Bassnectar On World Cafe

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Bassnectar's new album is Vava Voom. Peter Samuels hide caption

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Peter Samuels

Bassnectar's new album is Vava Voom.

Peter Samuels

Since beginning his "open-source" musical project in the 1990s, Lorin Ashton and his Bassnectar alias have become nearly superhuman. Bassnectar is associated with a community of devoted Bass Heads, several non-profit and charity organizations and shows of such epic proportions, they're called Bass Centers. Ashton describes his music as "the motion of [his] cells bouncing back at the world," and tens of thousands of people connect with it as a deeply human pursuit, as well. Last year, he sold out a New Year's Eve show attended by 10,000 fans.

This year, Bassnectar has a new album and a new tour — two pursuits sure to give Bass Heads plenty to celebrate. Vava Voom was released in April and features collaborations with Lupe Fiasco, ill.Gates and Tina Malia. While he often discusses how his influences are rarely apparent in what he creates, several sources have identified the chords of Orbital's "Halcyon" in Vava Voom's "Empathy." Hear Ashton discuss his influences and his music in today's episode of World Cafe.

This episode originally aired on May 16, 2012.