Noise vs. Beauty is Bassnectar’s All-Time Favorite Album

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Noise vs. Beauty is Bassnectar’s All-Time Favorite Album

Lorin Ashton’s latest LP is a testament to his collaborative spirit and unbridled creativity, featuring over 50 artists who partnered with him on it. He calls it: “a 15 song journey which spans the spectrum of music from hardcore noise hysteria to lush, ethereal beauty – and many points in between . . . it is without a doubt my favorite album to date! I hope it brings you happiness :)”

In an interview we did with him at Ultra Music Festival 2012, he affirmed that inspiration is a constant state of being for him, and collaboration is a vital element of keeping that flow moving:

“Honestly, not to sound dorky, but I’m always there [the creative zone]. I just feel very inspired all the time. I’m kind of too backlogged to get musician’s block because I have at any given time hundreds of works in progress…and I love collaborating with other people so if I have time to be creative and I don’t have a good idea, there’s a dozen really good friends who I have collaborative songs with so I can just work on those.”

Noise vs. Beauty is proof of Lorin’s ability to co-create, spanning gentle melodies and bass heavy jams, it’s sonically diverse and full of varied influences.

If you’re a hardcore Bassnectar fan, you’ll be elated to pour over Lorin’s words on each track – just check out his liner notes hereIt’s a rare and delicious opportunity to access in-depth written expression from a musician commenting on his work.

In Lorin’s own words…

“This collection of songs is a public expression of how thankful I am to be alive, with each song representing an individual point across a diverse spectrum of experience. I want to give thanks for the tremendously eclectic range of emotion I feel in life, and beam a reflection back at every flashing, sparkling light that shines toward me, even temporarily, from all directions of the dark eternal universe. Thank you.”

DEFINITELY check out the full album, but here’s a few of our favs… 

SO BUTTERFLY (2014 VERSION) 

One of the standout tracks is a re-release of a song he put out in in 2007 on Om Records called “" target="_blank">So Butterfly,” which originally included a sample from a speech by Noam Chomsky that gave it a distinctive political flavor. But the 2014 version is stripped of any underlying message other than the utter beauty of the soaring synths and pulsating bass.

Here’s what Lorin had to say about this glittering production in his liner notes: 

“This song has many forms, originally released with shards of Noam Chomsky’s voice speaking about important philosophical insights. At one point he says ‘Privilege confers responsibility. You can face that Responsibility, which may not be easy: but it’s easier for us than for people in almost all the world. Or you can shirk the Responsibility, in which case you’re leaving The Future to be determined by forces which are anything but benign…’ Nearly 15 years ago, that concept struck me with extreme force. I was in college at the time, living a privileged American life. I was from a middle class family and I was at a University living in California. I had immediate access to clean, hot water, delicious food, and all my necessities were not only effortlessly met, but exceeded. Beyond my necessities, I was overwhelmed by the privileges of enjoying music constantly. My friends and I threw free outdoor full moon parties each month, I spent countless hours writing music and DJing, …I was (and am) privileged in countless ways. Compared to the millions of humans alive today who live in squalor, who live through genocide, war, famine, disease, horror… Most of us in a 1st World country who enjoy the privileges of modern life (like cell phones, the internet, etc) can easily forget how good we have it, because we take it for granted. Noam Chomsky believes that this kind of overwhelming privilege confers some kind of responsibility: whether to look out for the less fortunate, or to keep a loud & critical eye open to the most powerful ruling class (the media, corporations, elite wealthy, and governments which prioritize control over human rights). I’ve been immeasurably inspired by that.”

EPHEMERAL

Lorin dubs this one as his favorite song of the entire album – a long awaited project that he’s finally launched into the world after a decade of holding on to it – truly a labor of love.

HOLD ON FT TURSI

This track is a slight diversion from the gentle vibes of “So Butterfly” and “Ephemeral” into the harder core realm that Bassnectar is adored for, but it still retains a soft touch that makes it undeniably mesmerizing.

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