Lorin Ashton, better known as Bassnectar, has announced that he is “stepping back” from his career and his non-profit organization, Be Interactive, in the wake of allegations that he habitually acted in an inappropriate sexual manner toward underage fans.
The recent surge in allegations against Bassnectar, the popular electronic bass music producer and DJ, can be traced to the @evidenceagainstbassnectar Instagram account that made its first post on Sunday, June 28th. The page has been extremely active in the five days since, posting screenshots detailing instances of Ashton’s alleged improper behavior toward minors, some of which are dated as far back as 2015. The account has made more than 50 posts offering evidence of Ashton’s alleged misconduct and gained nearly 7,000 followers as of publication time.
In a post on Friday on the Bassnectar social media channels, Aston noted, “I am stepping back from my career and I am stepping down from my position of power and privilege in this community because I want to take responsibility and accountability. I feel intense compassion for anyone I may have hurt. I truly hope you allow me a chance to work together toward healing. The rumors you are hearing are untrue, but I realize some of my past actions have caused pain, and I am deeply sorry. I am handing off our nonprofit Be Interactive to a diverse team to continue without my involvement moving forward. Sometime in the future I may share more thoughts on these matters, but for now, please take care of each other and I wish you all the brightest future.”
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In a previous post on Tuesday, Ashton offered a more general acknowledgment of the allegations in a long message in which he concluded that he would spend his summer “examining my privilege and opening my communication to people from my past with whom I had an intimate relationship. What I am most open to is healing. I want to encourage anyone anywhere who feels alone or helpless: we want to be a bridge to support and therapy.”
This story is developing.