by a growing legion of collaborators and bass-scientists, and with an ever-growing fan base of loyal bass-freaks on the loose, maybe idealism isn’t all that bad…
Stay tuned for gobs of new releases on Bassnectar’s own imprint “Amorphous Music” as well as heaps of free tracks, mixes and transmissions at podcast.bassnectar.net. The live show explodes over 100 nights a year, and we have many surprises in store!
The islands of Hawaii are not only the biggest influence on Iration’s sound they are home to all of its members. Iration was born from a love of all types of music and a desire to create something new. Elements of Reggae, Rock, and Pop are mixed with keyboard/synth and melodic vocal lines to create something truly unique. Iration is best heard in a live setting where you can truly experience the full spectrum of their range. They have proven to truly have an understanding of modern and traditional performance techniques that keep crowds of fans’, both younger and older, hands in the air and heads bobbing, along with those females’ hips gyrating. These Hawaiian raised naturally talented musicians look forward to spreading their original sound, aloha spirit, and cutting edge (surf) culture as far as possible and will continue to make original music.
In 2007, they recorded and released their first full length album, No Time for Rest, at Castaway 7 Studios in Ventura, Ca, which featured one of the last recorded performances by reggae legend Mikey Dread, who produced accomplished musicians such as The Clash and UB40. Their single “Cookie Jar” reached number one in Hawaii on 93.9 DaBeat and was featured on Fuel TV’s Triple Crown of Surfing recap. Their music was also featured on MTV shows Maui Fever and Living Lahaina.
In the spring of 2008, Iration embarked on a national tour titled “Playboys in Paradise” in support of the band Pepper. They traveled 16,000 miles and played in front of numerous sold out crowds at venues such as famed Stubb’s BBQ in Austin, House of Blues Dallas, Myrtle Beach, and Orlando. They continue to tour extensively and look forward to bringing their sound to even larger audiences as they have playing shows such as “West Beach Music Festival” with legends Ziggy Marly and George Clinton, along with Jason Mraz, in Santa Barbara and “Back to School Orientation” with Sean Kingston and Shwayze in San Luis Obispo. On October 3, 2008, Iration officially released their latest collection of recordings on their SAMPLE THIS EP – Sample This, is a four song EP featuring two songs, “I’m With You” and “Electricity,” which were co-written with a fellow local Hawaiian musician, songwriter, and Grammy winning producer Charles Brotman of Hawaiian recoding company Palm Records. The EP also features their new smash hit “Falling,” which has already been added to several radio stations in Hawaii and Guam – as well as rising favorite, “Wait and See.” These few tracks have a newly focused emphasis on capturing a popular sound along with their norm rock-reggae feeling. The Sample This EP debuted at 3 on iTunes top reggae albums, “Falling” was the 22 top reggae song on iTunes as of October 7, 2008 and 28 as of Dec 1, 2008. It was released by Michael Harlan music distribution through INgrooves. As of Decenber 1, 2008, Iration was Myspace’s 2 top unsigned reggae artists and in its 22 top unsigned artists, averaging over 20,000 plays a day after releasing Sample This. KUCD, Hawaii’s alternative music station, added “Falling” and peaked 3 in November, 2008. “Falling” currently has over three and a half million plays on Myspace, Iration has over seven and a half million.
In 2009, “Falling” was added to Santa Barbara’s modern rock station, KJEE FM, and begun to receive specialty plays on XTRA FM, San Diego’s alternative rock station 91X (as well as No Time For Rest’s “Cookie Jar”). Since the beginning of ‘09, Iration has accomplished sell out shows at San Luis Obispo’s Down Town Brew, West Hollywood’s famed the Roxy Theater several times, and San Diego’s House of Blues with over a thousand in attendance. Iration also performed at KJEE’s Summer Round UP at the Santa Barbara Bowl with radio’s hottest band, Kings of Leon, and Airborne Toxic Event – as well as headlining San Luis Obispo’s annual Beer Fest at Avila Beach before heading back to the studio to finish their upcoming album titled Time Bomb, due for release in early 2010. For Iration, the second half of 2009 will be all about touring! Iration kicked of their summer touring in August by supporting the band Rebelution’s national “Bright Side of Life Tour,” spanning from San Diego to New York to Dallas. Iration kicks off their fall ’09 touring by playing Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip Music Festival, headlining San Diego’s Paddle for Clean Water Festival presented by 91X FM, and by supporting Pepper’s national “In the Trenches Tour,” leading them from California all the way to back to New York. Iration will then continue touring through the fall supporting 11 dates with jam band legends Umphrey’s McGee. They will end the year with four very special California headlining dates TBA!
In early 2010, Iration plans to release and tour heavily in support of there forthcoming album Time Bomb, which will include their smash hit “Falling.”
Iration has performed with acts such as: Kings of Leon, Airborne Toxic Event, White Lies, Far, Sean Kingston, Pepper, Slightly Stoopid, Ziggy Marly, Steel Pulse, Stephen Marley, Don Carlos, Rebelution,The Expendables, The English Beat, Yellowman, Mikey Dread, Katchafire, Natural Vibrations, Rocky Duwani, Shwayze ft. Cisco Adler, Soja, George Clinton and P Funk, Fishbone, and Ooklah the Moc – as well as many others
Pretty Lights is the musical vision of the ultra-versatile Colorado based producer Derek Vincent Smith, accompanied in the live setting by drummer, Cory Eberhard. Together these two achieve a raw energy rarely reached in the realm of electronic music.
At a time when music lovers from almost all subcultures and genres are finding common ground in the basic form of bangin’ beats, Pretty Lights is giving the people what they want; electro organic cutting-edge party rocking beats that fill venues with energy and emotion and send dance floors into frenzies. And the people are responding. Pretty Lights’ three albums, Taking Up Your Precious Time, Filling Up The City Skies, and Passing By Behind Your Eyes have been downloaded over 500,000 times from PrettyLightsMusic.com.
A 2009 sold out North American tour propelled Pretty Lights into 2010 with the first tour dates in the UK and Europe and a nationwide spring tour including stops at Coachella, SXSW, and Ultra Music Festival.
Spring Tour Planned for 2010 Including Shows at SXSW, Ultra Music Festival and Coachella
Mark your calendars. On March 2, June 15, and October 12, Colorado-based producer Pretty Lights, aka Derek Vincent Smith, is set to release a trilogy of EPs. Now here’s the fun part: in an effort to get his music directly to his fans as soon as it’s written, Derek will record the EPs only a few weeks before each release. It’s a pretty gutsy move to set release dates without finished material, but for Derek, who’s been recording albums and immediately releasing them for free on the internet since 2006, setting deadlines like this isn’t a big deal.
Pretty Lights’ last three albums, Taking Up Your Precious Time, Filling Up The City Skies, and Passing By Behind Your Eyes have been downloaded over 500,000 times from PrettyLightsMusic.com. These tracks juxtapose beautiful vintage samples against backdrops of futuristic synthesis and dirty broken beats. And as Pretty Lights looks ahead to his next three projects, his music could take him anywhere. The future is yet to be written for Pretty Lights.
Since he started touring in 2008, Pretty Lights’ mix of electro beats, vintage samples, and DJ Shadow-esque throwbacks have earned a dedicated following across the country. With an ambitious live setup that includes the addition of Cory Eberhard on drums and stunning visuals, Pretty Lights’ performances have become the stuff of legend. One year later, Pretty Lights sold out 65 venues across the country with many fans begging for extra tickets at the door. This spring, Derek will crisscross the country again, hitting up SXSW, Ultra Music Festival, and Coachella in the process. Already selling out dates, he’ll also be stopping in on 20 cities he’s yet to perform in, as a part of his never-ending quest to spread his music across the globe.
Check out the video of Pretty Lights live @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO on July 25, 2009. The video features atrack called ” Let Em Know Its Time To Go off Passing By Behind Your Eyes” …
CLIP OF THE WEEK 135 – Meet The Lurks V4.1
Volume 4.1 of Meet The Lurks, is a small sample of some of the many places we have been at shooting, in making the next full-length feature coming this summer, “TAKE 3″. Rolling into Clip 135, watch Travis Prange, George Vargas, Joel Wilkins, Gabe Saxon, and Robert Landers put the steeze on-em~!
How places, people, and things shape and influence our lives. Fighting nostalgia to relive the best, we selfishly attempt to cage forever. Amidst a bleak ending, protagonist, Frank Wells, trudges past present day deformities to retreat into a much more colorful past.
d DJ Shadow-esque throwbacks have earned a dedicated following across the country. With an ambitious live setup that includes the addition of Cory Eberhard on drums and stunning visuals, Pretty Lights’ performances have become the stuff of legend. One year later, Pretty Lights sold out 65 venues across the country with many fans begging for extra tickets at the door. This spring, Derek will crisscross the country again, hitting up SXSW, Ultra Music Festival, and Coachella in the process. Already selling out dates, he’ll also be stopping in on 20 cities he’s yet to perform in, as a part of his never-ending quest to spread his music across the globe.
