Is Bassnectar’s Stance on the Means and Ends of DJing More Relevant Now Than Ever?

Last week, this interview of Lorin Ashton aka Bassnectar resurfaced, making its rounds on social media and the blogosphere. He spoke to Govia Radio at Lollapalooza 2012 about his thoughts on the “fad” of becoming a DJ, and what he had to say may surprise you. Whether or not his beliefs on the matter hold true today, we thought it would be interesting to dissect what Lorin had to say on the matter, especially given it’s even greater relevance in today’s dance atmosphere.

GOVIA RADIO: BASSNECTAR INTEVIEW (Lollapalooza 2012)

Govia started the interview asking Bassnectar how he felt about kids becoming DJs using simple ways with technology.

His response was pretty surprising:

“I consider DJ as simple as sharing a song with someone else. It could be like having a track on your ipod and just playing for someone. I think everybody likes to do that, we all like to share what we love, so it’s easy.”

Throughout the interview, Bassnectar really emphasized the point that DJs share what they love. That’s what this industry is all about. If DJs shared songs they put little passion into, would we really sit there and listen for hours ? Would we go to shows to see a DJ drops songs he or she doesn’t even like? Would we still get chills listening to tracks knowing there was no drive or passion behind the the compilation of bass, synths and lyrics? My guess is probably not.

Bassnectar then went on to say:

“I don’t get athletic about the means, I get athletic about the ends. I want the end result to be amazing. For myself, I’m obsessive. I’m an obsessive creative person so I work the whole time and make myself dive deep into the music and I open up as many options as I can creatively, but I’m not going to judge if someone wants to take another route. It’s really everyone’s decision.”

Wouldn’t it be awesome if all music creators shared this opinion? He’s basically saying that it doesn’t matter how you produce a song, what matters is that end result, your final creation. As a music consumer, I would have to agree with him. Although I am interested in how songs are created, I rarely consider one song to be better than another purely based on how it was produced. As long as you’re creating or sharing something that you are passionate about, that’s really all that should matter. That’s what really shines through in your music in the end anyways.

My opinion may be slightly different than that of a music producer though. I don’t know exactly how much time goes into creating a song, or how many hours DJs spend making a mixtape. I do know it takes drive, dedication and most importantly a love for what you do. Bassnectar’s route of diving deep into the music and opening up as many options as he can creatively, is one that is highly respectable in my opinion. However he makes it clear that regardless of the route you take, he won’t judge you. It’s all about making your own music, and it’s your decision on how you make it.

Then comes my favorite part of the interview:

“Life is so short, to sit around hating on someone because they’re not DJing the way you want them to DJ — it just seems like… go hang out in Syria for a week, and come back and tell me why this is a problem! [laughs]”

Yes. That’s the first word that came to my head when I heard him say this. Seriously, stop the hate. Bassnectar even thinks we’re all hating too hard on each other. Respect the music that your fellow DJs are creating and sharing. Create the music you want to create. Make music the way you want to make it. If someone has a problem with it, they’re missing the entire point of music: it’s about creativity. Do things the way you want to do them. He really emphasizes his point when he references Syria. Although it’s sensitive topic to bring up, he really puts things into perspective for us. There are much bigger issues in this world than arguing over what DJing should be.

Bassnectar ends the interview praising old school DJs. Although the question was phrased in a way to almost make old school DJs sound less relevant, Bassnectar sees things again differently.

“I think there is something to be said about the veterans not only have more experience but they’ve got access to the classics. Access and sense of what happened before, what was big 10 years ago, and how to combine it with what’s big now or what’s big tomorrow.”

At the end of the day Bassnectar doesnt care if you’re old or young, if you’re new or classic, he just cares that you’re creating music and sharing music that you think is incredible. To Bassnectar, that end result is what matters, not how you get there.

Respect your fellow DJs. Whether they’re just sharing songs they love, or creating them in a way that is different than your way, don’t hate. We’ve got bigger things to worry about than how music is “supposed” to be made.

Don’t miss Bassnectar when he comes through Arizona this November at Global Dance Festival.

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