"When I first got going," recalls Lorin Ashton, "I was into fuckin' brutal, satanic death metal." Even with all of his hair, it's hard to imagine that Ashton, better known in dance circles as Bassnectar, was once enthralled with extreme metal. After all, dubstep, the subgenre he's essentially helped pioneer, is known more for its resonating bass beats than for shredding guitars, blast beats and guttural vocals. Over the past few years, thanks in large part to the rising popularity of fellow low-end-loving acts like Skrillex, dubstep has steadily been making mainstream inroads, which has put Ashton in an enviable position. But to him it's about more than just punishing bass lines.
