Lorin Ashton is without a doubt, one of the most prolific producers in the business. The “EDM”-rebelling songwriter is taking back the masses in full force with the release of Into The Sun, his eleventh studio album.
Think about that number for a second. ELEVEN studio albums. This doesn’t even include the various remixes or EPs he’s released. The work that Ashton has done is incredible thus far, not only because of the vast body of work he’s been releasing since 2001, but because of the sheer quality of his music that he’s been able to consistently put out.
The opening track, “Chasing Heaven”, kicks things off in typical Bassnectar-fashion: ominous and wavy synths with thick hip-hop snare n’ bass woven in between. The next track, however, quickly became a favorite: Ashton’s remix of “No Way”, a track from The Naked and Famous’ debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, is one of the most refreshing tracks to grace the dance music scene, simply because it shows the potential that this genre has, while loudly proclaiming the safety that many producers have been taking when creating music these past several years. Don’t get me wrong; I absolutely love all the sounds that you’d heard on the Main Stage at Electric Daisy Carnival. It’s just nice to hear someone take some risks and put out something you’d hear at a place like Warped Tour.
The title track, at least for me, conjured up a great deal of space-like imagery (as have quite a few of Ashton’s tracks in the past). “Speakerbox” is an intense hip-hop fueled marathon of bass and rap verses that I guarantee will be one of the most anticipated tracks at future shows. “The Mystery Spot” (did you visit Santa Cruz when you were writing this, Lorin?) keeps things rolling. “Sideways” follows a similar hip-hop pattern like “Speakerbox”, but one of the most interesting aspects to Bassnectar’s production technique is his ability to set songs apart from one another. Subtle variances in the drums and vocal creation make this song pop in a completely different way.
“Rose Colored Bass” channels trance-like synths mixed in with drum-and-bass-style moments before we meet “Generate”, by far the most intense (and my personal favorite) track of the album. I’m a die-hard supporter of almost anything that has a heavier edge to it when it comes to music. This track is no exception to that proclamation.
The remix that follows, a version of “One Thing” by Psymbionic & Of The Trees, is almost a complete anthesis of the previous song in terms of tone, but it works just as well. “Science Fiction” closes out the album beautifully before culminating with a number of reworked tracks from Ashton’s fifth studio album, Mesmerizing The Ultra (in honor of the record’s tenth anniversary) and a bonus “mixtape” of the entire album.
One thing is absolutely certain: Bassnectar is a forced to be reckoned with among the electronic music world.
This has been another Shameless Promotion.